Stars for your bathroom vanity: Tanner Stevenett and Will Tuddenham on their identity for Preston

When Tanner Stevenett and Will Tuddenham began developing the identity for grooming goods brand Preston, they opted for a minimal and utilitarian approach. Working alongside Preston owner Dylan Levy, the California-based art directors and designers not only created the look for the brand but also conceptualised, designed, and produced the packaging for the complete product line, which includes over 25 SKUs across body, face, fragrance, hair, and more. Preston’s products represent a subtle elevation to a person’s daily routine, with a pared-back but intentional and beautiful design. “There’s so many things you have to consider with packaging design and especially for a brand that has multiple offerings and categories,” Stevenett and Tuddenham tell us. “For the launch of Preston and in considering the future-proofing of the brand, the system called for a monospace typeface.” For them, Klim Type Foundry’s Pitch felt right. “It has unique characteristics and looks beautiful at a small scale,” they explain, “we leaned into that pretty hard overall.” Meanwhile, they describe Commercial Type’s Styrene as a “bold and simple face” which provides plenty of contrast with Pitch, and is used to call out the product names on the packaging. The typography is undoubtedly the focal point of the brand, thanks to its high-contrast combination of black and white. “A completely monochromatic brand was something we thought would stand out on shelf but not bring too much attention in someone’s home,” Stevenett and Tuddenham tell us. “That balance became interesting to us as we considered what we as consumers would want (and not want) aesthetically on our kitchen counter or bathroom vanity. It became about intention and subtlety, and black and white allowed for that.”