Brand Identity for The Six Bells, a new old country store in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, where you’ll find a variety of curated brands and antiques. The brick & mortar store takes its inspiration from a tiny shop located in the *fictional* village of "Barrow’s Green."
The branding for the shop was inspired by the quaint, eclectic, and unfussy nature of country style. We embraced imperfection, tactile textures, calligraphic typography, handwriting, and an illustrative style fit for a storybook. All of these elements together created a rich, layered branded world—which was apt, for not only did these elements need to brand the store, but also needed to give life to this fictional town, and it's unusual cast of characters.
Above is a hand lettering sample from the 1940s, which became the basis of the wordmark.
The painting of the fictional cottage version of The Six Bells was simplified to a black and white icon, to act as a secondary logo to the wordmark.
The primary typeface is Sandleford by Beasts of England. It's quirky, calligraphic nature added a dash of unconventional humanist personality, and helped to tie the brand in closer to it's fictional village backstory. The secondary typeface is Futura, which now has a visual tie to whimsical, vintage storytelling.
The Six Bells takes its inspiration from a tiny shop located in the fictional village of Barrow’s Green– "a small civil parish with 640 residents, depending on who is dying and how many babies are being born."
Several antique portraits hang on the walls of The Six Bells shop, which were the inspiration for "The Townspeople" of Barrow's Green. Each portrait has been given a name and role in the town, creating a community of unusual characters with interwoven backstories.
The small library of stamp-like, icons are meant to feel quaintly imperfect, continuing the tie between two worlds of The Six Bells.
Credits:
Brand Design: Alex Stikeleather & Deva Pardue
Illustrations & Icons: Niamh Langton
Handwriting: Alex Stikeleather
Website Design: Margaux Le Pierres
Photography: Nick Glimenakis
Styling: Victoria Maiolo