How did the identity of Kismas come about?

It all started when the lamp was created and it required a certain "graphic designer clothing" - branding identity. Ramūnas Minkevičius, founder and creator of Kismas, contacted a known Lithuanian typographer and graphic designer Tadas Karpavičius with a specific task.

"I already had a name in mind, along with a branding philosophy, and I knew what I wanted overall - the brand should be typographic and possess no graphic elements. Since I've worked in the field of marketing and branding for quite a while, I knew the professionals who could do this task - Tadas Karpavičius undoubtedly is one of the best in Lithuania," the creator of Kismas notes.

The name Kismas

The name of the brand tries to convince the customer to make a brief pause, to encourage him/her to think about one of the most fundamental laws of life - constant change, also aiming to tell us a story about brand values. The intention was to avoid overly commercial, sonorous names with nothing behind them. To create a more authentic name. That's why a Lithuanian word with a deeper meaning was chosen, at the same time it can sound recognizably throughout the world.

"Kismas" is a Lithuanian word meaning change, transformation, a certain shift - the object's state changes, it acquires new attributes or redefines its old ones. This word could be an equivalent of the English "flux", referring to constant change.

Graphic designer Tadas Karpavičius

"My part of the project was given absolute freedom and trust. Hence everything went very smoothly, and both I and the client faced no boundaries. I had one job - to operate by following the principle 'less is more'. All this is reflected not only in the entire design, but in the print solutions as well. Product design and its identity/branding aim to follow the general design trends of today – reducing speed, intensity, and fostering a sense of peaceful flow.

We managed to capture the essence of Kismas branding when I offered Ramūnas to turn to the style of 1980s electro-tech company logos. After all, the glass block came precisely from this period. He liked this idea, and we decided to go for it.

The main principle of identity was that the design would complement the general essence, that it would be easily customizable and could provide more freedom to photos and illustrations that serve as the products' communication tools. The goal was to only have the basic practical means necessary to create interest and the impression of neatness as well as solidity. So the whole design solution is quite abstract, yet also easy to interpret.

The product very clearly dictated the creative process and the end result. We didn't want to make the brand itself 'too design-styled'. The product, in this case, speaks fairly clearly about itself, so I wanted the identity and branding to enhance its value to the consumer more. If the product is strong, original, and has a powerful character, it will certainly require very few brand/design elements. The legendary designer Dieter Rams would probably agree with that - his work and philosophy 'less but better' inspired the creation of the instruction manual for these products.

Visual identity solutions such as packaging, postcards, stickers, website have also been adapted. All this was supposed to emphasize the authenticity of the brand.

Consistent branding has helped deliver the product to the target group in international markets and has been noticed by graphic design professionals such as Stefan Sagmeister. The lamp was most loved by residents of Berlin, New York and California. These destinations are considered to be the capitals of creativity - they are home to perhaps the largest concentration of talented creators from all around the world."