Hasta La Ideas

London studio Proud Creative show and tell their work on the brand identity of Chris Ward’s new Shoreditch barbers, Huckle The Barber – and reveal how typographic inspiration came from an unlikely source…

“When Chris came to us and we started discussing ideas, lots of what had resonance with us related to the kind of atmosphere he was trying to create,” explains Proud Creative’s Dan Witchell of the project. “Little things revealed deeper truths about the type of place Huckle might become,” he continues. “For example, if there are beers for customers, they’ll be in a vintage ice box on the floor, rather than a slick fridge. In the summer there will be a communal bench out front and inside, Spotify playlists will be shared back and forth between staff and customers.”

The shop frontage complete with ‘opening soon’ messages which were installed while the interior was being completed

The visual language and tone of voice needed to reflect this informal approach,” Witchell continues. “We wanted an identity that felt thoroughly modern, whilst still somehow acknowledging the heritage and tradition that is inherent in a skill-based trade such as barbering.

Above: the design for the shop door window text, photo below (note the bespoke welcome mat)

“The result is a bold mixed-up typographical approach that resists looking too formal, however hard you try and kern it,” says Witchell. “It’s intended to have a bit of a DIY aesthetic about it, whilst being well crafted enough to still feel considered.”

Huckle business cards

The use of the red and blue diagonal stripes in the company’s idenity are a nod, of course, to the classic barbers pole. “Historically,” Witchell explains, “the red and blue stood for arterial and venous blood, respectively.” Hopefully not too much blood, blue or red, will be spilled at Huckle!

Besides sending us images of the identity work, Witchell also showed us an old photograph he tells us was key in the development of the project:

“It started out as a reference to traditional barbers, but we all fell in love with the typography that adorned the restaurant next door,” he says.

See more of Proud Creative’s work at proudcreative.com.

CR in print
The March issue of CR magazine celebrates 150 years of the London Underground. In it we introduce a new book by Mark Ovenden, which is the first study of all aspects of the tube’s design evolution; we ask Harry Beck authority, Ken Garland, what he makes of a new tube map concept by Mark Noad; we investigate the enduring appeal of Edward Johnston’s eponymous typeface; Michael Evamy reports on the design story of world-famous roundel; we look at the London Transport Museum’s new exhibition of 150 key posters from its archive; we explore the rich history of platform art, and also the Underground’s communications and advertising, past and present. Plus, we talk to London Transport Museum’s head of trading about TfL’s approach to brand licensing and merchandising. In Crit, Rick Poynor reviews Branding Terror, a book about terrorist logos, while Paul Belford looks at how a 1980 ad managed to do away with everything bar a product demo. Finally, Daniel Benneworth-Grey reflects on the merits on working home alone. Buy your copy here.

Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878, or buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.

CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month.