Foreign Policy’s identity for carpenters Roger&Sons focuses on character and tactility

Taking over from their father, Singapore-based Roger&Sons is described as ‘next-generation carpenters’, with three younger brothers now taking the helm and injecting their traditional practice with contemporary woodworking and modern techniques; with the aim to engage with a new, younger clientele along the way. Embodying this youthful energy is their new brand identity, whose face is initially suggestive of their contrary traditional/contemporary sensibilities through the use of serif and sans serif typefaces in the wordmark – combining gc16, which takes a quirky and contemporary spin on monospaced serif, with GT America Thin. Elegantly designed by fellow Singaporeans Foreign Policy, Creative Director Yah-Leng Yu explains how they “wanted to express the transition of a traditional ‘dad’ business handed to the ‘sons’ new business,” in doing so subverting the stereotypical expectations of a family business in favour of a “young slightly edgy persona.” Using the brothers themselves as inspiration, Foreign Policy determined Roger&Sons subdued colour palette through their intended representation of the sibling’s personalities, explaining “we wanted to stay close to a palette of natural and slightly muted colours that’s strong and representative of the brothers, their spirit and the woodworking craft.” This attention to character and detail is carried across the entire brand, channelling an emphasis on tactility and quality to directly reflect the business itself (such as Fedrigoni Materica printed business cards). Delicately embodied in Roger&Sons bespoke ampersand, Foreign Policy have successfully crafted a thoughtful identity, the innate simplicity and character of which has brought a family business into a modern limelight.