brand design / campaign designer: Marios Georntamilis
co design / campaign designer: Nikos Athanasopoulos
brand Photographer: Konstantina Gorgogianni
cinematographer: Thomas Gkinis
client: Xylo eyewear
year: 2013
archival photographs: John Platanou
Xylo eyewear is all about handmade wooden sunglasses and frames, in the heart of the Aegean sea – at the island of Syros.
Back in May 2013, we were asked to create a brand for them and also marketing plan and find a way of supporting and funding
this effort via crowdfunding. This project was designed with a holistic design approach, from logo to packaging and integrated marketing communications to product & service user experience with the guidelines of authenticity, locallity, handcrafted artefacts’ principles
and mediterrenean identity in mind. By using the word ”Xylo” (Greek for ”wood”), the essence of the artefact became clearer.
By combining design elements from different places around the Mediterrenean, a unified result emerged. Based on the interconnections of the cultures living by the sea. Recalling elements to their memory, we managed to create a true, original and humanistic brand image to accompany the product and spread the message across multiple platforms.
The logo, was carefully designed to remind different cultures. By using the word ”Xylo” (Greek for ”wood”), the essence of the artefact became clearer. With adding the intonation mark above the letter ”y”, the Greek origin of the word was established, characterizing thus the brand, the locality and the product itself. The logo was also designed to resemble Arabic typography, in order to incorporate this culture into the brand.
By refining it, was made to resemble Gothic and medieval writing styles, making it thus, familiar with the majority
of the European cultures and Mediterrenean people.
The sunglasses were designed, fabricated by hand, and assembled in Syros island, in the middle of the Aegean sea. As a mark
of the land of origin, we adopted the coordinates of the island and spesifically the ones from the workshop at the Lagkada village,
right out Hermoupolis city (the capital of Cylcades region and the main city of Syros). Thus, the locality essence became even more present and this message actually intrigued the viewer to search for this location.
Following this mindset, every picture taken during the photoshoot of the Spring / Summer collection 2013, was stamped with
the coordinates of the area that were took. Accordingly all the events, labeling of landmarks and facebook events,
were marked as such.
In order to identify the four sunglasses models we established the naming by nature elements, combining the ancient Greek belief in five basic elements, these being earth (γῆ = ge), water (ὕδωρ = hudor), air (ἀήρ = aer), fire (πῦρ pur) and aether (αἰθήρ = aither), that dates from pre-Socratic times and persisted throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, deeply influencing European thought and culture. Except the fifth one, the other four are common in many European cultures.
In order to complete our online presence and informative material for the crowdfunding campaign, we shot a 2:30 minute video featuring the process of making a single pair of sunglasses (Blaze in specific). The film was shot and edited by Thomas Gkinis.
photo by: Konstantina Gorgogianni
photo by: Konstantina Gorgogianni
photo by: Konstantina Gorgogianni
photo by: Konstantina Gorgogianni
photo by: Konstantina Gorgogianni
photo by: Konstantina Gorgogianni
