Saint-Urbain’s identity for Cottage M highlights the distinction between artist and artwork  

Los Angeles-based production company Cottage M, led by founder and academy-award-nominated producer Shane Boris, seeks to produce tales as timeless as they are unconventional; bringing an innovative process and forward-thinking attitude to each and every project they tackle. Turning to NYC and LA-based creative agency Saint-Urbain, the team channelled Cottage M’s approach to production through a slick interpretation of minimalist form and traditional typographic expression within the production house’s filmic and fundamentally digital context. Resulting in an effortless identity purposefully untethered from period or trend. Leading the charge is Cottage M’s custom wordmark, whose balance of modernity and tradition sets the identity’s thematic tone. “We opted for a contemporary serif typeface that expresses the human aspect of the brand,” Creative Director Alex Ostroff tells us, “while its shapes speak of the modern world and the topics that filmmakers portray in their work,” he adds, collectively capturing the essence and distinction between artist and artwork fundamental to the company and their service. Supporting the custom wordmark is Grilli Type’s GT Alpina Fine, which functions as the supporting typeface of choice. “It’s a modern and contrasted serif typeface that speaks for the different stories that Cottage M brings to life,” Ostroff explains, “and the different points of view of the world that movies bring to people;” a sensibility similarly supported in Saint Urbain’s curated colour palette. Whilst also offering a serene “sense of calm and sophistication,” the blend of neutral hues provides contrast from the productions themselves. Giving the cinematic pieces space to showcase their individuality, while also allowing Cottage M to maintain a striking consistency.