Overview /

Black Spot Press is a Vienna-based fine art print studio working at the intersection of traditional craft and experimental mark-making. The identity needed to speak to artists and collaborators who value process, material and the physicality of print, while clearly positioning the studio as contemporary, confident and distinctive.

The challenge was to create a brand that felt as tactile and characterful as the work produced there. Rather than a polished, corporate identity, the solution drew from the language of ink, pressure, stencils and handmade marks, creating a system that feels grounded in real making and immediately recognisable within the art print community.

Role /

Creative direction and design lead for the Black Spot Press brand identity. Responsible for translating the studio’s printmaking ethos into a distinctive visual language, shaping how the press presents itself to artists, collaborators and collectors through logo design, typography and a flexible graphic system.

Brief /

Create a distinctive brand identity for Black Spot Press, Vienna, on behalf of Irish master printer Tom Phelan. The identity needed to reflect the studio’s deep respect for traditional fine art print techniques while also capturing its experimental, independent and artist-led spirit.

It had to feel credible within the fine art world, but never corporate or polished to the point of losing the raw energy that defines the studio’s work.

Primary Identity System

Core Black Spot Press logo developed as a flexible mark that feels bold, handmade and rooted in print culture. Distressed textures and stencil-inspired forms echo the physicality of ink, pressure and process.

Embossed Mark

The identity translated into an embossed application, emphasising the tactile nature of fine art printmaking. The raised impression mirrors the pressure and physical contact central to the craft.

Logo Mark Variations

A secondary monogram system built from the same stencil logic, allowing the identity to adapt across small-scale applications while retaining its raw, graphic character.

Metal Die Stamp

Custom metal stamp produced for authentic physical marking of materials. Extends the brand beyond visual language into real-world making, reinforcing the studio’s hands-on ethos.

Stationery System

Letterheads and business cards designed to feel like print artefacts rather than corporate collateral. Colour variants reflect ink experimentation while maintaining a cohesive, recognisable system.

Solution /

The identity draws directly from the physical process of printmaking. Letterforms were constructed with a stencil-like logic, referencing both traditional print workshop markings and DIY poster culture. Imperfection, pressure and layering became core visual principles rather than decorative effects.

A bold, modular logo system was developed that could shift in scale and composition, much like prints themselves. Strong colour contrasts, textured surfaces and assertive typography gave the brand a presence that felt crafted, expressive and rooted in making, not marketing.

The result is an identity that feels as tactile and characterful as the work produced at Black Spot Press.

Results /

A distinctive identity that felt authentic to the studio’s ethos and background, resonating with both the craft of printmaking and its punk, DIY spirit.

“Knowing my background in punk, my love of the DIY aesthetic, and as a visual artist that could be considered ‘old-school’, Steve delivered something modern, but street. An up-to-date subculture stencil design, which fitted perfectly with me and my studio philosophy.”
Tom, Black Spot Print

Black Spot Press, Vienna — Brand Identity & Logo Design