In an Australian first, WHEN provides at-home egg count testing and access to the country’s leading fertility experts — prompting a conversation about how and when people can access their own fertility information. They came to us to conceive a brand that could balance credibility and compassion in equal measure. One that felt just as comfortable in a trusted doctor’s office as the shiny shelves of a global beauty store.

The conversation about fertility for people with ovaries has traditionally centred around the biological clock’s looming countdown. But with all that focus on the fear-inducing countdown, there’s not a lot of helpful talk — about how fertility works, the proactive steps we can take to improve it, or why the biological clock is an outdated trope. That’s where WHEN comes in — a fertility medtech company on a mission to ensure no one with ovaries is left wondering about them.

Traditionally, brands in the fertility space are designed to build trust in their medical expertise. But this narrow focus has resulted in a category that feels overly clinical and sometimes cold, losing sight of the real people at the heart of it all. We saw an opportunity to create something that balanced the two — trust and credibility, with warmth and humanity. A direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand built on deep medical experience that felt equally at home in a retail environment.

Fertility is, understandably, incredibly personal and seldom discussed. To get to the heart of the issue, our friends at VML conducted a series of focus groups, one-on-one interviews and stakeholder research. Because in failing to talk about it, we’re failing to give people the information they need at the right time. People are proactive about pap smears, mammograms, skin checks, sexual health tests—all considered lead indicators that look ahead to impact the future. But fertility is measured as a lag indicator, only measured once it’s more difficult to affect the outcome.

Without jumping through costly medical hoops, there is no accessible way for people to know what’s happening inside their very own bodies without a referral. The medical industry is not set up to provide this kind of information proactively, which can make people feel blocked. And when it comes to fertility, information is power.

Given WHEN is the first of its kind in Australia, care needed to be taken to communicate the importance and impact of its service. Credible medical expertise was a leading reason to believe. But we also knew people needed to hear the real stories behind the brand to build trust in something so new. Striking the balance was critical.

The result is a visual and verbal system that blends emotion with science, expression with information. Designed to showcase fertility stories, expert advice and the endless questions we ask ourselves, the brand moves seamlessly from packaging to print, retail stores to social media.

The WHEN wordmark sits at the heart of the visual identity. Clear and confident, it anchors the brand as a dependable figure in the health and medical space. Paired with an organic cell shape that reacts to the world around it, the wordmark and logoform are a perfect foil to the other. Together, they represent standing strong amid the ever-changing nature of life.

WHEN’s typeface is ABC Diatype. It’s used for everything — from wordmark to body copy. Chosen for its modernity and scientific edge, it brings calm and clarity to everything we say. Paired with a colour palette of lemon and neutrals, the identity feels light and warm against an industry so often cold and clinical.

An important first touchpoint was the at-home testing kit — the Egg Count Check. The kit is split into three sections: Prepare, Collect, and Send. We designed the packaging experience to follow the same logical structure, ensuring the steps were simple to follow and easy to use.

Inspired by the sleek aesthetic of our favourite tech brands, the kit’s box takes a rigid form with special attention paid to premium print finishes. We also created a custom instruction booklet to guide the user through the process, designed and illustrated in-house.

Our primary photography style uses intimate portraits and close crops to focus on the subject’s internal thoughts and feelings. We aim to capture moments that feel like a natural extension of everyday life, empowering and relatable in their familiarity. As a secondary style, we splice natural textures and fluid forms with our portraits, like fragments of memory telling the story of a person’s inner world.

To further enhance this sense of intimacy, a series of icons were developed to capture the different states of mind one might feel around this sensitive and personal topic. Following the same visual language as the logo, these icons add flexibility and expression to the brand, especially when used with the intimate portraiture.

The brand name itself is a question — when? But it’s also a statement of intent. We worked with copywriter Amy Scott to develop a verbal concept exploring the idea of an inner monologue, giving voice to the questions we ask ourselves but perhaps never verbalise. The brand speaks as an empathetic expert, both insightful and inclusive. By creating space for open conversation and asking the questions people ask themselves, we show no matter where they’re at in their fertility journey, they’re not alone.

WHEN doesn’t only set to change fertility testing, but to also facilitate an aspirational platform that aims to drive community and empowering conversation around fertility. The brand was crafted to grow into a multidimensional platform for fertility information access and support. We helped design the first step of this journey through WHEN Matters — a curated blog for sharing real fertility stories and credible medical expertise to ensure no one with ovaries was left feeling alone on their journey.

More from Universal Favourite.

Mountainview Brewing Co. is a craft brewery nestled in the shadows of the Cascade foothills in iconic Hope, BC, a town known for the 1982 filming of Rambo: First Blood.

Established in a converted mechanic garage, Mountainview embraces its dual roles serving both the local community and highway travelers making a last pit stop on their drive into the mountain pass, offering a long tap list of crushable staples and experimental craft beers alike.

Working with Mountainview from the beginning, we developed an in-depth visual identity and brand voice, and designed and managed production of the entire brand suite, including brewery signage and wayfinding, flexible menu systems, custom tasting flight trays, packaging, and interior collateral and merchandise.

The typeface in use is Aktiv Grotesk by Dalton Maag.

More from Memory.

Ashton was the first restaurant chain in Canada to specialize in poutine – it’s been serving the iconic dish since 1969. However, as the decades passed, both Ashton’s image and its restaurants remained frozen in time. In 2022, Émily Adam and Jean-Christophe Lirette took over the reins from Ashton Leblond, with a vision of expanding the 23 locations of this beloved Quebec brand.

The new owners faced some major challenges: stagnant sales figures, outdated restaurants, an aging clientele and the need to recruit younger workers. It quickly became clear that Ashton’s brand image and experience needed to be revitalized.

Striking the right balance

LG2 reimagined Ashton’s entire brand experience at one of its flagship restaurants. Numerous elements were redesigned to simplify the brand as a whole and turn it into an exportable entity.

A new take on nostalgia

The experience was updated with a perfect blend of modernity and traditions rooted in Ashton’s history. In tribute to snack bar culture, all the classic codes of diners were integrated with a modern twist. A customized typographic signature emphasizing the generous, indulgent nature of Ashton dishes was created, and the chain’s signature red colour was updated. A touch of nostalgia can be felt in the new brand merchandise, which features illustrations reminiscent of one of Ashton’s earliest logos.

The colours are rich, curved edges are prominent and the triple red line – inspired by the chain’s iconic neon lighting – runs through every touchpoint in the graphic system, from the new packaging to the stripes on socks.

A strong local presence

To create an atmosphere as comforting as its food, the design concept was completely overhauled. This transformation can be seen from the outer shell to the interior details: the pervasive curves, neon lighting and red tin roof are all reminiscent of Ashton’s original 1969 food truck.

A monochrome red border runs through the dining room where the famous banquettes are still featured prominently in the centre. This easily reproducible layout will be extended to the chain’s other restaurants over the next few years.

The secret is in the sauce

The numbers speak for themselves. Within 30 days of launch:

35% increase in traffic at the first renovated location
34% increase in sales at the first renovated location
40% increase in visits to the Ashton website

Ashton found the perfect recipe for securing the loyalty of diehard fans while attracting new foodies on the hunt for a retro yet contemporary experience.

LG2 elsewhere on ID: Aliments Faita et Forgione.

The Dinner Ladies needed a recipe for a rebrand that would not only pay respect to their unique origin story but bring their visual and verbal identity up to speed with their growth as Australia’s tastiest frozen meal service. We joined forces to cook them up a fresh look and feel that reflects their homely meals and anti-“mumsy” attitude, extending all the way from their website through to their packaging. Now whack the oven on, because Australia’s hottest frozen meal service has arrived.

Since it all began with two determined women in a Sydney-side backyard shed in 2007, The Dinner Ladies have been filling the freezers, bellies and hearts of thousands of busy Australian families with their ready-to-heat comfort meals. Born from a deep understanding of dinner time chaos, and the desire to bring some ease back into this routine, The Dinner Ladies’ commitment to delivering meals worthy of mum’s tick of approval remains unwavering.

The market for pre-prepared meal delivery is an oversaturated landscape steeped in clichés and same-same messaging that claims to be the most healthy, convenient or delicious dinnertime solution. They not only lack a distinct personality but also relatability to their customer — time-poor people who just want simple, genuinely good, homemade meals that help take the pressure off when it’s needed most. This is where The Dinner Ladies shine. A flavour-stacked service that takes care of dinner, so you can focus on doing life.

The brand had become known and loved for their unexpected, no nonsense and slightly audacious approach. This was not only refreshingly real but a reflection of both their wholesome offering and the founding ladies. However, over seventeen years of brand iterations their look had become diluted, lost its attitudinal punch, and needed a big serve of reinvigoration. Our vision was to bring back the best from their history and turn up the heat across the board to let the nation know they mean (meal delivery) business.

We fully immersed ourselves in The Dinner Ladies story, from taking a deep dive through past website designs and hand drawn logos on a napkin, to visiting the shed where it all began and the factory where it now thrives. This helped us draw out the strongest existing brand elements, like their early trad-tattoo-esque illustrations and counter-“mumsy” stereotype, and turn them into a modern evolution. Driven by “Food from the Heart,” each component of the visual identity communicates the brand essence and no-BS confidence of a service that truly helps take the stress out of dinnertime.

The first step was the refinement of the logo. By decoupling the heart and the script, we gave it flexibility, made it easier to read at every touchpoint and allowed it to scale as needed. The custom heart logo was designed by us and then, alongside the wordmark, handed to illustrator Jake Foreman to redraw and personalise with his iconic texture and gritty stipple.

The Dinner Ladies’ existing red already had distinct brand attribution in the category so we just refined it with a bright and modern twist. The secondary palette supports our hero red with a balance of warm, approachable and slightly retro hues. When united, the system unlocks a number of interesting and vibrant combinations that are particularly useful across hard-working digital applications.

We used the typeface Denim by Displaay Type Foundry to show off the brand’s confident personality yet retain practicality. Denim Wide’s used in headings and call-to-action applications to command attention, while its regular cut counterpart rounds out the system with a friendly, clean and legible option for subheadings and body copy. With its subtle details, the typeface can be an attention-grabbing hero element that showcases the bold tone of voice but also work alongside more expressive moments.

The tone of voice needed to capture the brand’s joyful, cheeky yet comforting personality, while steering clear of any patronising “mumsy” tropes and stereotypes. We worked with copywriter Cat Wall to develop a verbal identity that balanced the empathetic caregiver with the charmingly rebellious tone of the ladies themselves. In a category saturated with over-sincerity and fake friendliness, the tone offers a refreshing sprinkle of irreverence with a straight-forward, bull-free reflection of the audience and their needs.

The photography celebrates the authentic messiness of real life dinnertime. A reflection of the brand’s tell-it-like-it-is attitude, the shoot didn’t shy away from capturing raw moments — the remnants of a great dish alongside a new one being served or a bolognese-faced baby — mixed with the joy of sharing generous, mouth-watering food.

With Alana Dimou behind the lens, Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd on styling, Oriana De Luca on wardrobe, Gavin Anesbury with a hair and makeup brush in hand, and Michaela Le on production, the brand came to life. Warm, natural lighting, combined with quirky styling choices, pops of colour or pattern and intentional (and encouraged) chaos set a homely and inviting scene with a pinch of rebellion.

Illustration has always been a major piece of The Dinner Ladies’ brand so we wanted to bring it across to the rebrand. The original illustrations’ punk and rough-around-the-edges flair drew us to references of traditional trad tattoos.

Collaborating further with illustrator Jake Foreman, we crafted a suite of illustrations that served as both personality-rich storytelling pieces and functional devices. While the small scenes and spots speak to specific offerings of the brand, the hero illustration speaks to the love behind every Dinner Ladies dish and the comforting shared experiences created around the table.

These illustrations are supported by our suite of type-furniture elements that not only support the main design elements but add character to any layout.

As a product that’s often shoved into the freezer and then reached for in a rush, legibility and easy differentiation were priorities for designing the packaging. A simple colour-coded system helps to distinguish between protein groups at a glance, making it quick and effortless to find the crowd-pleasing meal that’s ready to save the day.

The Dinner Ladies now have a brand that not only celebrates their seventeen year legacy but gives them the tools for future decades of success. The flexible design system and punchy tone of voice pays tribute to their tenacious past, the founding ladies behind the service and their wholesome mission put joy back into dinner time. Now The Dinner Ladies can stand loud and proud with a brand that reflects their readiness to dish up delicious dinners to an entire nation.

More from Universal Favourite.

Auto racing’s seen an explosion of flimsy “fashion wheel” brands that pretend to be high-performance. Apex is different — engineering elite racing wheels at an unmatched price point. But when we met them, customers were completely unaware of the difference. Working closely with their CEO, Eddy Pintacsi, we developed a new category vision and brand, positioning them as the category leader they are, and injecting some much-needed truth into the wheel industry.

We started by naming the problem that Apex solves, calling it The Great Knowledge Void. A state of play where any wheel brand can make performance claims — true or not — just to make a buck. And the worst part? Customers have no way to know the difference. We went on to tell a story of how Apex is fixing this problem with their core ethos: “Real performance.” A pledge to show customers the truth — or die trying. End of story.

The identity is loud and urgent. To stop people from buying bogus wheels. The arching curves and high-contrast colors catch the eyes on the track — where it matters. And we worked with Apex to weave the same sense of urgency into how they talk about their testing standards. So that the entire industry would get with the program.

Altogether, the rebrand, POV, and messaging proves that Apex stands alone in its category. We call this a “Category of One” brand. Because when you risk everything on the track, there’s only one thing you can trust — Real Performance.

More from Gold Front.

Located in the heart of the Mexican city of Hermosillo, Sonora, you will find Champ, a small boutique hotel. The street on which it is located is Campodónico, the surname of recognized waltz composer Rodolfo Campodónico, born in Hermosillo in 1866. He garnered a lot of recognition for his work during the early 20th century and his nickname was “Champ,” and that is from where the hotel took its name.

Champ celebrates the desert, the city, the local spirit and Sonoran traditions. Using imagery from old postcards and photos found in basements and thrift shops, its aim is to be as cozy and comfortable as possible for its guests.

The muted color palette was inspired by the arid northern Mexican region, where the vastness of the land and the sky reign supreme. A retro typography was chosen, since the old house where Champ is located was built in the 1970s.

Typefaces used:
Pitch by Klim Type Foundry
Galey by Prestigetype Studio
Saa Series by URW Type Foundry
Helvetica by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann
Century 725 by Heinrich Wilhelm Hoffmeister

More from Jesús López.

Some designers don’t make. Some makers don’t design. If you are a designer who knows how to make, you bridge a gap that unleashes new creative potential.

Donut Shop was established in 2017 by Ian Klipa and Jacob Saphier. They developed a friendship during their time at Stamps School of Art and Design, leading to collaborative projects during weekends and holidays.

During that period, Ian and Jacob envisioned the creation of their design studio to persist in their collaborative work on beloved projects. Following experiences in various fabrication, engineering, and design roles, they took a leap of faith and launched Donut Shop, in Detroit, MI.

Similar to Donut Shop, TwoPoints.Net specializes in crafting bespoke solutions. Rather than adapting existing designs, the client’s product or service serves as the creative wellspring for a unique and tailored design.

TwoPoints.Net embarked on the creation of six fonts, each drawing inspiration from a distinct project by Donut Shop Design. The challenge lay in capturing the breadth of aesthetics without becoming overly specific, allowing the firm the flexibility to evolve creatively.

Designed to be mono-spaced, each letter in the six fonts seamlessly combines with others, illustrating the diversity of Donut Shop’s furniture designs.

The fonts enable Donut Shop to create numerous new deliverables effortlessly through typing. There’s no requirement for a static logo to be replicated repeatedly, as every text becomes an identifying element.

The communication strategy revolves around storytelling. Each project originates from a hidden narrative. Donut Shop brings this story to life, providing clients with an opportunity to share it with their customers. Displaying Donut Shop’s work requires nothing more to convey these stories—campaigns or ads are unnecessary. Simple yet engaging editorial design proves to be far more efficient.

More from TwoPoints.Net.

LiveKit is a software platform that allows developers to create applications that use real-time video, audio, and data — whether it be for video conferencing, live streaming, robotics, or even spatial computing. They needed a design system that not only spoke to all of those use cases, but stood out as its own brand.

Just because its implementation would often be behind-the-scenes doesn’t mean the identity of the brand has to hide in the shadows. We helped them craft something with a bit of a digital edge — something that could live in the dark mode world, but had some really beautiful color and animation to make spending time with it that much more pleasant.

Since launch, LiveKit has been named the “Fastest Growing WEBRTC Stack” and has been featured as one of GitHub’s Top 10 Fastest Growing Repos in Q3 2021 and Q2 2022. It was also named as one of Forbes’ Cloud 100 Rising Stars, establishing them as one of the best and brightest emerging private companies in the cloud sector.

The Collected Works elsewhere on ID: Juicy Sonic Magic.

The Bát Tràng Museum stands as the first private museum authorized by the government within Bát Tràng Village, founded by National Artist Vũ Đức Thắng. Originally named “Hồn Đất Việt” — translated as “Viet’s Ceramic Soul” — this museum embodies his remarkable legacy. Vũ Đức Thắng gained widespread recognition for his spectacular creation of 12 remarkably genuine pottery boots, earning the Guinness Record in 2013. His artistic skills include a collection of modern artworks highlighted by two unique techniques: color-changing ceramic glaze and intricate three-dimensional sculpting. These methods display his mastery and creativity in ceramic art.

Solution

We carefully researched and studied to include his unique artistic techniques and style in creating a new look for the museum. This involved giving the museum a new name and creating a unique custom typeface MN Vũ Thắng with “pottery-shoes-soul” inktrap touches. We wanted to echo his process and masterpieces into the content system.

The brand’s visual system was created to resonate with the beauty of the various unique artworks while systematizing them into an archive through a new, clean photography style. A deliberate pottery silhouette canvas was employed for buttons and patterns across different applications, maintaining a unique and relative aesthetic. This design approach bonded to a grid system inspired by the 3-parts floor plan layout of the museum, ensuring consistency and structure throughout the brand’s visual elements.

We simplified the color palette, emphasizing the vividness and authenticity of the artwork, especially the rich colors and textures of the ceramic glaze. This focused approach highlights the authentic essence of each piece, elevating their visual impact while preserving their nature.

Collaboratively, we aimed to assemble the Bát Tràng Museum towards a more contemporary style while preserving its rich heritage.

M — N Associates elsewhere on ID: HiRaw.

The Norfolk Coast is one of the UK’s best-loved and most at-risk tourist destinations. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the region is also home to Sites of Special Scientific Interest, National Nature Reserves, Marine Conservation Zones, a Biosphere Reserve and Heritage Coast. A collection of protected landscapes, united through their biodiversity and fragility. Lantern was appointed to bring these organisations together and better define and promote their common goals to preserve, restore and enhance the local life, landscapes and wildlife of the Norfolk Coast.

We helped to define this unique destination’s strategic positioning, whilst delivering a new visual and verbal identity to promote the responsible exploration of the region, ensuring it’s here for everyone, forever.

Hiking, cycling and kayaking through protected landscapes

To fully understand what makes Norfolk so special and distinct, we embarked on a four-day immersion trip as a team. We hiked, cycled, bird watched, and conducted several interviews with local families and visitors.

It was important for us to discover the genuine essence of Norfolk and what it means for the local community and stakeholders who call it home, as well as identifying the key areas that require greater protection.

Alive with nature

Norfolk’s coastal landscapes, seascapes and communities have rhythms like a heartbeat. They move across millennia, change with the seasons, and even differ day to day. Waterways widen and wander. Wildlife migrates and hibernates. Farmland flourishes and lies fallow. This is a living coast in perpetual motion. This is a living coast in perpetual motion. Often wild yet sometimes serene.

Our new strategy celebrates this wild, natural backdrop and all that defines it; land and sea, nature and community, they all live together in gentle harmony. And like every living thing, this delicate place deserves to be respected and protected.

Turning the tide

Inspired by the sweeping landscapes of Norfolk’s coast and creeks we brought together the N and C of the brand name creating a unique symbol, paired with a visual language that’s full of energy and alive with nature.

Reflected through the interplay of type, image and illustration, we put the audience deep into the experience. To further reflect the landscape we directed an off-season photoshoot, encouraging sustainable exploration throughout the year.

A suite of illustrations capture key essences from our findings and strategy along with unique wildlife and nature found in Norfolk. We utilise these within patches and stamps reflecting the positive adventures we want to encourage people to experience.

Photography: Hollie Harmsworth
Illustration: Benedikt Luft
Logo refinement: Alec Tear

Lantern elsewhere on ID: The Common Stove.