Custom Lane is a new centre for design and making, founded by award-winning architectural practice GRAS. Custom Lane was devised as a collaborative experiment in creating the most engaging, enriching and enjoyable work environment for designers and design-led makers in Scotland.

GRAS approached us to design a brand identity for Custom Lane. As with the nature of the project, collaboration was an important part of this design process. We worked with all project partners to define how to best communicate the project values and mission.

The brief that came from these early workshops was to create an identity that can adapt to the change and growth of the centre. It has to work across a multitude of executions produced by Custom Lane and its partners. The design style should look and feel comfortable amongst the many communities of design and making that work with the centre.

The vision of Custom Lane is to serve as a platform for, and beacon of, world class design in Scotland. The identity must support and amplify this.

Our approach to was not to let the brand identity get in the way of what it’s trying to achieve by overshadowing the subject matter. We wanted the identity to be simple and able to adapt to the needs of Custom Lane as it evolves.

An exercise in simplicity and economic restriction, the identity relies on a single font style, pushing its limits across screen and print.

Variations glyph alternatives take reference from the craft and maker roots of the Custom Lane concept, nodding to the idea of collaboration to design.

Rather than relying on a specific marque or logotype set in a rigid position, we opted for a dynamic, flexible container to hold the custom font. This can adapt to almost any format across print and screen, forming the foundation for the identity.

The simple and flexible foundation allows us to evolve the brand identity by playing with colour, texture and physical space. But regardless of how the identity evolves, it will always place the subject matter in focus and be visually routed by the custom font.

“Stance have demonstrated an incredible attention to detail and a commitment to design excellence throughout the Custom Lane project, repeatedly exceeding our expectations. They have taken the time to understood our vision and ethos and their input and experience has added real value to the Custom Lane brand, identity and culture. ”

“It’s been a pleasure to work with such passionate individuals and to feel real excitement about the work being produced, whether print or digital. Their contribution has gone far beyond simply developing a brand identity, having influenced and helped realise multiple aspects of the vision for Custom Lane.”

Gunnar Groves-Raines, Director, GRAS