Pitchfork   The Dissolve   Festivals: Chicago | Paris

Designer Ben Pieratt introduced Hessian today, an elegantly playful collection of graphic assets, guidelines, and themes—for a brand that is still yet to be determined. If you're "a restaurant, a start-up, a clothing brand or more," you can buy Hessian and work with Pieratt while he fine-tunes the package to suit your project. While it's really great-looking, the artistry here is in the concept of selling a graphic identity using this model. It challenges traditional thought on how the story of a brand should inform its own aesthetic presence, and does so in an era when a design idea born from pure inspiration can just as easily be the foundation from where a new idea can grow. And the name isn't a misspelled Heavy Metal Parking Lot reference—just a nod to acclaimed illustrator and designer Richard Hess.