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InspirationGraphic Design

Navarra's minimalist yet bold studio identity based on an intricate grid system

We’re big fans of German design here at Creative Boom, and on our radar right now is Navarra, a Berlin-based visual communications studio with a classically German, minimalist approach to graphic design.

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Navarra's visual communication posters with "Visual Communication" text displayed on a weathered wall covered in colourful graffiti

Working with the likes of ASOS, Wrangler and Zalando, the studio takes a systematic approach, with the aim of recontextualising modernist principles in a contemporary context.

Their own visual identity is a case in point. Based on an intricate grid system, it’s clean and simple yet considered and impactful, using only black and white and letting the content speak for itself.

Their Theindhardt typeface is a nice homage to influential German typographer Ferdinand Theinhardt, whose foundry was located in the Alt-Treptow district of Berlin, the same neighbourhood as Navarra’s offices. Unusually, they’ve only used one weight (regular) – typographical hierarchy is usually achieved solely through a font-size variation.

You can see more of Navarra’s work over at their website.

Navarra logo in black sans-serif type with superscript 'is' on light grey background
Navarra's monochrome wayfinding design system displayed across three glass panels showing grid-based typography, room labels and numerical sequences in black and white
MacBook displaying Navarra's minimalist website with black text on white background, showcasing the studio's grid-based visual identity
Navarra's website homepage displaying their minimalist studio identity with black text on white background and grid-based layout
Close-up detail of black leather and metal components with Navarra's minimalist logotype overlaid in outline lettering
Three pages from Navarra's minimalist branding system showing typeface specimens, client documentation and support guidelines in black and white
Navarra studio identity materials including business cards and a document titled "Client 01" displaying minimalist black and white branding on a grey surface
Angled view of Navarra's minimalist black and white identity system showing overlapping printed materials with bold typography and grid-based layout on textured grey surface
Black iPhone displaying Navarra's minimalist website layout with navigation menu and text in black and white
Navarra's minimalist studio workspace featuring a black-framed glass partition, wooden storage units, white desks with ergonomic chairs, and the studio's name displayed on the wall
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