Responses by Philipp Zurmöhle, creative director, Transatlantika.
Background: Herr Menig Optik is an established optician for grown-ups in Nürnberg, Germany. The visual identity for his second shop—Herr Menig Junior, an optician for kids—addresses parents and children alike.
Design thinking: For the branding to be attractive to kids, as well as adults, we combined fun, cartoon elements with more rigid geometric shapes. The colorful shapes suggest that they can be played with like building blocks. The typography—Signal Mono by Production Type—picks up the same aspect while also hinting at the spacing of letters in optometry tests. The quirky characters that roam the store environment break up the order in the design to hopefully make kids smile. They are also useful for promotional material and local magazine ads.
Challenges: The new retail store’s identity needed to relate to the main Herr Menig Optik shop on the opposite side of the street with a minimalistic interior and a dark green storefront. The geometric shapes pick up that aspect and incorporate the same green. The second similarity is the design of the logo. Herr Menig Optik’s main log is a geometric owl icon. Making the new one a baby owl with similar shapes felt natural, and it lets customers make the connection between the two stores.
Favorite details: I love how the storefront’s sign turned out. It’s very inviting and friendly by day and looks like a glowing moon at nighttime. The cartoon characters have a distinctive vibe of their own—they’re a fun add-on that brings the identity to life.
New lessons: It was exciting to collaborate with Nürnberg-based architect and interior designer Ines Klaue. Together, we made the graphics relate to the expressive and playful retail interior.
Visual influences: Vintage Scandinavian folk patterns were definitely on my mind. The lively color palette draws inspiration from classic toys, a little nod to Nürnberg traditionally being a toy city.
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