JesseJessi’s identity for Tschüss gives the underground club a “Yeah, you can dance here” energy

Tschüss is a bar and an underground dance club in St. Louis, Missouri laced with a Midwestern spirit but also a healthy dose of the essence of Berlin’s industrial nightlife. This mix of the two worlds is a defining part of the club’s identity and had to be a central motif in its branding, which was led by JesseJessi. When building the brand world, Creative Director Jesse Johanning and Art Director Nick Hum traced back their memories of travelling abroad, but more specifically their experiences of clubbing in Berlin. These recollections and their insight into Midwestern nightlife made one thing quite clear to them – Tschüss’ identity had to be unpolished, gritty, and true to life. “Nightlife in the Midwest United States is heavily entrenched in this DIY grassroots ethos. Punk shows are still in basements, raves are thrown in warehouses, and community/relatability is tantamount to a healthy scene here. There’s a bit of an allergy to anything too slick or corporate-looking,” Johanning tells us. With this in mind, the duo decided to opt for hand-drawn brush lettering for the wordmark and the larger identity, which, quite clearly, is the start of the show. “The brushed lettering was a nod to the DIY ethos in St. Louis, but also a reaction to the tightly gridded/grotesk/swiss/clean look that techno has become; we wanted the foundation of the brand to feel unrestricted, expressive, free. It had to be something that upon a first glance could give people a “Yeah, you can dance here” kind of vibe. We felt this was achieved with the raw, flourish-y look of the brush lettering,” he adds. The brush lettering sets the tone for the identity and is used across the brand – from posters, and matchboxes to the all-lowercase wordmark. “‘Tschüss’ is a cute, colloquial way of saying, “Bye!” in German; kind of like “See ya!” The lowercase form of Tschüss felt more appropriate as it was less formal and more approachable,” says Johanning. The lettering was also a way to create something more alternative, and move away from the visual direction techno has been taking in recent years. “All too often, techno can feel refined, clean, and exclusive. However, at its core is a gritty, DIY, and inclusive story – birthed in a Detroit basement and designed to be blissfully enjoyed with everyone on the dance floor. We wanted to channel this vision of contradictions into all facets of the identity,” Hum explains.