Back in May of 2020, Kirk Mastin came to me with the goal of refreshing Mastin Labs’ brand expression to reflect the friendly and supportive personality behind the film preset company, and to connect more accurately with their younger key demographic.
In my initial discussions with Kirk, the core mission of the brand became clear. The Mastin Labs team is passionate about empowering photographers at all stages of their respective journeys; whether they’re seeking a better balance between shooting and editing, or finding their own individual style. Their presets give all photographers access to the timeless look, feel, and magic of film, and they’ve built out an online community to continue that access through real interactions, professional networking, and free online educational content. That focus on providing access and mentorship reminded me so much of the lessons our best teachers show us at even an early age—how education is the first real gateway to discovering your own potential.
The primary red, yellow, and blue hues in the logo provide a subtle nod to that eternal spirit of learning and growth. I took the extra step of determining the rest of the palette’s secondary colors by combining them the old fashioned way, as you would with actual paint. The color swatches are named for natural elements, including times of day and weather, which are often important for photographers. Each preset pack is thoughtfully crafted to serve different types of photography (outdoor, indoor, portraits, landscapes, etc.), and once we landed on the color palette, the team had the creative idea of selecting different hues to represent them.
Our typography choices were primarily inspired by periodical design and print layout for editorials. The style is equally driven by functionality and beauty, paired with a sense of timelessness. IvyPresto brought a beautifully rounded and classic look to heading sections and display text, while Work Sans serves as complementary and utilitarian sans serif for body copy and everything else.
Many thanks to Kirk, Kyle and Casey from Mastin Labs for being such a wonderful team to partner with on this brand refresh, as well as Kelsey O’Halloran, who brought the brand voice and messaging to life.
