#design identity

[mannermatters]

GREENWARD

Nuestro distintivo garantiza productos eficientes y ecológicos

Brand identity and visual design for Greenward, a company dedicated to finding environmentally friendly and superior products for the planet.

[nothingtochance]

Ciutat Flamenco 2017 Branding by Solo .

[nothingtochance]

Hippo & Crate branding by Alphabet . 

[nothingtochance]

Fagerström Studio self identity.

[ffosterr]

CTS B | Week 2: Connecting Theory and Practice

Identity is a simple and common word we are very familiar with, but it is like a mirror that is never fully clear. It can be both a mirror and a window: how we see ourselves and how others see us. 

When I asked my friend to describe me with some words, their words surprised me. Words like “Creative”, “Cool”, “Easy Going/ Chill pill”, and  “Imaginative”. One friend even mentioned “explorer”, which is almost the opposite of how I see myself. This kind of exercise is really helpful not just to see as a personal but also as a designer. This gap between self and social identity reveals something interesting: identity is not fixed, but rather a conversation between who we think we are and who we become in relation to others.

My personal identity goes around curiosity and plays with how things work, why they look the way they do, and what makes visual communication crisp or flat. I'm drawn to playful but timeless at the same time, but maximalism in collecting/ stealing visual inspirations. I believe these don't weaken my identity; they define it. Understanding our own selves is crucial, and I reckon that we have full control (50%) over how people see us, but not how they think (50%).

Personal Identity vs Design Identity are not separate things; they rely on each other. When I design something, my first picks are our personal favourites, whether I work on a personal or a client project. Which made me realize that we channel our personal identity into visual language, every choice from typeface, color, layout, to hierarchy.

When we talked about Identity and Graphic design, I wanted to mention our current favorite designer, Kris Andrew Small, a legend with a strong and immediately recognizable identity.

[Work count: 296]

Reference:

Small, Kris Andrew. "About." Kris Andrew Small, 2024, https://krisandrewsmall.com/about

"Kinetic Type, Collages and Abstract Pieces Combine in Kris Andrew Small's Portfolio." It's Nice That, 28 Nov. 2018, www.itsnicethat.com/articles/kris-andrew-small-graphic-design-illustration-281118. Accessed 20 Sept. 2025

"What Is a Visual Identity and Why Does It Play a Crucial Role in Branding?" The Branding Journal, 19 Sept. 2023, www.thebrandingjournal.com/2023/05/visual-identity/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2025

In my submission, I acknowledge the use of GenAI: Grammarly to check grammar, spelling, and improve sentence structure.

[keithqyj]

CTS B | Connecting Theory and Practice

Having an identity for myself is something that I always work towards everyday. I believe that as long as you treat someone right, good karma will return back to you. I would say that my lifestyle is pretty much filled with mystery, very carefree but at the same time strict whenever it comes to work.

When it comes to design identity, most of my work is done by playing around with grids and the most common color that I always stick to will be black and white, with a touch of bright colors once in a while like red and yellow.

Even though there are many colors that catch the eyes of the viewer due to its striking bright colors, I believe that by adding a different play towards black and white, it will also have the same effect just like the rest of the colors.

This week activities start off by us creating a digital collage, using 5 different words and 5 Images, to describe ourselves before we describe others. Describing others is much easier than describing myself as I were to spend countless minutes thinking about how I want to portray myself to others.

The session ended with us coming up with ideas on how we visualize ourselves as a designer, and a few keywords that stood out to me will be Structural systems, Fun to hang around with and exploring with monochromes, which is something similar to my design identity. 

The day where people say “that is so Keith style", is the day I know that I have become successful in portraying my design identity.

(268 words)

templafy, Erika Baltusyte. "Corporate identity design: Why the best brands put guardrails in place", 7 July 2025, https://www.templafy.com/designing-for-success-4-elements-of-corporate-identity/. Accessed 29 September 2025.

[theweeklyinspo]