A devoted student of Bauhaus (the architectural school, not the band), Badu’s design and branding philosophy emphasizes a less-is-more elegance and subtly expressed nuance, employing a progressive, avant-garde, and distinctly modern approach to fashion. Badu’s collections are unisex; he operates on a gender-fluid continuum, organically harmonizing masculine and feminine elements into one genderless line.
The crux of the issue was that Spencer felt his eponymous line was being codified as a garden-variety streetwear brand. He planned to recast his eponymous line with a branding identity that suited the product he was actually creating: experimental garments, sold in luxury fashion stores. His streetwear-centric product was to be moved into a diffusion line—SP.
Through a multifaceted, collaborative, flexible approach to vision building, we worked with Spencer to define what this new branding could become. Through countless phone calls and text message exchanges, we explored different concepts and directions, ultimately consolidating them into final designs that were specifically tailored to meet Spencer’s unique aims.
We created a system of logos that would allow the brand to contextualize its multifaceted identity.
The logo designs were engineered to translate equally well across social media, web, physical materials, and garment labels and hardware.
At the conclusion of this branding project, Spencer informed us that our collaborative process inspired him to rethink what “luxury” meant, which gave him new means to communicate this concept through his products.
Ultimately, we shaped not only how external audiences experience and perceive Spencer Badu’s brand, but also informed and clarified Spencer’s conceptual vision.