Communicating A Fighting Spirit
Creative agency JOAN was launched in 2016 by Jaime Robinson and Lisa Clunie. The agency now debuts a new brand identity that communicates the fighting spirit required by the agency — a rare one founded by women — to succeed through its early years and thrive into the future. Created inhouse, JOAN’s design lead is Anjela Freyja, who had stints at, among others, Pentagram and Base Design. Freyja explains that the identity is intened “to appeal to both big business and culture creators… polished enough to be trusted by big business, but creative and forward-thinking enough to resonate with the cultural space.” Didion, Miró, Armatrading, Rivers, Jett, and, of course, Joan of Arc are just a few of the Joans who inspire the agency, and the design work includes homages to each of them.
Every design element, says the agency, is complemented by the sleek materiality of metal. All of these elements combined create a brand reflecting boldness: Soulful (typographies that are warm, accessible and friendly); Daring (an edgy, bold, high-saturated color palette); Crafted (A technical gridded design system prioritizes attention to detail and technique); Relevant (Contemporary digital design, animation , and 3D techniques); and Visionary (sharp logo, inspired by the iconic JOAN sword, pays homage to Joan of Arc and the origin behind the agency’s name).
The new design system is the first major project from the internal JOAN design team and it serves as an architectural frame the company can continue its global expansion from. It includes a refreshed website and social channels, new signatures, new office signage, letterhead, and some unique merch thanks to a collaboration with Ray’s NYC.
