Elmwood New York has created a new brand identity and design ecosystem for flexible workspace provider, Knotel. The design architecture needed to reflect the dynamic, ambitious and tailored approach of the brand, which itself understands that workspaces need to reflect the culture within them.
The agency's work spans the entire identity system for Knotel and includes environmental design, custom typography, print and digital collateral, logo animation, social media and launch materials.
"Knotel is disrupting the real estate industry, but it's a disruption grounded in intelligence and strategy," commented Meg Beckum, Executive Creative Director, Elmwood New York. "We wanted to design a brand that leans into all the thinking, creativity and customization that goes into a Knotel workspace. We were energized by the fast-moving, always-inspiring Knotel team. They really kept us on our toes."
The central idea to Elmwood New York's vision focused around the notion of 'adaptive intelligence.' It aims to give visual life to the workspace strategy and flexibility that fuels Knotel's platform. The design language is alive, constantly evolving and modulating for different audiences and environments. The color palette vibrates with energy and movement, and custom typography shape-shifts to accommodate spaces and imagery.
While the design system is highly flexible, the geometric shapes and letterforms move and scale on a grid with discipline and intention. The design reflects how Knotel transforms real estate from a static asset into an adaptable service, giving companies the freedom to flex.
"We asked Elmwood to mine every part of our past and current world-from visual to verbal, competitive to colloquial-in search of brand artifacts that could serve as strategic underpinnings for the future redesign," explained Lesley Stordahl, Creative Director, Knotel. "Through a process of breaking apart, reconstructing and expanding pieces of our wordmark, Elmwood developed a bold and, more importantly, adaptable design world that mirrors Knotel's pioneering spirit and strategic approach."
