Clear and crisp, the new look has been implemented across the gallery’s digital, print and physical platforms. A key feature of the new brand system is a more visually engaging website containing a full inventory of artists’ works, searchable by category.

The new website includes comprehensive artist profiles, a journal page highlighting artist news, and a dedicated area for press. But the new functionality comes most fully into play in the ‘Works’ section, which categorises Southern Guild’s collectible designs into tables, cabinets, seating, lighting, sculpture, wall art, objects, carpets and outdoor. Prospective buyers can narrow their search down even further into sub-categories and view multiple angles and details of each work.

The new brand system was created by North VCA, a design consultancy with offices in Cape Town and Amsterdam. It was born out of a simple evolution of Southern Guild’s previous trademark based on the formation of stars, visible only in the Southern Hemisphere, called the Crux Constellation or Southern Cross.

This iconic shape of stars has been used throughout history as a navigation tool and a way-finder: the voyager’s most reliable assistant. Furthermore, its position in the night sky was fundamental in signalling the changing of the seasons, the harvest and the rainfall.

With this is in mind, the creative direction of the Southern Guild rebrand began by isolating the original mark within the logo, emphasising its boldness as a stand-alone graphic element. Then, by exploring the different applications of the cross – based on its incremental movement through the heavens – a dynamic brand system was born. This simple yet audacious design was interpreted and developed into a grid system, solidifying a completely adaptable and distinct brand identity.