Algorithmic 'smart' identity — anything but predictable
Wolff Olins creates 'smart' identity using algorithm-based typography for Lafayette Anticipations, Paris' latest cultural institution
Typically, an identity attempts to encapsulate everything a brand, a movement or a place stands for, what it represents and how it functions. But what happens when that is an open ended question and a place doesn't serve one targeted repeated function but invites a plethora of activities, people, cultures and lifestyles in to their space?
Lafayette Anticipations is a unique, experimental space that supports artistic development and encourages making by inviting a batch of international artists to take advantage of the hi-tech equipment and stretch their imaginations. Artists are challenged to discover new ways of working causing their output to be fresh, exciting and unpredictable. Through this unpredictable experimentation, a sense of anticipation is generated as a by-product and it is this essence that Wolff Olins have tried to capture in their identity.
Teaming up with type-royalty, Colophon Wolff Olins created an algorithm-based typeface that cropped letters in a random way, giving a sense of constant motion even when static – an homage to the building it graces. By using this algorithm it means the a different option is produced every time its typed out, forever changing akin to the space itself.
Overall, this is much more than a traditional brand identity. It’s a smart, interconnected system of responsive assets, intrinsically connected to new technologies. It seeks to create a genuine dialogue and emotional connection with people, and is an example of intelligent identity at work.
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