OVER THE INFLUENCE2019 - Creative Direction / Brand Identity / Retail Launch / Marketing Strategy
Over the last decade OTI has built a reputation for ambitious exhibitions featuring its roster of blue chip and emerging contemporary artists. After establishing itself as a major force in the Hong Kong art scene, the gallery set it’s sights on a sprawling space in Los Angeles’ Arts District for its second location, sharing street frontage with the venerable Hauser + Wirth complex.
To coincide with the launch of their sprawling Los Angeles Arts District gallery and retail complex, OTI approached As of Right Now with a desire to refresh and elevate their identity from the brash, street art energy of it’s initial curatorial perspective, to the institutional scene that it was entering. Taking cues from the gallery space itself, with its minimalist appropriation of a century-old brick warehouse, as well as it's confidently curated exhibition program, we settled on an updated brand aesthetic we defined as "warm brutalism".
The mark was designed to evoke the idea of a satellite orbiting a planet. The gallery wanted to represent itself as being an established element of the existing art world, but with a unique curation that set itself apart.
For the inaugural exhibition for the Los Angeles space, and his first stateside solo show, Alexandre Farto aka Vhils' invited his longtime friend and collaborator Jose Pando Lucas to film him around the city, creating public works leading up to the opening night. We provided the art direction for the titles in accordance with the style rules developed for the brand.
In addition to the gallery, 2/3 of the frontage was dedicated as a semi-independent boutique/gallery store. We managed all aspects of the retail project, from designing the space, overseeing construction, merchandising, buying, marketing strategy and art handling, leading into the launch of the space. Each month saw a completely new theme, coinciding with current exhibitions in the gallery. Alongside a selection of carefully curated art books, objects, crafts and prints from dozens of artist, studios and publishers, we managed retail activations for artists Ron Araki, Shephard Fairey, Clayton Peterson, and Vhils. For the Petereson exhibition we co-produced a collaborative capsule and pop-up with Huf Worldwide.
The exterior of the building was largely left untouched, with much of the artistic energy encapsulated within the cavernous space. The foyer teases the deeper exhibition inside, creating an urgent curiosity to enter for patrons and passerby alike.
The signage was conceptualized to further reference that dynamic. Constructed of heavy steel plate, precision-cut, raw limestone slab suspended on frosted acetate, the plaque is stoic and quietly confident during the day, while the LED lights embedded in the acetate illuminate the branding once the sun goes down.
All engineering for the sign was done in-house and fabricated locally.
Team:
Project Manager: Lauren Every-Wortman
Creative Direction: Graham Nystrom
Marketing Strategy: Graham Nystrom
UX/UI: Graham Nystrom
Art Direction / Graphic Design: Graham Nystrom