ORBIT, designed to be distinctive

​Creative work shaped by personality, culture and creative expression.

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Orbit is our curated selection of creative, branding and design work we keep coming back to. The ideas with pull. The projects that prove great creative thinking is not just about how something looks, but how it expresses itself, creates conversation and earns a place in culture.

Designed to be distinctive. ORBIT Issue 08 explores the ways brands are expressing themselves beyond traditional identity systems, through culture, community, physical environments and experiences that people actively participate in.

Football fandom becomes modern folklore; fashion brands find new ways to mature without losing their personality, a disco ball divides the design world, and a workplace becomes an extension of the brand itself.

What connects the work is a confidence in self-expression. Ideas that aren't afraid to show personality, create conversation or build worlds people want to spend time in.

Here’s what landed in ORBIT Issue 08...

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01 / A new folklore for football - Palace Skateboards + Nike + England

Palace Skateboards, Nike and England have created something that feels less like a football advert and more like a piece of cultural storytelling for the England World Cup campaign featuring Wayne Rooney and Jill Scott.

Instead of feeling like a normal football advert, the film turns England fandom into a cultural myth, mixing football, British humour, nostalgia and streetwear energy through cinematic storytelling and iconic UK references like Stonehenge and Shakespeare.

The collaboration feels particularly well judged with a strong audience crossover. Palace brings youth and streetwear credibility, while Nike and England bring mainstream scale and familiarity.

Featuring Wayne Rooney is a smart nostalgia play, tapping into classic Nike Football memories for millennials.

The campaign also feels authentically British, leaning heavily into UK culture in a way that still feels globally appealing.

More like a film than an ad, the cinematic storytelling gives it replay value and stronger social impact.

What we love most is how it focuses on culture over product, selling identity and emotion rather than simply promoting football kits.

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02 / Growing without losing yourself - TALA + We Are Among Equals + Claude Type

We really like the thinking behind TALA’s refreshed identity by We Are Among Equals alongside the in-house team at TALA, with typography by Kalice from female-founded French type foundry Claude Type.

What works so well is that it feels like an evolution rather than a reinvention, keeping the community-first spirit of the brand intact whilst building a system that feels more scalable, refined and enduring.

The updated logo retains TALA’s forward slash, now elevated into the core of the wider design system, from monogram to flexible graphic device. Subtle, but purposeful.

The palette feels equally considered: timeless, versatile and wearable in the same way the clothes are designed to be.

And the typography is particularly strong. Kalice brings elegance and confidence across packaging and campaign work, while ES Allianz as a secondary font helps keep the system rooted in TALA’s digital-native heritage.

A really nice example of a fashion brand maturing without losing the thing people connected with in the first place.

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03 / The disco ball debate - Spotify

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Spotify temporarily replaced its familiar green icon with a glittering disco ball, a small change that generated a surprisingly big reaction.

That’s what made it interesting.

In a world where every tech brand plays it safe with ultra-minimal branding, it felt refreshing to see something a little chaotic, nostalgic and playful hit millions of home screens overnight.

Sure, the design world hated it, and yes, perhaps it could have done with a tweak, but that’s kind of the point. Everyone noticed it, everyone talked about it, and for a few days a music app actually felt like music culture again.

Sometimes branding should make people feel something, not just look clean.

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04 / Built to be discovered - LEGO + Acrylicize

Some projects stick around longer than others.

A lot of branded workplace design still feels like logos pasted onto architecture. Acrylicize’s work for LEGO’s Boston HQ avoids that quite nicely.

The wayfinding, graphics, storytelling and physical environment all feel conceived as part of the same system rather than separate disciplines awkwardly stitched together later.

There’s obviously a risk with a brand like LEGO that it becomes visually exhausting or overly literal, but this manages to keep enough restraint while still leaning into play and interaction.

What makes it interesting is how naturally the brand is embedded into the experience. The work feels designed to be discovered rather than simply applied.

An example we keep coming back to when thinking about where environmental graphics, workplace design and brand experience are heading.

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Issue 08 reflects the kind of creative work we are drawn to, projects that understand the value of personality, cultural relevance and distinctive expression. Whether through storytelling, identity systems, digital experiences or physical environments, the work here demonstrates that standing out is rarely about being louder. It's about being recognisable, memorable and true to what makes a brand different.

Explore the full ORBIT Issue 08 here.​

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Curated by Carl Anderson, Lamar Dix, Matthew Kiziltan, and Nicky Pearson.