Impossibly Awesome Design Co.

OVERVIEW

PROJECT

The Barber Lab

Client

Spec

SERVICES

Logo. Branding, Collateral

Link

The Barber Lab

Getting your haircut as a guy is often frustrating. There are plenty of low-quality chain barbershops, but there aren’t many up-scale shops that have a personality and make you feel like you’re in for some quality man-pampering.

The goal of this project was to brand a higher-end, classy mens barber shop through a cohesive aesthetic that exudes a refined grit, mixed with a dash of experimentation. The brand needed to feel professional - almost like if a whiskey bar was a barber shop. The final product effectively communicates this vibe and fills a hole in the current marketplace.

Classy Experimentation

A brand that recognizes the need to always be improving

The branding developed for The Barber Lab accomplishes the goal of making a quality establishment that customers will feel confident in and will actually want to go frequent. Getting your hair cut should be a great experience, not a chore. This brand reflects that sentiment.

This brand is meant to communicate that the boundary is always being pushed and no one is resting on their laurels. A lot of the cookie cutter men’s haircut shops feel stale and bland. There is no love of the craft and of service improvement. The Barber Lab is all about continually improving both haircuts and customer experience.

I also wanted to ensure that the brand felt well-executed. For this reason, it has branded combs and branded aprons. The price list is also a nod to the “laboratory” feel. From the business cards to the brand pattern, the execution feels cohesive and purposeful.

Typography + Colors

Brand DNA

Nazare was chosen as the main brand font for its thick angular stems, which almost look like they’ve had a solid haircut themselves. The sans-serif Anisette provides a strong and sturdy subheading font. Zilla Slab provided just enough contrast to work well with the two main fonts.

The colors chosen provide an overall dark and mysterious vibe through the dark mint and steel blue. This provides an overall manly feeling. The rust provides a blue-collar pop of color when needed, and the brass gradient gives the brand some refinement, but more industrial than royal.

Lab Results

The branding developed accomplishes the goal of the brand - to be strong, higher-end, and an employer of dedicated lovers of the craft - yet still appeal to the hard-working man who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.