A few months back, over on my thrift blog (why have one blog when you can have two?), I joked about the perils of doing design work for free, and for friends. Mainly, I said don’t do it. But I made a small exception for my friend Jentine, who pays me for design work with with beautiful thrifted and vintage dresses. Today, I’m pleased to tell you a little more about my half of that fruitful arrangement.
Jentine launched The Edit in November, 2013. What is The Edit? It’s a finely curated selection of vintage wares on Ottawa Street, Hamilton. As I set out to create a visual identity for Yen’s store, I didn’t need that many particulars about what she wanted for her brand, because Yen had already conveyed her vision to me over coffees, dinners, and painting parties at the shop. I just had to translate that vision into something visual. I knew it had to be sophisticated, but not stuffy; timeless, but not retro; bold, not brash.
Immediately, I knew I wanted to use a typeface from the Modern family. This classification of type came about in the late 18th century. It refers to serifed typefaces that are characterized by a dramatic contrast between thick and thin lines. These fonts are the go-to for fashion magazines mastheads, past and present:
I didn’t want to simply rip off Vogue and be done with it, though. That’s why I was grateful to come across Hubert Jocham‘s typeface Narziss. This font has all the sophistication of the Modern typefaces like Didot and Bodoni, with the addition of unexpected swirls, drops and curls. It’s elegant with a twist: just what I was looking for. Hubert Jocham has produced commissioned work for many of the fashion magazines above, and as soon as I landed on his work, I knew the logo would all but design itself from there:
This logo tells you what you’ll find at The Edit: Beautiful, timeless garments with a edge that’s anything but twee. My hope is that it will serve as a backbone for a venture that gets better with every rhinestone!
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