Nov 8, 2021

Elective unit: Speculative Identities

Updated: May 6, 2022

Level 2 Elective - Speculative Identities:

Collaborate - speculation, creativity & innovation

Design can visualise that which is supposed to be there - but isn't, or is there, but goes unseen. Identity is about representation. You are encouraged to explore methods of research, technologies & tools that can lead to the proposal of an experimental & speculative identity for an organisation. The more we speculate - through design, fashion, photography, etc - the more workable & pliable these speculations become when applied to those organisations that require non-fictional identities. Critical thinking around visual communication, semiotics & aesthetics are central in this project

For this project we have been tasked to work in pairs to produce a new visual identity & rebrand for an organisation, using critical methods of thinking & speculating to create our final designs. Me & Axel have chosen to focus on the organisation Marlboro, emphasising the 'smoking kills' aspect and the different ways this can be perceived.

Marlboro's current visual identity:

Marlboro rebrand / new visual identity:

Colour Palette:

We wanted to keep the brands visual identity clean and minimalistic which is why we opted for a very simple colour scheme. The use of black and white is very striking and has a strong contrast, which is emphasised further by the bold red. These colours are used throughout the packaging to represent the different flavours. We also chose these colours as they would appeal to our target audience and the overall aesthetic of the identity. The red is also used to make connections with the original branding of Marlboro.

Typography / logo design:

We tried several different fonts & styles to see what we thought would work best for our rebrand. The logo and additional text used throughout the brands visual identity is inspired by the font Germanica. The logo has several different colour variations to represent the different colours of the packaging / strengths. We also created a smaller symbol logo, being the stand-alone 'M' which is more recognisable for the brand & also more readable when printed in a smaller size.

Illustrations:

The cowboy skull is the official illustration for the new identity. It represents how smoking will kill you, while making you look ”cool.”

The cowboy hat is a reference to the Marlboro campaign ‘Marlboro Country’ which showed cowboys smoking Marlboro. We played with this reference, joking that the cowboys eventually died from cancer. We also chose to illustrate a rams skull for multiple reasons as it makes reference to the western theme portrayed in the original 'Marlboro Country' ads, as well as also making connections to satanic beliefs, which goes with our metal theme. These are both simple monochromatic illustrations to fit with our clean colour palette and also so they can be inverted & modified for the packaging.

Slogan:

We chose this slogan because it is short and simple and the rhyming makes it more memorable. Our concept with the new identity is that smoking will kill you, but it makes you look cool. And because the Maybe-campaign Marlboro had in 2014. Where they encouraged people to say ‘Yes’ not ‘Maybe’ to life and ironically to smoking. Do it for the thrill, was the concept for that campaign.

Packaging: