One Design Company is a Chicago-based, research-driven design and development studio that creates brand identities, websites, and digital experiences for clients across a range of industries. The studio describes its work as exploring “the intersection of experience and technology, where powerful brands come to life.” [1] Founded in 2005, the firm has grown from a boutique web design shop into a multidisciplinary studio recognized for its branding and identity work. [2]
Design and History
One Design Company’s own visual identity centers on a straightforward wordmark of the studio’s name. The mark is set in a bold, contemporary sans-serif typeface, with the wordmark rendered in a vibrant red. Brand asset databases list the primary red as hex code #D6421E, a color sometimes referred to as “Punch.” [3]
In 2019, the studio launched Unread, a biannual publication that served as a catalyst for a broader studio visual rebrand. As the studio explained, decisions about its typographic voice were made with a wider use context in mind, extending beyond the magazine itself. [4] The ABC Dinamo typeface Favorit became the house typeface for the One Design brand, with all studio-related communication material embracing it in one way or another. [5]
One Design Company’s reputation in logo design was cemented in 2020, when PRINT’s International Design Award competition named the studio Agency of the Year. The recognition came in part from first and second place awards in the Logo category, for work created for Wilder Fields and Office Ours respectively, as well as first and third place wins in Handlettering and Type Design. [6]
Typography and Design
The studio’s typographic system relies on Favorit and its typewriter counterpart Favorit Mono, chosen for their range and personality. As One Design noted, Favorit functions “equally well in a formal proposal as it does in a progressive magazine, supporting the work we show without overshadowing the content.” [4] For the Unread publication itself, a minor modification to the uppercase R in Favorit created a distinct identity for the magazine. [4]
The studio’s own logo has also served as a design motif in its work. For a collaborative beer project called Sum Saison, the can design featured a graphical deconstruction of the One Design logo combined with the visual vernacular of a standard Hopewell can. [5]
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