25AH’s vivid identity for art suppliers Pen Store looks to reflect the joy of creativity

Swedish art supply company Pen Store have been subject to an exciting identity overhaul from Stockholm-based creative studio 25AH, with the intention of injecting a sense of vivacious creativity and dynamism to the contemporary brand’s aesthetic and outlook. In a collision of colour and character, 25AH have succeeded in crafting a flexible identity rich in variety and contrast; from the rigidity of TIGHTYPE’s Sneak as the brand’s wordmark to the varying, candid colour palette. In conversation with Joakim Eriksson, graphic designer at 25AH, they remark that “to create a balanced identity with many colours and squiggles, the typography needed to be more strict and mature,” explaining that they “therefore chose to adjust all the reversed letters that otherwise characterise Sneak.” With the world of art supply stores being a surprisingly unimaginative one, Eriksson recalls their intention to act contrary to this, explaining “we felt the need of creating something special, something that truly stood out from the masses.” The solution came simply from highlighting the individual products and showing them through the exuberant lens of creativity that comes as a result of using the product. “By focusing on the products and the happiness of creativity,” Eriksson adds, “we ended up with a wide array of colours and squiggles.”