The Lint Trap
Brand Identity
We like it dirty.
the setup
The Lint Trap is a laundromat with a secret. The brief was simple: to brand a fictional speakeasy hidden inside of one. The challenge was finding an identity that projects both the indie grit of a neighborhood laundromat alongside the quiet intrigue of something illicit behind the machines.
Brief
Branding for a fictional speakeasy, student brief.
Deliverables
Logo system, visual identity, environmental applications, merchandise opportunities.
the marks
Secondary — wide formats: web, posters, the side of the building.
-
The stacked lock-up leads, with the staggered one only deploying where width is free. The script ‘the’ never appears without the block letters. It isn't an ornament, it's the alibi. Nothing prints smaller than the script stays legible.
Primary — signage, menus, embroidery, anything small or square.
-
The wordmark works like the bar does, with the halved capital Ts peeking out so the name doesn't give itself up at first glance. You have to look twice, which is the whole premise of the place. The script ‘the’ plays it straight, borrowed from the polite mid-century signage a laundromat would actually wear, so the lock-up reads legit from across the street and slightly wrong up close. Clean on the surface, with something else underneath.
the palette
The palette is inspired by the space, with cream from the tiles, black from the grout, and a sharp ultramarine that cuts through both. The blue does double duty, a nod to commercial cleaning without letting the identity tip too far into grungy or clinical. It keeps you guessing, and that felt appropriate.
Ultramarine
#4444ff
Eggshell
#f6f3e5
Obsidian
#000000
in the wild
Merch can also function as a casual uniform for staff.
Merch provides minimal context, so that every little moment piques curiosity.
the detours
-
Right direction in the wrong costume. The decorative deco and
Right letterforms in the wrong costume. Deco script, a winking dot on the i. Cutting the trim left the halved T's to do the winking.
The most dragged out detour was a retro-futurist mood board I loved too much, characterized by red and black and hard geometry. I spent weeks trying to perfect it, but it kept photographing like a warning label.
-
All intrigue with no invitation. This take guarded the door rather than opening it.
the payoff
The deliverables list said logo and visual identity.
The rabbit hole unearthed a naming system, a censor bar ad campaign, and a cocktail menu where every drink is in on the joke. By the end, someone else could write the next Lint Trap component without me in the room.