11.01.24 – 02.22.25
Asher Young Studio, a creative direction, design, and producing studio based in New York City, commissioned a visual identity design and corresponding website redesign.
Asher Young Studio is accomplished, to say the least. The studio has created set designs for Dior runway shows, performed physical and psychological tests on A$AP Rocky, and coordinated performances by the Blue Man Group. Aware of their notable productions and collaborations, I realized that an effective visual identity would not only feel stylistically cohesive, but also be subtle, allowing the words and images that describe the studio’s work to speak for themselves.
Before we began any technical design work, we realized that in some documents the name “Asher Young Studio” was spelled out, while in others the name was abbreviated to “AYS.” This distinction made the studio’s different media feel disparate, weakening its identity as a whole. To establish greater cohesion throughout the studio’s identity, we considered sticking to just one of these names and using it as a visual mark. Because of the ambiguity of “AYS,” especially for potential clients who may not be familiar with the studio, we decided to spell out the studio’s full name across all platforms and media.
We then began the graphic design process. We first noticed that the studio’s existing visual identity, though formally simplistic, did not feel consistent across platforms. Although most digital and printed matter the studio released featured mainly blacks and whites, it lacked a recognizable visual identity. Their website featured moving images and white Arial text on a black background, while their proposal decks used black Roboto text on white background, for example.
Our first priority was to establish consistent typography. We discussed multiple potential font options, ranging from traditional serif and sans-serif fonts to more experimental lettering, including fonts made from dotted glyphs, modular fonts where individual glyphs could be replaced, and even handwriting as typography.
After multiple iterations and discussions, we decided to lean toward standard fonts rather than more experimental, expressive typography. In this case, traditional fonts provided multiple practical advantages:
- Legibility: The standard fonts we investigated were relatively easy to read, helping the studio’s text-heavy website and decks remain legible. If we had used a more expressive font throughout the visual identity, the risk of illegibility, especially at smaller scales and for readers with weaker vision, would have been greater. We decided that sacrificing clarity for visual flair would not be effective.
- Availability: These fonts are available almost everywhere, and so implementing the new visual identity across different media and softwares became straightforward. While the Adobe Suite may support nearly every font available online, platforms like Google Sheets only support a small number of font families.
- Efficiency: Because the traditional fonts we selected are optimized for bodycopy, we could fit information in smaller areas more efficiently than if we had used a more expressive, maximalist, or display font.
Although we were confident that we would use traditional fonts throughout the visual identity, we realized that using just one of these fonts ubiquitously would make the typography feel bland. The client’s identity is far from generic; their work possesses a distinctly critical, often irreverent aura that transcends convention.
Our solution was to combine two font families. While I initially proposed this idea as a joke, the studio enjoyed it, citing that the act of combining two unlike fonts is itself an unconventional gesture. Just as the studio questions traditions and challenges norms in their work, placing two distinct fonts in conversation with one another challenges the authority of typographic convention. Through this decision, counter-culturalism becomes embedded in the very typography of the studio.
After consideration of multiple font pairings, we decided to juxtapose Times New Roman, arguably the most ubiquitous serif font, with Helvetica, the standard sans-serif font in much of western graphic design history. Using a sans-serif font for headings felt sleek and bold, while using a serif font for bodycopy felt legible and book-like. The decision to use the most “standard” fonts became another reflection of the studio’s practice. By combining familiar people, places, and ideas in unfamiliar ways, the studio produces thought-provoking work. In the same way, the new identity combines recognizable fonts that may not normally accompany one another.
With fonts decided, we proceeded to establish the typographic treatment across digital and printed matter. In order to optimize space and to make the identity as easy as possible to execute in the future, we set all text –– titles, subtitles, and bodycopy –– in 12pt type.
However, after creating a series of website sketches using the same text size throughout, we realized we needed to augment the typographic hierarchy. Titles, subtitles, and bodycopy weren’t easily distinguishable. As such, we bolded the titles and set them in all caps, while the bodycopy was set in standard weight and sentence case. We further established typographic hierarchy by altering opacity. At 100% opacity, titles shined in bright white, while the text below felt more subdued at 75%. With these edits, the distinction between titles, subtitles, and bodycopy became clear.
Our next priority was establishing the colors used throughout the visual identity. Most of the studio’s production work involves dark environments, and so most images of their work feature deep blacks. The existing visual identity relied heavily on black backgrounds, which worked well with most of these images. We therefore decided to maintain a black background for the website, and, for consistency, to prescribe white text on black background for all applications of the visual identity.
We simplified the website’s structure by working with one of Cargo’s portfolio templates. Instead of displaying projects with their thumbnails on the landing page, we organized the projects into a scrolling list, where each entry contained a project’s name, a short description, and a relevant image. Entries are separated by a horizontal line with lowered opacity. With this design, browsing through the studio’s work becomes a straightforward yet informative process, helping users better understand the studio’s practice at a glance.
Each entry links to a full project page, which provides information about the studio’s production process as well as a complete set of images. We split each page into two sections: the left side contains left-aligned text, while the right side contains a scrolling list of images. We set the title of the project in all-caps Helvetica Neue Bold at full opacity, the subtitles and dates in Times New Roman in sentence case at 75% opacity, and the full project description in Times New Roman in sentence case at 100% opacity. Through this typographic hierarchy, the title and bodycopy take center stage, while the subtitles and other logistical information become more subdued.
Other pages, such as “About” and “Contact,” received similar structural and typographic treatment.
We also designed a simplistic site header, displayed at the top of each page. On the left side, the studio’s name appears in Helvetica Neue Bold at full opacity and in all caps. On the landing page where all projects are listed, a horizontal menu containing the categories “All,” “Collaborations,” and “Studio Work” appears, allowing users to refine the list by project type. On project-specific pages, a “back to all work” button appears just below to help guide viewers back to the full list of projects. On the right side, three categories appear: “About,” “Work,” and “Contact.”
Throughout the site, we utilized links to connect pages to one another and to transfer visitors to external webpages. In order to make it clear to the user which text was linked, we programmed the site so that links increase in opacity when hovered over or when active. This gesture contributed to a more tactile, interactive feel when navigating between pages.
In addition to typography and site design, animations became an integral component of the studio’s visual identity. As part of my original sketches for the identity design, I experimented with using animation to spell out information word-by-word. The studio enjoyed this gesture, so once we had established the typography, we began creating animation sketches in the style. After our first round of iterations, it became clear that animations were an efficient, eye-catching way to convey information to viewers. In fact, rather than sending PDF decks to potential clients, the studio has begun sending gif animations detailing their work.
Because Asher Young Studio has a diverse range of projects, we decided to maintain the name “Asher Young Studio” at the top of the animation, while serif text flashes underneath. The name “Asher Young Studio...” could be completed by various phrases, such as “...put A$AP Rocky through physical and psychological tests,” creating a complete sentence. Just as the studio’s name stays put while the sentence constantly changes, the studio’s identity remains constant throughout the various types of projects they complete. Interspersed in the animation are full-bleed images of the studio’s work.
After refinements to the animation’s timing and structure, and after reformatting the animation for mobile users, we added it to the top of the website’s landing page as an engaging introduction to the studio’s work.
This identity design project was the largest, most time-consuming contract project I’ve completed. It not only involved significant consultation at the beginning, but also required multiple virtual meetings each week as the project progressed in order to understand the vision the studio had for their emerging identity. This project was a lesson in persistence, meticulousness, and constant communication. I’m proud to have become a better designer and consultant through it, and I’m grateful to Asher Young Studio for trusting me with such a critical component of their identity.
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