Understanding Jewellery
01.
The Brief
For David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti jewels are so much more than precious ornaments. Their project started as a book, ‘Understanding Jewellery’ which is an encyclopaedia of jewels, and a trusted source of knowledge in the jewellery world. Their unrivalled expertise and sincere passion for what lies beyond a rare ornament have now seen David and Daniela’s knowledge translated into digital formats online, and their unbiased services branch into advising, speaking, and demystifying an industry with such an enduring history. Our initial challenge was to uncover a brand proposition that explained their vision, and to create a premium brand identity that positioned them perfectly.
We had a welcome challenge with the online platform, as we needed to craft a brand services showcase, editorial content, and a paid subscription service, all in one. Their previous collections of published book content needed to migrate to the new paid for service, aimed at jewellery traders, collectors, enthusiasts, and students.
INDUSTRY
Jewellery
LOCATION
Switzerland
INVOLVEMENT
Branding
Web Design
Web Development
E-Commerce
02.
Brand Identity
Our branding process uncovered that a passing on of their knowledge and the stories behind the jewels was at the heart of this project. We turned this passion into a simple message of ‘The Eternal Fascination, the Enduring Magic’, and also crafted a tone of voice that positions Understanding Jewellery as ‘the’ authority in jewellery.
Inspired by the eternal fascination, the enduring magic, and what lies behind the jewel, the logo mark draws its reference from historical symbology. It is applied in a contemporary and minimalist form, with the typeform keeping an influence of heritage in its style. The icon mark is created with abstract interpretations of the U and J, enclosed in a circle to form a jewel-like shape. It has been simplified to create a modern icon mark, where the difference in weights of the lines represents luxury and quality.
03.
Digital Platform
We created a UX that enabled simple content navigation, across what was once very dense book content, and allowed users to browse through beautiful full screen imagery. We strategically split content across multiple chapters to allow for digestible content consumption and quick navigation to other gemstones or time periods. Users can save images into their collection for future reference, particularly useful for lecturers and design schools using the service for teaching purposes.
The branding we created for Understanding Jewellery allowed us to use premium colours and elegant refined UI elements that let the beautiful gemstone imagery really shine. The platform and subscription service we created was a brilliant showcase of the new Understanding Jewellery brand, and a great new digital home for the their previous and future content.
