Studio FAX develops an industrial identity system for London-based design studio TMPL

Founded in 2018 by designer and maker Dale Stephens, London-based design studio TMPL, a disemvowelled version of ‘temple’, creates high-quality objects with a forward-thinking aesthetic. From one-of-a-kind furniture pieces to small batch production and site-specific interior installations, Stephens designs utilise single colour finishes and hardwearing materials such as galvanised steel and pine, fundamentally-inspired by the formal language of industrial structures. In preparation for the London Design Fair in September 2019, Stephens brought in local design practice Studio FAX to assist with TMPL’s visual identity, printed materials and website. Acting as a core element of the new system, FAX’s Dario Gracceva explains that they chose Radim Pesko’s “simple yet distinctive grotesque” Union for the typeface as its “essential contours felt appropriate with TMPL’s design approach and shapes”. The visual identity comes to life on an elegant two-colour, eight-page leaflet created specifically for TMPL’s appearance at the aforementioned design fair. Straightforward and clean in layout, the 105mm x 210mm booklet focuses on four of Stephens designs, including a coffee table, chair, bench and shelving unit. “We wanted people not to associate the pieces with a too specific environment, but rather with something that conveys a similar sensibility to materials, textures and colours”, Gracceva tells us about the product photography that FAX art directed alongside photographer Anna Garforth. In addition to the leaflet, TMPL’s Felix Steindl-developed website beautifully and effortlessly showcases Stephens designs in conjunction with FAX’s intelligent typographic system.