Client

Knack

Category

BrandingContentCreativity

One story, different perspectives for Knack

An iconic brand like Knack does not need an introduction. The recognisable style of its magazines – Knack, Knack Focus and Knack Weekend – is still a hit with its large audience every week. But transferring the identity of the umbrella brand that is Knack to all marketing touch points proved more difficult. Our solution? We created a visual and textual tool kit. But not without focusing on the Knack brand identity first.

A nimble mind

Who or what is Knack? It’s a simple question that nonetheless elicits a not-so-simple answer. The brand is all but easy to define – partly due to the various sub magazines and attachments it houses. As a total package, Knack informs and inspires across the entire spectrum of life. News, opinion pieces, investigative journalism, culture, film, music, fashion, travel and design: no topic is left untouched. In fact, Knack digs deeper and takes on a broader perspective than other Flemish media.

With this unique positioning in mind, we wrote a clear brand story that outlines the different layers and highlights the quality of Knack. We involved the editor-in-chief and the art directors – because who else knows the magazines through and through, right – and came up with an umbrella concept for the story: a nimble mind. After all, the Knack brand is about sharing different opinions – which are all too often synonymous with truths, these days – in all their facets, showing that reality is in fact malleable. In this way, Knack challenges its readers to keep their minds, and those of their environment, open and flexible. After all, it’s fresh insights and new perspectives that will ultimately take us further, as people and as a society.

‘In your face’

A brand that explores extremes needs a design concept that reflects diversity. It is therefore no coincidence that we developed a visual identity that’s quite ‘in your face’. Flaming red and pure white shake up the brain and emphasise that Knack is anything but traditional.

Clever lay-out

A sophisticated style is important for readers and advertisers, but at the same time poses a challenge for the Knack marketing and communication team – which tends to operate at a fast pace. First and foremost, the new visual identity had to be user-friendly for the Knack designers. We created a smart layout system with three levels, adaptable to different types of content: from small social ads to eye-catching campaigns. The new typography and the graphic design with its six recognisable style elements are addressed at each level.

Design in motion

We set the Knack identity in motion through … motion design. A moving line symbolises the different angles between the worlds of red and white. Slightly hesitant at times, sometimes confident, sometimes contemplative.

Catchy colour combination

The Knack magazines each got their own colour palette, which can be flexibly adapted according to trends. We dipped Knack Weekend in pastel shades with striking red, black and white highlights. Knack Focus received a catchy combination of fluorescent colours. And, finally, we also took care of le Vif, giving Knack’s French-speaking counterpart its own elegant typeface.

 

mathias delmote
strategic director
sam de vriendt
copy director
Matti J Profile 01
matti jokipii
design director
thomas heylen
digital designer

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