how by why opt for ‘Medieval Modernism’ in their identity for Australian photography duo Bas&Chris

Sydney-based design studio how by why have developed the identity for award-winning Australian photography duo Bas&Chris, uniting their professional collaboration under the tagline ‘We Collide.’ Conveying this combination with the concept ‘Medieval Modernism,’ the subsequent identity demonstrates these two perspectives through a mixture of blackletter and sans serif typefaces – with how by why opting for Sharp Type’s Respira and Swiss Typefaces’ Suisse Int’l as the typographic double-act. Exploiting the pragmatic power of Suisse Int’l as the identity’s utilitarian workhorse, reflecting Bas&Chris’ professionalism and expertise, Respira is used decoratively, co-opted somewhat as a contextual alternative to its sans serif counterpart. The dynamic couple sits atop a sophisticated and neutral colour palette and duplexed layout; providing a simplicity that allows the type to draw attention and the work to take precedence. “The font pairing is a stylistic choice to match the concept,” how by why’s Mark Blackler tells us,” recalling the links between the medieval and modern eras. “There is no relation to Bas&Chris’s work,” Blackler notes, “although Chris is a bit older than Bas, so he could be the blackletter and Bas the sans serif,” concluding with, “two generations, two eras.”