SYLVAIN

Brand Identity

With a solidified mission and an unyielding commitment to progress in every detail, Sylvain Labs needed a way to present themselves to the world that matched their work’s gravitas and the reputation earned over the past decade.

Worked on at SYLVAIN

Strategy

Sylvain Labs’ success grows from the long line of contributions offered by the many people who have worked with the company over the years. This continuous string of impact was central to the design strategy and reflective of the idea of progress that is so central to the company’s work. The identity would also signal a shift in how the company represented itself moving forward: from Sylvain Labs to SYLVAIN—a new chapter without losing sight of all that got them to this day.

DELIVERABLES

Creative Strategy

Creative Direction

Bridging influences from 1700s Old Style publications to 1970s block-print posters to today’s Modernist UX sensibilities, it was important that our design system acknowledged time and the way diverse ideas can coalesce as one in the present.

This idea of connectedness was present in the rendering of the SYLVAIN wordmark as we designed custom ligatures between each letterform, representing the unbroken line from beginning to end, from past to present, from founder to new-hire.

Crucial to the system’s success was its ability to span a buttoned-up confidence and a non-precious playfulness so present within the culture. The incorporation of tongue-in-cheek lines like Pon de Humanitas and the application of vibrant colors and textural half-tones strive to offer flexibility in application and across SYLVAIN properties like Critical Nonsense and Progress Report.