FORTLUFT—Brand Identity & Product Design

In early 2018, Fortluft came to me for a full rebrand. The goal was clear: they were preparing to launch in the US market and needed a visual language that could make affordable, high-quality detailing parts and tools stand out on a crowded shelf. Not just premium-looking—but trustworthy, tech-forward, and with a real sense of community around it.

Finding the character After a lot of back and forth, we landed on something beyond just "high quality and reliable." The brand needed an edge—bold, competitive, slightly aggressive in a sporting sense. The kind of brand that people feel something about. The logo came out of that directly. We went through a lot of options, which isn't always how it goes, but it was the right call here. The brief was specific: something sharp, dense, and visually strong—almost like a symbol. We kept experimenting with shapes until something clicked. We ended up calling it "the blades"—and the association with the brand's character was immediately obvious.

Marking system One of the more technical parts of the project was developing a system of product markings—for laser engraving, embossed metal graphics, plastic surfaces, rubberised finishes. Each material has its own rules: visibility, contrast, ink count limitations for screen printing and pad printing. So from the start we built a full set of graphic elements in different combinations and colorways, ready to work across all of it. The packaging got a refresh too—each product category had its own code color. Exhaust parts in grey, engine in black, and so on. Each box got a clean technical line illustration, built to be reusable and easy to update.

The rest followed naturally: print collateral, catalogues, certificates, business cards, signage, social templates, stickers, a website, and a brand guidelines document that wrapped it all up. For Christmas, we made gingerbread cookies in brand colors for showroom visitors and partners—the cutters were 3D printed. That one was fun.