Studio Loutsis builds a 12-part grid from an exhibition’s roster

The Brand Identity: Twelve designers, twelve grid sections. For OUTSIDE/IN, an exhibition presented by Hello Human and Lyle Gallery during NYCxDesign 2025, Brooklyn-based Studio Loutsis built an identity from a single structural premise: a grid whose dimensions are drawn directly from the curatorial roster. Each of the 12 divisions maps to one of the exhibiting designers, turning a layout device into a conceptual statement about how creative practitioners occupy, test and reconfigure the systems around them. The exhibition itself grew from a shared instinct between its two presenting partners.

Hello Human, a global PR company, and New York’s Lyle Gallery found themselves circling the same questions about access, belonging and who gets to define what counts as design. “Lin and I kept circling the same question – ‘what does it actually mean to belong in design, and who gets to decide?’ – and it felt natural to turn that into a real, physical platform for designers who are building powerful practices from the periphery,” Jenny Nguyen of Hello Human explains. Rather than hand-picking from existing networks, the curators issued an open call, receiving over 200 submissions.

The final selection was guided by the clarity and depth of story behind each body of work. The roster grew to 13 during the process, one beyond the 12 the grid had been designed around, though at opening the exhibition featured 12 designers. That the grid didn’t need rebuilding to accommodate the change speaks to how it functions – as a flexible structural framework rather than a literal headcount. Studio Loutsis began the engagement by reviewing the curatorial framework and identifying core themes through early creative sessions with both partners: belonging, visibility and the agency that comes with an outsider perspective.

These conversations pointed toward a system that could hold a plurality of voices without hierarchy. The 12-part grid emerged as that system, but not as a rigid template. “Rather than being fixed, the grid adapts to the proportions of each piece, responding to the dimensions of different print and digital formats,” Taylor Loutsis of Studio Loutsis explains.

“In that sense, the grid works less as a strict template and more as a responsive framework that holds the identity together.” Across applications, the grid’s 12 divisions flex to suit the format at hand – expanding on large-scale print, compressing on a social media post – while the underlying structure remains legible throughout. What gives the system its character is the way imagery and typography deliberately cross the grid’s borders. Some elements sit neatly within their allotted sections; others bleed beyond them, refusing to stay contained.

The decision about which elements should compress and which should escape was largely intuitive. “Conceptually, the images moving in and out of the grid reflect the exhibited designers pushing beyond traditional structures in society, whether related to class, race or other systems of power,” Loutsis shares. “The gesture becomes a subtle visual metaphor for crossing boundaries.” Typographically, the identity is set in Dédale, a typeface by Thomas Bouville. The choice was deliberate and loaded with meaning.

Article truncated for readability. Read the full piece →

The article discusses an innovative grid system in design that promotes inclusivity and adaptability, which is significant for brand strategy professionals looking to enhance brand identity.