Swordfish Works

2013

Designed by Kelly Mackenzie at White Bear Studio

Designer: Mali Read

Designer: Jamie Quantrill

Categories: Identity / Print

Industry: Commercial

Tags: Typography

Website: swordfishworks.com

Swordfish Works are a Shoreditch based workshop that specialise in laser cutting. Using state of the art machinery, they can cut into an exciting array of materials on a large scale; think anything from plastic to lychee fruit! The applications for laser cutting are endless, from one-off pieces for exhibitions to custom fashion patterns.

Previously named 'Capital Models Laser Cutting Department', the new name Swordfish Works encapsulates the company’s precision and accuracy. They needed a fresh and contemporary identity that matched their creative capabilities and showcased the variety of their services. That's where we came in.

Our brief was to create a brand that would stand out against the rest of the laser cutting market and that represented the high level of craftsmanship of the business and their problem-solving capabilities. They don't have a cookie-cutter approach (no pun intended) - every job is unique and has its own challenges.

White Bear positioned Swordfish as the A to Z of laser cutting, developing an identity that showcased both their skills as a company and the boundless creativity that they help their clients realise.

We designed a bespoke patterned alphabet in which each letter's treatment was inspired by a laser cutting technique and each letter from A-Z represents a different aspect of working with Swordfish, from artworking to customer care to team players, thereby conveying the breadth of their proposition and identity.

Our bespoke letters feature across the identity, coupled with bold bright colours that were inspired by the acrylic colours from which Swordfish can cut. These assets combined with their body of work gives them a disruptive and impactful brand language that is instantly arresting.

“An amazing team that delivered innovative ideas and concepts, White Bear encapsulated everything we had hoped for and we could not be happier with the results! Reactions have been incredibly positive. A company who we have worked closely with for many years said “You have bought the business forward 80 years!”

Marcia Danton-Rees

Director

Capital Models Ltd/Swordfish Works Ltd