Ethos Press

Role
Brand Identity
Designer
Illustrator

Industry
Publishing

Year
2020

Design Tools
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Figma
Procreate

Buzzwords
Brand Identity
Website
Book Cover Design

For this project, we were encouraged to invent a business and design several deliverables around it. Ethos Press is a bookstore that sells special editions of classic novels. This project revolves around their transition from physical stores to e-commerce as well as a rebranding effort to attract a younger audience (Millennials and Gen Z). To convince current customers to shop online, they have also commissioned a series of special edition versions of some of their best selling novels as online exclusive limited prints.

Problem
Ethos Press is transitioning from a physical bookstore/publisher to an exclusively e-commerce business. They have shifted their brand to a more contemporary look/feel that stilll represents their roots in classic literature. They want their e-commerce platform to encourage new customers while convincing old clients to make the switch.

Solution
The Ethos Press logo is a custom font intended to look expressive. It treads the line between vintage and contemporary and references fashion house logos. The book designs are all intended to be hardcover and cloth-bound with distressed metal slipcases to keep the books in pristine condition. The e-commerce platform is easy to navigate, telling new customers everything they need to know about the company while allowing them to quickly search for products and check out.

NAVIGATION
Since the website may be the only real touchpoint for potential customers before purchase, it needed to represent the brand in a way that was both visually striking but also easy to navigate. This design is intended to concentrate on creating an easy to use interface that will allow the user to shop for products in less than 6-8 clicks while still able to understand the brand and their products. Monochrome photography is used throughout to create visual interest. The font is always kept large to maintain legibility and AODA standards. Various interactive aspects are used throughout the website to keep the brand fresh and interesting while shopping. This can be seen through interactive photo overlays that warp as the user hovers over them or headings that shift as the user scrolls. While the brand focuses mainly on print, this design is meant to show an understanding of the digital space as well so that the brand can continue to appeal to a newer market.