Lapis
Identity, Product, Web Design
2017
Lapis is an unconventional branding project that explores the essence of simplicity and presence. It reimagines how a visual identity can reflect a product whose primary function is minimal yet universal: a pencil, whose main purpose is to leave a mark. The project embraces subtlety, creating a brand that whispers rather than shouts, inviting engagement and participation.
Context
The project originated from a curious challenge: design a brand for a company that produces only one product—a pencil. While the pencil has many uses, its primary purpose is simple: to leave a mark. This purpose is inseparable from a supporting surface, a blank space, without which the pencil would be meaningless. Lapis embodies this idea: emptiness, silence, and absence become the foundation of the brand, creating a space—both metaphorical and physical—where users are free to fill it in their own way.
Solution
The Lapis identity revolves around the pencil and embraces simplicity, neatness, and careful craftsmanship. All brand artifacts are made entirely of paper, folded rather than glued, allowing users to unfold them and actively engage in the creation of empty spaces. Whether writing, drawing, or taking notes, the identity encourages personal interaction with the product while maintaining a minimalist, inclusive, and contemplative aesthetic. Lapis “uncorporates” branding, offering a quiet, open-ended experience that mirrors the pencil’s fundamental purpose.
Context
The project originated from a curious challenge: design a brand for a company that produces only one product—a pencil. While the pencil has many uses, its primary purpose is simple: to leave a mark. This purpose is inseparable from a supporting surface, a blank space, without which the pencil would be meaningless. Lapis embodies this idea: emptiness, silence, and absence become the foundation of the brand, creating a space—both metaphorical and physical—where users are free to fill it in their own way.
Solution
The Lapis identity revolves around the pencil and embraces simplicity, neatness, and careful craftsmanship. All brand artifacts are made entirely of paper, folded rather than glued, allowing users to unfold them and actively engage in the creation of empty spaces. Whether writing, drawing, or taking notes, the identity encourages personal interaction with the product while maintaining a minimalist, inclusive, and contemplative aesthetic. Lapis “uncorporates” branding, offering a quiet, open-ended experience that mirrors the pencil’s fundamental purpose.