Hasta La Ideas

Melbourne studio Nude has created a minimal grid-based identity system for construction company Hoskins Contracting. The new branding reflects the company’s desire to be specialise in high-end commercial projects and refurbishments.

“Hoskins is a 100-year-old family business,” says Nude director John Durey. “They had been in the industry a long time, primarily in general contracting, [but] the next generation of the family wanted to establish a new business in the more design-oriented part of the construction industry.

“Nude was asked to develop a brand that responded to and engaged with interior designers and architects, and show that Hoskins Contracting understood the importance of details,” he adds.

The new look branding is based on a monochrome grid pattern and has so far been applied to stationery, communications and the brand’s website as well as presentation folders, trucks and protective sheeting for construction sites.

The grid structure is an obvious but effective choice for the company and creates a unified but flexible system.

“The brief from the client was to create an identity that was both classic and contemporary. We set out to create a brand that was minimal, confident and masculine –  something that appealed to architects and designers, but also their workforce of contractors, tradespeople and builders,” explains Durey.

“Apart from being well into grids – pretty much all of our design work is grid-based – it just seemed appropriate. With a grid, we have a starting point…[and] by having that structure, we were able to push the branding in a pretty traditional industry,” he adds.

Hoskins’ new logo features the brand name in Melno Bold alongside a symbol made up of overlapping squares, and Durey says it’s inspired by classic marques from the 1960s.

“The client’s business is all about the built or constructed form, and so we wanted to create a logo symbol that represented this sense of structure and grid formation, but were wary of creating a grid pattern that had been done before,” he says.

“For ages we just mucked around with it – we think it started with an H and a C, but then that was too obvious. The form we ended up with had been overlapped to add another dimension and that created a sense of structure and boldness,” he adds.

It’s not a particularly daring identity but it’s not supposed to be: instead, Nude has designed a solid, contemporary system with some lovely added touches, such as the debossed detail on cards and folders.

The sleek design and photography create an upmarket feel and the new look should stand out in an industry where branding often feels a little dated.

“Sometimes unless the business is evolving, there may not be a need to address the brand. With Hoskins Contracting, we had an opportunity to start afresh. The name gave us a foundation, but we worked with the client to create something completely new.”

nudedesignstudio.com.au