I was delighted to work with the fine fellows at Baggi to help create a new wordmark and monogram for the Retail Trust as part of a major rebrand.
Founded in 1832, The Retail Trust is a charity that plays a vital role in championing the health and wellbeing of people working in retail. Baggi redefined the charity with a clear and reinvigorated cause: To create hope, health and happiness for everyone in retail, providing the ‘foundation to flourish’ in work and life.
The new wordmark and monogram had to strike a fine visual balance – acknowledging the rich history of the Trust, yet make it relevant for today, and in the future. Inspiration was taken from the donation books found in the archive and the original charity monogram from 1832.
Taking this inspiration, at the heart of the new custom wordmark are the traits of a ‘transitional’ serif, typical of the early 19th century. This foundation is then moulded around more contemporary typographic proportions and characteristics – such as a large x-height, vertical stress, softened junctions and alternate terminal shapes.
In addition, and guided by the ‘foundation to flourish’ concept – unique detailing was added within ‘Retail’, particularly in terminals of the ‘i’ and ‘l’ allowing it flourish with a sense of continuity and momentum from one character to the next. While strong shapes, robust serifs and uppercase forms provide the foundation in ‘TRUST’.
Due to the interlocking letterforms within the monogram the overall weight needed to be lighter than the wordmark. However, it was crucial to maintain the key characteristics between the two marques, while once more retaining the the strong foundation in the ‘T’ and flourish in the ‘R’.
"Dan is absolutely first class at his craft. Every project he’s involved in, he elevates the quality to another level. Dan is also extremely collaborative, fits seamlessly into any team and is one of the good guys."Mark Baxter – Founder of BAGGI
