A Logo Students Can Reshape: BOND's Living Identity for LAB

A Logo Built to Be Reshaped

BOND's identity for the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts in Lahti treats the logo as something unfinished. Built around a single Finnish phrase with two meanings, roughly about designing things differently and reformulating them, the system shows oversized black letterforms that look pulled and softened like clay. A custom digital tool lets students reshape any letter, so the mark keeps changing in their hands rather than arriving as a fixed asset. A bespoke dynamic typeface carries the brand alone, while posters use red, green and blue accents against black and white fields.

For brand builders, the interesting part is how the freedom is contained. Repeating panels, consistent corner lockups and a disciplined palette keep every variation readable as the same school. It is a useful case for anyone weighing how much control to give an institution's community, and what structure has to stay fixed to make that openness work. Identity designers, educators and anyone running a brand with many contributors should read it closely.