Backslash (formerly /Art), an art and technology organisation based out of Cornell University, has revealed new branding created with the help of NYC-based design studio Cotton. Known for funding artists with practices that are “nonlinear, unconventional, unexpected, adventurous, intense, surprising, questionable, and primed for engagement with new technologies”, Backslash was in need of a visual update that could align with its mission and ethos.

Crucially, the organisation’s work extends beyond the realms of the art world, and its old name failed to capture this, as well as being ambiguous in terms of its pronunciation. The team therefore wanted a new name that was simpler to say and more accurately reflected their remit. Taking the symbol (typically used in coding and mathematics) from the original moniker and spelling it out, Backslash was born.

Using this as their jumping off point, the designers at Cotton also developed a new wordmark for the organisation, made up of – you guessed it – backslashes. Built on the foundations of the Werk Sans typeface by Trulytype, the Backslash wordmark is custom drawn and serves to set the tone for the rest of the identity.

Elsewhere, Werk Sans is used in its original form (albeit skewed to a 21-degree angle to align with the backslash symbol) and does much of the heavy lifting across the brand. The designers say they chose this typeface because of its “geometric and technical characteristics”, but also because it ensures legibility even when significantly tilted.

The organisation’s strong interest in the intersection of art and technology was important to Cotton when developing the identity, and as such this plays out across various elements within the work. Most notably, a custom display typeface made of backslashes and titled \Type allows for interactivity from visitors, who can change its weight and composition by hovering over the text on the Backslash website.

There is also a typeface generator where further changes to the weight, colour and alignment can be made. While the display typeface might not always be the most legible, an increased weight (made of added slashes) helps improve this to some extent.

There is also an ‘infinite pattern generator’ that produces “weaving-inspired” patterns composed solely of backslashes. These are generated using code in a way that merges “technical precision with artistic flair” – once again nodding to Backslash’s intersecting areas of interest.

The adaptable new branding by Cotton can be found across the organisation’s merchandise, exhibition posters, social media content and custom generative composition books, though it is on the website where the work truly shines. The typefaces and various playful elements such as a diagonal scroll feature and some hidden easter eggs pay tribute to the groundbreaking artists featured on its pages, as well as the appetite for innovation that drives Backslash itself.

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