In the fall of 2025, we had the opportunity to work with Canyon Coffee on the first edition of their printed Morning Rituals zine.
We were first introduced to Ally and Casey through our work on Faculty Department Vol. 2. Since their establishment of Canyon Coffee in 2016, we’ve been long admirers from afar and would make sure to pick up a bag of their beans every time we were in LA.   Hence, it was a nice surprise when they reached out to us with the opportunity to work together.
Our mutual friend, Justin Chung had been photographing subjects for their Morning Rituals series and the idea came up to create a printed collection of a few select stories.
Understanding that this was a first exploration with a printed format for the series as well as the tighter timeline, we wanted to be sensitive to production costs while creating a unique and accessible piece that could continue into future volumes.

<h3 class="p1">Design</h3>
To continue the consistency in their brand identity into the zine, we took design cues from the established visual language of their new website, created by Mouthwash Studios. Type pairings and size relationships were translated from the website to the printed zine so that the visual experience would feel seamless when viewing a story online versus in print.
Using an 11 column grid, much of our focus was to create a design layout that had anchoring elements for consistency but allowed for much of the photography to be displayed more loosely and freely to create a printed piece that felt like a moodboard or process document.
The cover of the zine uses an outwards gatefold method, giving added strength to the cover and a unique viewing experience.
Morning Rituals Volume 1 includes four stories from Canyon’s recent trip to NorCal featuring Zoe Dering (Ceramicist), Andres Giraldo Florez (Chef, Snail Bar), Mariah Nielson (Curator, Artist, Director of JB Blunk Estate &amp; Blunk Space), and Jereme Brian Mendez (Painter).

Purchase

Services

Location

Credits

Art Direction

Print

Canyon Coffee — Morning Rituals Vol. 1

We were a few weeks into the branding process for New York based fashion photographer, Justin Chung’s personal identity when he subsequently shifted our attention to a much larger endeavour he had in mind. Enter Faculty Department. Justin began sharing with us the stories of his studio visits and moments with artists, furniture makers and people he admired. His photos and recollections of his experience led us to feel as though we were present and knew these individuals personally.

<h2>Discovery/Process</h2>
With Volume 1 being the inaugural issue, it was important for us to establish the brand identity and world of Faculty Department. Our studio began to explore the personality and tone of voice for the publication through a series of moodboards and keywords. Through numerous conversations with Justin, there was an unmistakable academic aspect to the book. Having previously been in medical studies before becoming a photographer, Justin continuing referred to each individual as part of his “faculty”—the teachers and mentors he learned from. Faculty Department was meant to be a sort of ode to his professors—a way of applying the same research process and academic due diligence he had learned, now towards the form of a photography book.
With hundreds of photos taken, one of the main tasks for our team was to select, organize and arrange an order for the story to be told effectively. Working alongside Justin, we collaboratively narrowed down our selection to the strongest selects to keep each story tight and focused.
Turning our attention to the materiality of the book, we felt that Munken Lynx was the perfect paper stock for this publication. The uncoated smooth yet tactile surface and natural white shade gave the images a warmth and natural aesthetic.
Justin visited Vancouver to work with us in our studio for a week in order to finalize each story. After the design file was sent to the print shop, Justin and our team decided it was worthwhile to attend the press check in Iceland where Volume 1 would be printed.

<h2>Design</h2>
In selecting the right typeface for Faculty Department, we wanted to find one that looked sincere yet academic in appearance. It was important to us that the look of the typeface would seamlessly reflect the same tone of voice of the writing. We decided to go forward with Tiempos, a contemporary serif designed by Kris Sowersby (Klim Type Foundry). Having references to Times New Romans, this provided a sense of familiarity to the text for most readers. As we approached the design of the book layout, we aimed to create a layout that felt natural and honest in its presentation.
A number of book dimensions were tested for the project. We wanted a book size that was comfortable to hold and easy to flip through. The final size was 7.5″ x 9.5″ with 265 pages. This size was chosen as it felt similar to the size of most textbooks—an added reference to academia.
A 2 column layout was used for this publication. To provide optimum readability, allowing each line of text to be about 12 words.
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<h2>Afterwards</h2>
The journey in making this project was perhaps as enjoyable as seeing the final product. Our team was able to see and experience every step of the process from developing the brand to seeing the print production first hand in Iceland, to even the fulfillment process. Faculty Department Volume 1 was the first long form publication we produced since starting our studio, hence we learned invaluable lessons from the experience and this project holds a special place in our hearts.

Branding

Identity

Faculty Department Vol. 1

Following the launch of Making Sense Vol.1, Le Labo reached out to us to begin work on their brand book: The Essence of Slow Perfumery.
This publication celebrates Le Labo&#8217;s twenty-year journey through a collection of personal essays, musings and photographs. 
Initial conversations for this project began in April of 2024, while the book was completed in August of 2025. The process for this project was incredibly collaborative and we felt a tremendous level of responsibility to create a publication that accurately reflected the Le Labo brand and legacy.
In working with creative director Deborah Royer and the Le Labo creative team, we came away with an immense amount of appreciation for how they work, where every decision is made with intention. Every expression of the brand is considered to the finest detail. And yet, to those on the outside of the brand, there is a certain sense of ease and effortlessness to all that they do. These contrasting aspects were qualities we deliberately strived to achieve within the book—a meticulously designed structure that allowed the content to be viewed and read with ease.

<h2>Design</h2>
Our process for this book was much more iterative at the start, allowing us to explore ideas and push the boundaries a bit, and then reduce and scale back with each iteration. An important exercise for us was to identify what visual qualities evoke the Le Labo identity. Our team studied Le Labo’s existing array of packaging, labels and visual assets to identify visual cues. The use of the vertical rule on the text pages is a result from this exploration—a minimal visual element that subtly points back to the brand.
Our team created seven essential photo layouts that accounted for the placement of location captions at the top where necessary. These essential layouts also included slight variations for photo positioning and sizing, which allowed us to develop a visual rhythm to the book while sticking to a consistent structure.
Each chapter includes a chapter opening page, printed on a kraft stock to reference Le Labo’s iconic Kraft box packaging.
The completed book contains 10 chapters within 551 pages and stands as the largest publication we’ve worked on to date.
The Essence of Slow Perfumery is a true testament to the passion, intention and care of the people behind the brand and in many ways could have well exceeded 551 pages. We are grateful for the opportunity to help bring these chapters together within this massive yet essential publication.

Le Labo — The Essence of Slow Perfumery

Publication Design

2026

Design

Le Labo — The Essence of Slow Perfumery

Publication Design

2026

Design

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