The Whisky Bond is a creative and cultural hub in Glasgow, Scotland, housed in a former bonded warehouse built in 1957 for Highland Distillers and repurposed as a creative centre in 2012. Its visual identity, including the logo, signage, and website, was designed by the Glasgow-based graphic design studio KVGD, run by Kerr Vernon. The branding was created for the building’s launch as a creative factory, with the work announced in November 2011. [1] [2] [3]
Design and History
The Whisky Bond identity was developed by KVGD as a complete branding package, including identity design, brand guidelines, outdoor posters, wayfinding and signage, digital design, and stationery. [2] The studio’s founder, Kerr Vernon, described the logo as a “stencil style” design inspired by the lettering found on whisky casks, noting it was intended as “a simple, elegant design that works well across all media.” [1]
The identity has been praised by the building’s development director, Gary Watt, who said it was “difficult to imagine The Whisky Bond without the TWB identity” and that it had been “an essential part of establishing the space in the minds of Glasgow’s creative and cultural network.” He noted the branding was “designed and built to last, much like the building itself.” [2]
In 2024, The Whisky Bond’s own news page noted that the logo had been featured in the 10th-anniversary edition of Counter-Print’s monogram collection, a book showcasing monogram logos from around the world. The post described the logo as “designed to stand the test of time” and noted it was created 14 years prior, placing its origin around 2010. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The stencil-style lettering of the logo draws directly from the building’s industrial heritage as a bonded warehouse for whisky barrels. The stencil aesthetic, borrowed from the painted lettering on whisky casks, connects the contemporary creative space to its former life in the whisky trade. [1] The identity was applied across oversized signage and subtle wayfinding throughout the building, helping to establish the space within Glasgow’s creative community. [2]
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