Tswalu Kalahari Reserve identity update
Tswalu is a private game reserve in the Kalahari, a semi-desert region in the north of South Africa, spanning into both Botswana and Namibia. The region is historically known for the diversity of its flora and fauna and the eons-long presence of the San peoples. More recently the region has been subject to enclosure and overgrazing, forcing both people and wildlife off the land. The vision of the reserve is to ‘restore the Kalahari to itself’, as such it was important for us to understand and represent the region for its unique character. The Kalahari is contrasted to the Lowveld region, home of the Kruger National Park, whose famously high carrying capacity hosts an incredible density of large animals. The Kalahari is much drier, slower, quieter, requiring an adjustment of pace and expectations. We developed an update to their identity, including custom logo typography and display font inspired by adaptations to the hot dry conditions we observed in the shepherd's tree (boscia albitrunca) a keystone species with memorably swollen nodules and willowy curving stems, looking to be both parched and thriving simultaneously, and the leaf graphic was redrawn to draw attention to ancient petroglyphs found on the property.
Tswalu is a private game reserve in the Kalahari, a semi-desert region in the north of South Africa, spanning into both Botswana and Namibia. The region is historically known for the diversity of its flora and fauna and the eons-long presence of the San peoples. More recently the region has been subject to enclosure and overgrazing, forcing both people and wildlife off the land. The vision of the reserve is to ‘restore the Kalahari to itself’, as such it was important for us to understand and represent the region for its unique character. The Kalahari is contrasted to the Lowveld region, home of the Kruger National Park, whose famously high carrying capacity hosts an incredible density of large animals. The Kalahari is much drier, slower, quieter, requiring an adjustment of pace and expectations. We developed an update to their identity, including custom logo typography and display font inspired by adaptations to the hot dry conditions we observed in the shepherd's tree (boscia albitrunca) a keystone species with memorably swollen nodules and willowy curving stems, looking to be both parched and thriving simultaneously, and the leaf graphic was redrawn to draw attention to ancient petroglyphs found on the property.
WORDMARK
The updated wordmark subtly echos noduled and willowy stems of boscia albitrunca, a destinctive tree found Kalahari region.
Boscia albitrunca, photographed during our field-research a visit to the reserve.
LOGOMARK
The leaf graphic, redrawn in the image of the many ancient petroglyphs that can be found in the area. Attention was paid to the weathering of the graphics in the rock, how the erosion of water and wind blur and warp the edges of the ancient engravings
A selection of the many ancient petroglyphs that mark the reserve.
The colour palette was sampled from the landscape – the lilac twilight sky, red sand, yellow grass, olive bush and black dolomite rock in the Korannaberg hills. We observed and photographed each of these over the course of a few days, observing changes in colour at different times of day, in order to to sample colours that both looked at felt accurate to the experience of the land.
Tswalu branding extended with a unique wordmark and icon for the Boscia the restaurant, a project the Tswalu reserve has developed in partnerhsip with acclaimed South African chef, Luke Dale-Roberts.
TSWALU SANS DISPLAY
Tswalu Sans Display is a bespoke typeface, inspired by the ancient rock carvings found throughout Tswalu reserve and the Kalahari at large. Defined by composite shapes and symbols, made by layering geometric and organic forms, the typefaces characteristic blend of rectilinear and rounded letter forms mirror pteroglyphs of the region. Together, this merging of regular, geometric forms, with more idiosyncratic, organic forms, make for a typeface which, while treading lightly, maintains a distinctive presence.
