Developing the Not Bad Brand

The name Not Bad was conceived as a deliberate contradiction. It undersells by design and relies on self-awareness rather than explanation. That thinking informed how the brand behaves visually rather than how it explains itself.

The brand was developed in collaboration with Adit Wardhana founder of Type A, a highly skilled and versatile creative with over 10 years of experience building brand identities across property, commercial, arts, retail, and government sectors. With a background rooted in typography, Adit brings a balance of discipline and expression to his work, which made him the right partner to shape Not Bad from the ground up.

Adit and I had worked together in the past, so getting the chance to work with him again — this time on a brand that was my own was genuinely exciting. There was already trust in the process. We understood how each other works, how far ideas could be pushed, and when to move quickly. That alignment allowed decisions to be made fast and confidently.

After years of working on other brands, building Not Bad meant turning that experience inward and focusing purely on brand development. There were no external constraints or client filters. The focus was on creating a visual and cultural system that could operate across art, design, music, and community.

Adit led the creative direction and identity system. Typography became the core driver of the brand, shaping tone, confidence, and rhythm across all applications.

The visual language sits intentionally between order and disruption. Bold typography, aggressive scale, and high-contrast colour are grounded by a clear underlying structure. Layout tension, type remixing, and image treatment introduce energy and movement, but always with intent.

Typography plays a central role throughout the system. Heavy weights establish confidence, while controlled mixing introduces instability and emphasis. Alignment shifts, spacing flexes, and hierarchy is occasionally disrupted to create momentum. The resulting typographic voice is direct, assured, and culturally fluent.

The outcome is a brand identity that functions as a platform rather than a fixed aesthetic. It’s designed to adapt, evolve, and respond to different contexts while maintaining a clear point of view. The process felt fast, focused, and natural — a reflection of the collaboration behind it.