rather than build the system up from each component part or build around a specific element, we embarked upon building a creative design system that’s intentionally imperfect— Donna Lamar, Global ECD, Twitter There’s a brand new custom typeface named “Chirp” designed in collaboration with Grilli Type. It mixes features of gothics and grotesques with hipster-friendly quirks and replaces the decidedly corporate Helvetica. The most visually arresting elements are the print-inspired collages, faux-print effects, and distress marks. It’s a move away from the safe, minimal style that has dominated the design industry for more than a decade. There are layers of bill posters torn off in pieces revealing text beneath, macroscopic views of people, and an all-pervading effortless cool. Think Paris, on a Sunday morning, circa 1997. It’s exciting to see a major brand strike out in a new direction, particularly one that isn’t Google-derived. There’s plenty of energy in the new artwork, but it doesn’t escape notice that this is a surface level restyle; the core design remains. Is this a glimpse of design over the next few years: a braver, irreverent, and decidedly less-corporate style of corporate design? Or, a misstep we’ll all forget as soon as Material Design 3.0 is released?
Ben Moss
Ben Moss has designed and coded work for award-winning startups, and global names including IBM, UBS, and the FBI. When he’s not in front of a screen he’s probably out trail-running.
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