Fast Company Grill Branding for annual SXSW festival event

Fast Company is a US-based business publication with an editorial focus on innovation in technology and design. They commissioned design studio Superfried to develop the Fast Company logo for the Grill – their invitation-only destination for tech-loving, creativity-seeking influencers during the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.

The brief requested a 3D type style to coincide with their existing award and conference brands. Since a structural form was required my initial strategy was to look for a potential way to perfectly tessellate the letters within a simple, 2D plane. After design experimentation and some compromising quirks, a suitable creative solution was realised. To maintain symmetry the plane and incisions were then simply extruded to a central vanishing point. 

Unlike previous Fast Company brands Manchester design agency Superfried had designed and developed – FCLA . WCI . MCP – it was requested that this time it should be simpler, more succinct, and transparent with no op-art illusions or tricks on the eye. The final, brutalist design style was apt for both the essence of the word and the event. The perspective approach created a very dramatic, almost cinematic style that would demand the required attention upon entering the venue.

In addition to the shaded bitmap version, clean vector options were developed in both 2D and 3D. A looser-spaced design iteration was also created for use at small scale on screen and in print. It was rewarding to see how effectively the final design solutions worked online, branded merchandise and signage for the main event.