In-fo.co’s Headlands rebrand lets you visit the arts centre, typographically

A question driving most rebrands, particularly for organisations whose output has always been physical-first, is how to translate real-world presence into an online experience. Celebrating its 40th anniversary year, California-based Headlands Center of the Arts, a multidisciplinary arts centre and programme, is undertaking this task with the help of LA-based design studio In-fo.co – a collaboration that has fostered a unique approach to referencing the physical. To translate the experience of visiting Headlands, In-fo.co is mining its natural setting with type.

A unique set of glyphs have been developed from the architecture and natural formations found at Headlands. Used for the wordmark and as markers across the site, these structured glyphs reference buildings and previous artist commissions, “like the David Ireland-led excavation process of the Rodeo Room”, explains the release from In-fo.co. At another point, glyphs resembling paving stones signpost a “Wander” section of the site. The two-fold sans serif typeface Graebenbach is used in conjunction with these forms, borrowing details from brush painted signs to “balances the sharpness and simplicity of the digital design process with the warmth and texture of hand-drawn type”, In-fo.co adds.

Brand colours are similarly inspired; the palette references both the contemporary art housed at Headlands and the nature surrounding the site. While the introduction of yellow and green nods to these natural elements, they can also be found in spaces within Headlands, such as the Eastwing. A new site solidifies this approach even further; the “Wander” tab offers users an interactive “visiting experience much like the physical space itself,” says the release.

In addition to creatively distilling the physical presence of Headlands, In-fo.co concludes: “The new identity directly reflects the intersections that develop over time and space at Headlands, the “residue” of those who have interacted with Headlands over the years.”