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Rebrand Roundup: From Laptop Chargers to Jimi Hendrix

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Fuseproject – Zolt

Fuseproject has developed the branding and industrial design of the new Zolt Laptop Charger Plus, which claims to be the smallest and lightest charger on the market. Zolt (a division of US electronics product developers Avogy) claims that their new 70 Watt charger can charge two devices and a laptop simultaneously, whilst measuring only 93mm long 100g in weight. Over two years, Fuseproject has worked on designing the form of the product while the technology was being refined. It manages to work so efficiently thanks to its octagonal design, which allows for venting to be close to the heat source so that the product is cool to the touch. It can also be used globally, and regulates power to almost any connected device with its bespoke Efficient Resonant Control technology. The product uses only one wall outlet, and is compatible with 90% of today’s laptops.

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Fuseproject has developed the branding and industrial design of a new laptop charger that claims to be the smallest and lightest on the market

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Fuseproject has selected a colour palette which aims to exemplify the Zolt name, which means “Electric Orange, Ultraviolet, and Graphite” colours feature in both the icon and the product itself. While the icon references the shape of the product, it also contains a letter Z to help build a link between the visual language and the product. Meanwhile the logo appears on the product and becomes backlit when the product is in use. It looks genuinely cracking, but the proof (as the say) is in the pudding, and the product will stand and fall on its usability.

Branch – Cambridge Elements

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Branch has designed a new identity for Cambridge Elements, the new digital publishing offering from Cambridge University Press. The consultancy has created an identity which is easily recognisable, but has the flexibility to cover a broad range of sub-brands such as Architecture, Law and Life Sciences. A simple typographic solution with single colours was sought and a symbol that can be extrapolated and used in different applications, with the minimalist nature of the icon reflecting the clean and clear presentation of the text.

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Three typefaces have been used across the brand: Museuo Sans as a primary typeface; Helvetica as a secondary; and Times New Roman as a Territory font. A bold, colourful and flexible visual language has been established based on the E symbol, which can be manipulated to create bold or subtle executions. The new brand is beginning to roll out now, including online where Branch has given the Elements brand its own voice within the context of the parent Cambridge University brand.

Turo – DesignStudio

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DesignStudio has created a new identity for the car-sharing service that was formerly known as RelayRides, and is now known as the more agreeably named “Turo.” The company, which was set up in 2009 in the US (and is looking to expand internationally next year), aims to connect car-renters directly to vehicle owners, with a service that lets car-owners rent their vehicles out when they're not in use, with liability insurance worth $1 million and round-the-clock roadside assistance. The rebrand project was led by DesignStudio’s San Francisco office and ran for nine months. The name, which was developed with Lexicon, aims to evoke elements of speed and energy. The new identity aims to be simple, clear and directional, and uses colour in a simple, selective and secondary manner. DesignStudio has also introduced a series of serif typefaces, which are more refined than the typical fonts used by similar brand. The consultancy also created a brand film, in collaboration with Camp4 Collective, and a user-generated Turo blog called Adventure Stories.

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DesignStudio has created a new identity for the car-sharing service now known as Turo

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DesignStudio said of the project: “Throughout the process, we rented more than 40 cars through Turo’s service, and even put up our own personal cars for rent. We lived in the spirit of the brand, infusing that sense of adventure into every step of our process, even down to how we presented to the Turo team. Instead of presenting in a boring conference room, we hosted our design presentation at a local San Francisco Go-kart track.” Pete McClelland, creative director on the project, added: “The design direction stands for the starting point of our journey, inspiring us all to head out in the right direction and start that next adventure, creating a visual call to action. After exploring a massive range of directions (from scripted word-marks to illustrative standalone symbols) the full team rallied around this final direction as it is supports Turo’s positioning as a confident, pioneering brand.”

North – U+I

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North has created the new identity for property developer U+I, which has been formed from a merger between Development Securities and Cathedral Group. The two companies are coming together in a new building in Victoria, designed by Coffey Architects with interiors by Ab Rogers Design.

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U+I creative director Martyn Evans says the name is inspired by the history of Morden Wharf development in Greenwich. The site was near the headquarters of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside & General Labourers’ Union, whose motto was “Be united and industrious.” This has been shortened to the more flexible U+I. The black-and-white U+I logo features a line that aims to evoke the horizon, with buildings above and foundations below. Evans said: “We briefed North to create a classic identity that would stand the test of time. It had to be very simple. Every one of our developments has its own brand and we need a corporate identity that can sit on top of these and not interfere. It has to look good on a crane 100m up in the sky and also at the bottom-right of a website. It has to be versatile and usable.”

Handel & Hendrix in London – Pentagram Partners

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Pentagram partners Harry Pearce and Naresh Ramchandani have led the rebrand of Handel House on Brook Street, Mayfair, which will now be known as Handel and Hendrix in London, a name change prompted by the public opening of Jimi Hendrix’s London flat at number 23 Brook Street as a permanent attraction, and the launch of an accompanying exhibition. Guitar god Hendrix and eighteenth century baroque composer George Frederic Handel were musical neighbours who lived, wrote and played some 240 years apart. Although the Handel attraction at number 25 Brook Street has been open since 2001, the Hendrix experience will not open until 10 February 2016, so the application of the branding is still in development.

Harry Pearce and Naresh Ramchandani have led the rebrand of Handel House, which will now be known as Handel and Hendrix in London

A Pentagram spokeswoman said: “The Handel & Hendrix in London graphic identity has been created to promote, identify and distinguish the museum. The identity is brought to life through vibrant colours, dynamic typography and powerful imagery. The primary typeface is Modern No. 20 with the secondary typeface being Akzidenz Grotesk. Handel and Hendrix are two extremely different artists, who are united by their incredible impact on music. Because of this, each artist has their own colour palette that reflects their own unique musical styles.”

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Exhibition design has been led by Outside Studios, which has been working with the client since 2013. The Hendrix project began following the success of showing the flat for Open House weekend, which gave fans the chance to see the space where he lived for two years from 1968 until his tragic death in 1970. Outside Studios creative director Catherine Halcrow said of the challenges faced during the two-year, £2.4 million restoration project: “The challenge was using photographic and anecdotal evidence to frame the story of his life there without initially having any artefacts. The room was empty. He always lived an itinerant life but this was a place he was filmed in, photographed in by people like Barrie Wentzell, wrote songs in and practiced in. It was his home and his office.”

Exhibition design has been led by Outside Studios, which has been working with the client since 2013

It was an incredibly intensive process, with Outside Studios holding focus groups and speaking to people who were part of Hendrix’s life, including his former girlfriend Kathy Etchingham and engineer Roger Mayer, so that details like curtains and furniture could be accurate. A soundscape has also been created for the exhibition, which features a guitarist emulating Hendrix’s acoustic arrangements, street noise and talking. It also contains artefacts such as the acoustic guitar he wrote with in the flat and there are listening points so you can hear what he was working on. A new learning and performance space called “The Studio,” has also been introduced and a roof extension added for offices where Handel and Hendrix London staff can work from.

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