Mercury Store
Brand Identity, Environmental
Created while at Franklyn.
The Mercury Store, located in a 16,000-square-foot, historically industrial warehouse in Gowanus, Brooklyn, is a vibrant startup hub for theater professionals. It is dedicated to offering stage directors, choreographers, and devisers a place to refine and evaluate their craft. This innovative space, rooted in a building with a rich legacy dating back to 1902, supports artistic development with residencies, studios, co-working areas, community engagement, and funding.
Its physical transformation from a metal foundry and later a warehouse and office building, carefully orchestrated by architects, emphasizes the preservation and celebration of the building's historical essence.
The brand identity resonates with the core activities of the theater: stage blocking and dynamic composition are central to the visual system, reflecting the meticulous planning that goes into a performance. A flexible logo and typographic system encapsulate the ethos of movement and animation, symbolizing the characters' choreography on stage. Mirrors the store's dedication to fluidity and adaptation in the arts, the identity system aimed to represent the studio's dynamic and creative spirit.
The Mercury Store's brand identity includes a distinctive 'M' shaped mark, directly inspired by the silhouette of its home: a historical sawtooth-shaped building in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Adding to the distinctive quality of the identity system, the mark integrates itself seamlessly into the flexible wordmark, or functions as a standalone sign-off.
Creative Direction: Franklyn
Design Lead: Kenneth Lian