The festival formerly known as Graphic Design Festival Scotland (GDFS) will now become INTL after six years, as part of the brand’s recent evolution. GDFS now sits under an overarching organisation for the festival to operate within, called INTL.

Warriors Studio, the people behind the founding and organisation of the original festival, said they envisage this to be an ongoing collaboration between Warriors and lots of creative practitioners, such as other designers, artists, writers, sculptors and those working in other creative disciplines.

Warriors said: “It’s a whole new world for us and hopefully an exciting new way to develop an identity.”

GDFS dramatically changed its identity each year, and its innovation in shifting and shaping is one of the reasons it was so successful—but this was also one of the reasons it finally needed to evolve into sitting under the overarching umbrella of INTL.

Warriors went on to say that its new strategy is longer-term, more holistic and mature, and that it’s aiming for “less chaos, more consistency, and creating a more established recognisable brand for INTL.”

Part of the brand’s new identity will still remain fluid so it can keep evolving. There’ll be recurring elements for brand consistency that will allow for the identity to work as a cohesive system each year—a simple foundation of design elements that anchor each event to the overarching brand—but it will be able to adapt depending on the collaborators.

This could be different designers, artists, photographers, illustrators, and creatives from various different disciplines each year that move the festival towards a more multi-disciplinary programme.

“We hope by creating these limitations to operate within it will also force us to be creative in new ways,” said a member of the INLT team.

“We’re excited about bringing unexpected or intriguing disciplines together for campaigns, merging disparate approaches and continuing the spirit of collaboration, which has always been integral to everything we do.”

One of the GDFS and Warriors Studio collaborators is Nam Huynh, who has animated the impressive three type-transition motion graphics which see the letters GDFS transform into INTL. And the colour palate?

A striking palette of IK Blue, black, white and grey. Two brand typefaces were also used to create a confident tone: Neue Haas Grotesk and General Type Studio’s Pilat.

The lettering is imposing and has been used to create a “larger than life impression much like the sort of global corporations satirised in cartoons, such as ACME in Looney Tunes.”

Warriors Studio wanted to go bold. The new vibe is to reflect their attitudes as people and ambitions as a company—aiming for global, epic, innovative, confident, and slightly wild.

“INTL is for industry veterans and young guns taking their first creative steps—it’s a balancing act to ensure everybody feels seen and isn’t alienated by what we’re doing,” said Warriors.

The first edition of INTL takes place in 2021 and will include a programme of conferences, workshops, socials and exhibitions.

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