Design

Edible and uppercase: How ESH created a studio font

Edible and uppercase: How ESH created a studio font

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At the end of summer 2023, ESH studio designers announced in their Telegram channel that they had begun work on creating a corporate font. They invited everyone to follow the development process and share their impressions. This step aims to strengthen the brand and create a unique visual style that will reflect the studio's values ​​and creativity.

A series of streams, votes, archive analysis, public reviews, and collaborative drawings marked the beginning of the creation of ESH Typeface and the studio's merchandise. After a year of active work, the team presented the results of their efforts, which include a unique typeface and stylish merchandise reflecting the studio's creative approach and creativity.

We explored why studios need typefaces and how letter design can be compared to cooking. Typefaces play a key role in visual communication and help convey mood and style. Just as in cooking, where the combination of ingredients creates unique flavors, in typography, the harmonious combination of forms and proportions is important. The aesthetics of a typeface, its legibility, and expressiveness influence the perception of information, just as the presentation of a dish can change its impression. Our work is focused on creating fonts that not only attract attention but also effectively convey the intended message.

Custom Font

The ESH Gruppa portfolio, built since 2016, features projects for IT companies, cultural institutions, retailers, manufacturers, services, and festivals. Each of these projects shares one common feature: the use of expressive font graphics. This approach not only allows us to highlight the visual style but also effectively convey the brand's ideas and values, making each project unique and memorable.

The display font for the ESH corporate identity is a logical continuation of our beloved design approach. It emphasizes the uniqueness and individuality of the brand, creating a memorable visual image. This font perfectly complements the main elements of the identity and helps distinguish ESH from its competitors. Using display fonts in various materials helps strengthen brand identification and forms a positive perception among the target audience.

Several projects in the ESH Gruppa portfolio Screenshot: ESH Gruppa / Skillbox Media website
One ​​of the most striking projects of ESH Gruppa is the identity of the Richter Hotel and the corporate font Bipolar Grotesk. Image: ESH gruppa / Behance

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Geometry of feelings: the unique visual style of the Jenëk bag brand from ESH Gruppa. This style combines modern design solutions with functionality, creating the perfect balance between aesthetics and practicality. Each Jenëk bag reflects individuality, combining bright colors and original shapes. This allows the brand to stand out in the accessories market and attract the attention of its target audience. The visual concept of Jenëk emphasizes not only the quality of materials but also the desire for innovation, which makes each collection unique. The Jenëk brand by ESH Gruppa is more than just bags; it's an expression of style and emotion that resonates with modern consumers.

In the fall of 2024, the studio introduced a new display font. It features a lively, slightly rounded, and geometric shape, making it a harmonious complement to the welcoming graphics of the studio's logo. This font is perfect for creating bright and memorable designs that highlight your brand's personality.

ESH Gruppa LogoImage: ESH Gruppa

The ESH Typeface font is an important element of our studio's visual identity. Unlike many design studios that lack a unique identity, we strive to avoid the "shoemaker's children go barefoot" situation. We understand that a strong visual component plays a key role in brand perception and helps us stand out from the competition. ESH Typeface reflects our values ​​and approach to design, creating a memorable image that facilitates successful communication with clients. We sought to expand our identity toolkit and decided to create a unique typeface that would lend a signature tone to any headline set with it. This typeface will be instantly associated with our brand, allowing audiences to identify us even without the ESH logo. Philipp Tretyakov is the art director and partner of ESH Studio. Under his leadership, the studio has developed numerous projects that have received recognition both in Russia and internationally. Philipp has a unique vision and creative approach to design, which allows him to successfully implement ideas and concepts. His experience and professionalism contribute to the creation of high-quality content that meets modern market demands. Under his leadership, ESH Studio continues to develop and implement innovative solutions in the field of design and art.

Image: ESH Gruppa

The ESH display font has a two-level structure. This means that the font includes both primary and secondary elements, which ensures high readability and expressiveness of the text. The primary display level controls the font's basic characteristics, such as the shape and style of the letters. The secondary display level adds unique details and accents that highlight the text and give it personality. This approach to ESH font design makes it suitable for a variety of content types, from headlines to body copy, ensuring harmony and aesthetic appeal. There is a primary character set and alternate characters with more playful graphics. Lowercase and uppercase letters have different characters. By varying the case and style, you can effectively control the visual perception of the text. This allows you to emphasize key messages and create the desired mood, which is especially important for SEO optimization of content. Proper use of registers and styles not only improves readability but also increases audience interest in the material.

Image: ESH Gruppa
The font has a set of emoji and other illustrative symbols. Image: ESH Gruppa

Katya DD and I agreed that our favorite letter is the lowercase "a". This letter is not only common in the Russian language, but also plays an important role in the formation of words and sentences. The lowercase "a" symbolizes beginnings and can be used to create a variety of different words, making it particularly interesting to study and use in texts.

In fonts, the lowercase "a" often conveys the most character and mood. However, each font contains many more nuances than a single letter can convey. Personally, I find the letter "a" to have a certain resemblance to Katya, making it particularly expressive.

Stefan Laško is the Art Director and Partner at ESH Gruppa. In his role, he actively contributes to the development of creative concepts and strategies aimed at achieving excellence in design and branding. With his experience and professionalism, Stefan significantly contributes to the development of the company's projects, allowing ESH Gruppa to remain competitive in the market. His unique approach to art and design helps him create original and memorable solutions for his clients.

Image: ESH Gruppa
Image: ESH Gruppa

Open Mic

Working on a project in an open format and demonstrating design processes to a wide audience is an unconventional approach. On the one hand, there is a risk that external participants who do not have a full understanding of the studio context can introduce elements of chaos. On the other hand, opinions and ideas from outside can help the team see new, unconventional solutions. Openness to external feedback can significantly enrich the development process and improve the quality of the final product.

We organized streams to share our project process. Client projects often don't allow us to reveal details, but our own project gives us the opportunity to broadcast live. This allows viewers to observe the development stages and better understand our approach.

Initially, this was an experiment—we decided to try something new. After several attempts, everyone involved, including the team and our loyal channel subscribers, began to actively engage.

It's great that we took advantage of this opportunity.

Stefan Laško is a renowned figure in his field, with significant experience and professional achievements. His work covers a wide range of topics, including innovation and new technologies. Laško is actively involved in scientific research and publications, making him an authority in his field. He strives for continuous self-improvement and the transfer of knowledge to future generations, which contributes to the development of the industry as a whole. Stefan Lashko continues to inspire colleagues and students to new achievements and discoveries.

Announcement of a stream about work on a font. Image: @eshpresso / Telegram
Image: @eshpresso / Telegram

I had never participated in live broadcasts before, as I was seriously afraid of them. This was a real way out of my comfort zone for me. Live broadcasts open up new opportunities for communication and interaction with the audience, allowing me to share experiences and knowledge in real time. Overcoming my fear was an important step towards personal growth and developing public speaking skills.

Before my first stream, I was extremely nervous, and afterwards, I spent a long time analyzing my words and actions. However, with each new stream, whether it was the third, fourth, or fifth, I began to feel more confident, and the process became enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the absurd polls and surveys in the channel, which added an element of fun and interactivity.

Katya DD is a font designer with extensive experience in creating unique typographic solutions. She specializes in developing fonts that not only attract attention but also enhance the perception of the text. Katya's work is distinguished by its originality and functionality, making her fonts in demand in various fields, from print to web design. Thanks to a deep understanding of typography and modern trends, Katya creates fonts that fit harmoniously into any project, ensuring high quality execution and aesthetic appeal.

The audience helped choose the best solutions during streams and by voting in polls in the Eshpresso Telegram channel. Screenshot: @eshpresso / Telegram / Skillbox Media

The surveys were not only interesting, but also downright ridiculous. Their content evoked smiles and surprise, forcing us to reflect on the oddities and eccentricities inherent in human nature. Each survey offered a new dimension of absurdity, making the process engaging and memorable.

We offered a choice between two different letters, each unique in its own right. We also offered a chance to match a letter with its corresponding emoji. This not only helps develop perception skills but also makes the process more engaging and interactive.

Sometimes you want to sync with your audience. For example, we could post an image of a letter and ask, "Yes or no?" This engages participants and gets feedback, fostering closer interaction and understanding of their interests.

Creating memes using fonts is a complex art form that requires a creative approach and a deep understanding of visual communication. Fonts play a key role in conveying emotion and meaning, so it's important to carefully select them to achieve the desired effect. This genre requires not only design skills but also the ability to capture current trends and audience sentiment. Stefan Laško is a renowned specialist in his field, having earned recognition for his experience and knowledge. He actively participates in various projects, sharing his ideas and methods. Stefan stays current with current trends and continually refines his skills, allowing him to remain at the forefront of his profession. His approach to problem solving is based on analytical thinking and creativity, making him a valuable partner in any endeavor. Stefan Lasko continues to evolve and contribute to his field, inspiring others to achieve great things.

Merch and Illustrations

The release of the custom font at ESH was carefully approached, including announcements, spoilers, and the creation of high-quality content. In addition, a striking presentation was prepared, highlighting all the advantages of the new typeface.

Fonts in the digital space are often shown in small text samples, making them utilitarian, convenient, and resource-efficient. However, to demonstrate the features of the studio typeface, the ESH designers decided to present the characters in a "material" format. The concept was based not on the bright graphics of the letters, but on an idea related to food.

Working on the typeface resembled the process of creating a new dish: we carefully selected the best elements, sought the optimal balance of styles, discussed line weights, and made trial versions for friends to get their feedback. This analogy inspired us to create "edible" 3D illustrations that creatively present the typeface.

The 2024 Sreda New Design Festival provides a unique platform for creative minds to showcase their ideas and concepts. The main goal of the event is to inspire participants to create innovative solutions and new approaches in the field of design. The festival will feature exhibitions, master classes, and lectures, providing an opportunity to share experiences and knowledge. Participation in "Sreda" opens new opportunities for designers, architects, and artists who want to showcase their work. This event will not only foster the development of individual projects but also strengthen professional ties within the design community. We invite everyone interested to join us and be part of this exciting event, which promises to be a milestone in the world of contemporary design.

Image: ESH Gruppa
Image: ESH Gruppa

Of course, I am ready to help with editing the text. Please provide the source text that needs to be rewritten.

In our illustrations, we did not focus on retro stylization. The main focus was on creating a realistic-grotesque and bright image, typical of food-related advertising materials. The main criterion is to evoke a desire to try the presented product.

Creating hyper-realistic illustrations that resemble photographs can be boring. In this context, Nina Zakharova's 3D style proved to be an excellent solution. This style brought artistry and a touch of cartoonishness to the illustrations and prints for merch, making them more appealing and memorable.

The idea for visualization through a food theme arose during a brainstorming session. We first drew an analogy between the process of creating a font and preparing a dish. Initially, we considered making the merch resemble the design of a cafe or delivery service, or even creating uniforms for a fictional restaurant. Ultimately, we decided to focus on illustrations with signs as a finished product.

Polina Syrvatka is a leading designer with extensive experience in graphic and web design. Her professional skills cover a wide range of tasks, including creating unique visual concepts, developing interfaces, and improving user experience. Polina actively follows modern design trends and applies them in her work, ensuring high-quality and original projects. Her approach to design combines creativity and functionality, achieving impressive results. Polina Syrvatka strives for continuous development and the use of innovative solutions in her work.

Image: ESH Gruppa

Well-known agencies, studios, and design companies often create their own merch. These are usually products with their logos, which are intended for employees or given out to subscribers as part of competitions. Merch helps strengthen a brand and increase its recognition, and also serves as an effective marketing and promotion tool.

The team decided to go beyond the standard release of studio merchandise and developed a unique drop to coincide with the release of the custom ESH Typeface font. This approach not only highlights the brand's individuality but also showcases creativity and innovation in design. Creating merch associated with a new font opens new horizons for interaction with the audience and helps strengthen the company's image.

Subscribers and stream viewers also participated in the merch design. Image: @eshpresso / Telegram
Image: ESH Gruppa
The collection includes three prints using the ESH font symbols: dough, sandwich, and cereal. The t-shirts are packaged in pizza boxes. Image: ESH Gruppa

We developed a unique font for internal studio use and do not plan to sell it. Initially, the merch was conceived as a limited edition exclusively for our team. However, due to great interest from friends and subscribers, we decided to increase the print run and announce a pre-sale of the t-shirts.

Philip Tretyakov is a name associated with high achievements in his field. He is known for his unique approaches and deep knowledge, which allows him to stand out among other professionals. Philipp is actively involved in various projects aimed at the development and implementation of innovative solutions. His work not only inspires but also has a significant impact on the development of the industry. Thanks to his experience and expertise, he is able to find effective solutions to complex problems. Philipp Tretyakov continues to contribute to the professional community, making it more dynamic and modern.

Image: ESH Gruppa

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