A digital first making based identity

I was asked to redesign the branding of magneticNorth, a digital design studio. After running multiple design workshops internally, with stakeholders and the employees, I found out what it meant to everyone to work at mN. Despite being a digital agency, the studio's ethos was to live by 'a making-based methodology'. Flat design is the norm for digital and UX websites. We wanted to create something that was a different frame to the work we did, something that created a feeling and a sense of what it was like to be in the office that was filled with colour and patterns.

In most projects, a space is set up where the team can surround themselves with artefacts, research, and WIP. An immersive 'making space' was to be created within the studio. Clients would enjoy coming here, joining workshops and putting their ideas on paper, walls, ceilings, wherever they like. We'd set up permanent timelapse cameras, at a slightly off angle, distinct to mN, to document our processes and our collaborative ways. People joining a video call would be able to remotely move the cameras at a birds eye view to see what's going on, instead of just screensharing.

The photography box was the 'living website', reflecting the idea of space within the office. Using sketches, I created patterns based on design principles: Emphasis, Balance, Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement, White Space. When I created the visual identity, I encouraged employees to come together each week and share an object that represented their week. The objects were photographed. For case studies, I used brand coloured paper and the patterns that were created to make paper objects reflecting each project.

We used all of these elements together to create the new brand, which we translated to WIP areas within the office, the website, social media, business cards, and emails.