Getting past the plumber's house syndrome

Always on the back-burner, the most fickle client, the worst budget; the identity for the studio you work for. While at DNA, I was given the honour (or is that horror?) to produce their brand signature and identity. The current identity had held well, but needed revising to reflect what type of organisation DNA had become.

DNA, was so named, because they believe they get to the heart of what you’re about; they understand your ‘code’ if you like. A much awarded graphic design and branding company had evolved into something far more. A company focussed on giving its clients a more intimate relationship to its customers and audiences, through the process of understanding and through an output of design and effective creative expression.

In order to understand audiences they have for their clients’ work, they use a proprietary insight gathering process which they coin ‘generative research’. It’s not numbers, it’s not guesswork either; it’s garnering a deeper understanding of the needs and drivers of the people we need to talk to. It is a powerful tool to start the thinking process upon. The resulting work is a blend of that logic and the magic of some very powerful creative talent. This is all wrapped up in their definition: Insight applied.

The identity is based on a stylised helix, custom type and one of Kris Sowersby’s wonderful fonts: National. The visual expression of the brand is set around a left brain/right brain duality, expressed through visual concepts and messages.