A unique Brand ID that evokes the past, embraces the present, and explores the future.
Adam & Partners
Client
Year
Scope
2023
Adam & Partners invited Sēon to create a new brand identity connecting its rich history to its ambitious future, as founder Stuart Adam looks to pass the torch down to the second generation of leadership.
Adam & Partners' rebrand centres around four central concepts: wisdom, stability, trust, and intimacy.
The ability to weather unfriendly storms and calculate the best possible method of safe passage over unpredictable waters requires experience, a cool hand, and a remarkable capacity for foresight. Adam & Partners boasts these rare qualities in abundance. It's a trustworthy leader, someone its confidants can always lean on to keep them on course in choppy waters, helping them sail confidently and calmly through times of trouble.
“Thriving despite modern technologies, the Gondolier, or boatman, relies on time-tested customs, methodology and tradition in order to guide their passengers on a smooth and calm journey. Well-equipped to weather any storm or chop that may come in his way, the Gondolier uses his independent judgement on how to navigate the best route, resting on a lifetime of experience navigating the waters.”
The Adam & Partners logotype references the sailor’s knot - a key tool for any mariner, passed down generation-to-generation, a perfectly functional tool that holds it’s own against modern alternatives. There is simply no replacement for time-tested traditions and knowledge - and this logo embraces this.
The Past is symbolised by the rolling highlands of Scotland, the place where the story of Adam & Partners begins. A crisp graphic treatment symbolises the path walked to reach the present, the horizon in the distance showing the scale of the journey so far.
Imagery for The Past of Adam & Partners carries a sense of candid nostalgia: A blurry, grainy image filter interacts with breathtaking imagery of Scottish Highland landscapes, the cold imagery paradoxically invoking a warm sense of home.
The Present is represented by water, and the journey within. Referencing maritime semiotics, but with a contemporary and clean-cut design sensibility, this set of graphic elements signposts information in a unique stylisation referencing the present and the decision on where to navigate next.
The sea - a beautiful, vast expanse, the long and fruitful traverse through calm waters, the occasional chop or storm, weathered through and kept on course by years of experience.
The Future is represented in the skies - a vast plane of endless possibility and wonder, yet to be explored and all for the taking. A celestial reference forms the graphic treatment for the Future, with pathways meeting at points and converging along the celestial plane to mark and annotate points of interest.
The graphic treatment for The Future of Adam & Partners also takes direct reference from Greek mythology, and the stories that ancient astrologers gave to each constellation in the night sky - each with it’s own corresponding metaphor tied to the story of Adam & Partners.
The Greek Gods Astraeus, Hemera and Chronos represent the Leader, the Day, and the Passing of Time respectively.
The goal final outcome of Adam & Partners’ rebrand was to be the print book - a guide for those who inherit the company, to learn from the past, be aware of the present, and look towards the future with drive and hunger for the next adventure.
Three layout design pathways were created by Seon for the book’s editorial design, each with a corresponding design rationale behind the layout.
The goal final outcome of Adam & Partners’ rebrand was to be the print book - a guide for those who inherit the company, to learn from the past, be aware of the present, and look towards the future with drive and hunger for the next adventure.
Three layout design pathways were created by Seon for the book’s editorial design, each with a corresponding design rationale behind the layout.
A layout that visually symbolises the balance in weight that a Ballast provides to a vessel, our text spread utilises negative space to create a sense of stability and spread weight between each column of text, adding visual strength to each paragraph in their careful placement.
Editorial Layout
Proposal 1
The ‘full spread’ layout utilises the full splash of the page to maximise the amount of information presented. An air of strict information organisation tells the reader that they are in capable hands on the journey through the pages.
Editorial Layout
Proposal 2
Adam & Partners’ strong logo mark lends itself fantastically to 3D-embossing rollout, due to the intricate ‘rope’ detailing applied to the folds of each letter within.
Editorial Layout
Proposal 3
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