Demande Spéciale’s identity for Frank And Oak explores the relationship between nature and culture

Firmly cemented in the Canadian modernist movement, Montreal-based studio Demande Spéciale’s revised identity for clothing brand Frank And Oak exhibits the strength of simplicity; combining a thoughtful, utilitarian approach with a rigorous graphic system. Embracing the close relationship between nature and culture – a principle at the core of Frank And Oak – the resulting identity revolves around a geometric monogram that subtly forms an ‘F’ and an ‘O’ with stark, simple shapes. Utilising the tension between the gentle curves and sharp corners in the monogram, the notion of the two separate environments becomes clear without falling into typical design tropes associated with nature. Supporting the monogram is the use of Lineto’s Circular as the brand’s primary typeface. “It was already part of the brand identity,” Demande Spéciale’s Co-founder Guillaume Lavallée tells us, “so we only reworked the weight from Black to Book and refined the kerning to match the new brand strategy and emblem,” he adds, similarly altering the previous brand palette. “For the colours, we worked on a lot of options with the Frank And Oak team,” Lavallée explains, before concluding that monochrome was the way to proceed. “Since the colour of their collection changes every season we wanted something that would feel right every time,” he adds, praising the in-house design team’s success in playing with colour. “They can push the emblem in the right direction every season,” Lavallée concludes, “it’s really fun to see it grow!”