Pentagram’s branding for Iltchi is a direct reference to geographic coordinate and compass systems with the theme of wind embodied in the design language of the Iltchi branding, scattering accompanying imagery like grains of sand.
The Wordmarque and Colour Swatch
The wordmarque is a bespoke sans serif grotesque font accentuated by latitude and longitude glyphs depicted in degrees, minutes and seconds. 1 degree equates to 60 minutes (1° = 60') while 1 minute equates to 60 seconds (1' = 60"). In nautical miles (nm), 1 nm is equal to 1' of arc length of latitude or 1' of arc length of longitude at the equator.
Iltchi’s colour story is redolent of azure oceans, sun-drenched summer days and the momentary sluice of shadows enjoyed underneath billowing palm fronds.
The Visual Identity
The visual identity is central to the branding and is underscored by pixelated photography alluding to satellites. The beauty of nature is merged and distorted altogether through the mechanics of satellites, which scan the Earth piecemeal and patch each fragment into coherent, yet pixelated perspectives.
These concepts animate the deepest expanses of sea travel, charting far-off destinations and nautical culture while de-emphasising traditional travel photography. The distorted and wind-blown imagery is speckled with sun-drenched locations, meandering shorelines, the piercing gaze of palm trees, sky-blue skies, great plains, archipelagos and botanical life.
The visual language symbolises, to some extent, a romantic desire for a simpler life in close contact with nature. It also resonates with the extraordinary rush of unraveling unknown lands and topographies.
Storytelling and Print Ephemera
Iltchi’s print ephemera brings to life the Iltchi wordmarque, typography, colour palette and visual identity in a rich editorial format. Iltchi’s printed tabloid explores the North Sea’s Bremerhaven (53°33＇00＂N, 8°34＇36＂E) with an editorial on the city. Bremerhaven, specifically, ranks amongst the top 30 busiest seaports in the North Sea and is a nod to the European roots of Iltchi yachting.
The tabloid also touches upon the essence of travel and its promise of newfangled friendships with unknown peoples, cultures and inhabitants – whether setting the sails for Bremerhaven or any place else the wind takes us.
