The Client
Monograph Communications is a company that provides communications solutions to companies both big and small through copywriting, editing, and brand support services.
The Objective
Monograph needed a simple and easy to understand brand design solution that would set them apart from other communications companies in their bracket, and that would make their team inspired to do the work they love.
Most importantly, they needed a brand design system that would be versatile enough to last them years into the future by having clear rules, but also freeing enough to let them try new things and expand it as they grow and add new services in the future.
The Solution
The solution that I created for Monograph includes a clear system of brand elements: typography, linework, and colourful gradient backgrounds that when come together allow for an tidy design system. These elements come together to create a simple but memorable website that will last Monograph for years into the future.
When I started conceptualizing what a Monograph logo could look like. I thought about two different aspects of the company
On one hand, there’s the side that works with companies both big and small, with an air of professionalism, and, this made me think of the great sans-serif fonts like Helvetica.
Then on the other and, I thought about the side of Monograph that works with the written word. Serif fonts evoke classic literature. Serif fonts represent the copywriting and editing aspect of the company.
A simple logo made by utilizing two contrasting typefaces
I thought that Monograph was a little bit like a compound word. Mono, and graph. So I proposed we use a sans-serif font for “Mono”, and a serif font for “graph”.
The sans-serif I chose is a tried and true font called Roboto which has a lot of similarities to Helvetica without feeling same-old. And the serif is a stunning new font called Zangezi, from a Russian designer named Daria Petrova. Zangezi features uneven proportions and tight spacing, and has these really amazing wedge serifs.
The Monograph wordmark is all the brand needs to stand out.
The mixed font typography system is versatile but unique.
Instead of choosing just one set of specific brand colours, we explored and implemented a more fluid and versatile colour concept
The system we implemented allows for more freedom of expression than if we were to stick with a more rigid palette.
We chose these beautiful swaths of colour to represent Monograph.
By keeping typography, iconography, and linework in a simple black, that enables the colourscape backgrounds the ability to create a world for the website to live in.
We used a card-based layout for the website's homepage. Each card in the column on the right can feature content like links, services info, or blog posts.
The About page features a centered design which leads the user through a story of Monograph's mission, while never showing the user too much at once that they get too fatigued to finish reading the page's content.
The services page also features a card-based design similar to the homepage. Along with repeated logo-use and some icons to represent each service.
My primary goal was to create a site that would be memorable to visitors
With the brand elements and visual language in place, I put it all together into a new website that utilizes a typography, linework, and colour system harmoniously.
Monograph is now set up for success with their new brand system and website.
View the live siteTestimonial
“I hired Gary to make a website for my new communications business. He put his talent, skill, and knowledge to work and created a site that is not only beautiful, but also seamlessly functional. He built a completely custom design that communicates and supports my company’s brand perfectly. The website is an awesome first point of contact for clients, and I’m thrilled about the frictionless user experience it provides.
“Throughout every stage of the project, Gary was fantastic to work with — creative, efficient, responsive, thorough, and polished. I highly recommend his services to anyone looking for a designer; Gary truly cares about what he does, and his love for great design is evident in his work.”
— Kim Warner, Monograph Communications
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