ESH’s enigmatic rebrand for an orchestra invites you to a secret society of music

Speaking to Alina Kotlyachkova, programme manager of ESH, a Moscow-based design agency concocted in university, I felt like I was falling down a rabbit hole. First with the lore of ESH (the acronym is created from the initials of their teachers), then into typography and design, then into orchestral music, which branches out almost infinitely. ESH’s newest design project is a rebrand of the highest degree for Utopia, an independent international orchestra led by the renowned conductor Teodor Currentzis, who has brought together a dream team of elite musicians from around the world in pursuit of the most uncompromising sound. Naturally, ESH felt the need to deliver something majestic.

Utopia’s new website is designed as an immersive gateway into their layered world, expertly mimicking the journey of music, especially the multifaceted construction of orchestral ensembles. Like music, the website feels alive thanks to ESH, with an unconventional user interface that encourages exploration and interactivity; the website guides the visitor towards initiating themselves with the vastness of Utopia’s musical goals. If you feel like you’re part of a secret society, then that’s the point. “We deliberately designed the website as a space with its own internal logic – one that doesn’t follow everyday user patterns but instead reflects the character of the brand itself,” says Alina. Just like Teodor Currentzis’ enigmatic performances, the website mirrors his musical rhythms with progress bars, animated elements, and cinematic musician profiles.

Deepening this feeling of being part of an exclusive club, ESH designed a mysterious, “alchemic” typeface rooted in esoteric symbology. “When we design a custom typeface, we imagine that the project speaks its own language, and the type is how that language looks when written,” says Alina. “It's not just a design element, it's a visual voice.” ESH tends to begin on paper when designing a new typeface – in order to stay close to its emotion and nuance before digitising it. The team was able to create something with graceful curves, sci-fi inspired abstraction and a strong sense of professionalism. ESH excel in its empathy for design and music, as Alina tells me: “The typography evokes something academic and mysterious. It’s like stepping into a closed world where you need first to catch the tempo in order to become part of it.”

With “shared musical ideology" in mind, ESH deliberately placed its expressive typeface within a strict, modernist grid system on the website, capturing the feeling of emotional instruments inside of disciplined scores and song structures. Wary of “competing” with Utopia’s visuals by being overly decorative, ESH practiced restraint in its classy monochromatic look – a stripped-down dustiness that reveals the mysticism of musical connection. The immersiveness of the rebrand has already boosted digital presence and engagement, whilst resonating with Utopia’s audience. With the aim of redefining how we perceive time, Utopia’s rebrand makes us think of the timelessness of music with a typeface that is somehow medieval and futuristic in the same stroke. “It creates a kind of slowing down, even resistance, inviting the user to adjust and tune in to the rhythm of the project,” says Alina, ushering in the possibility of embracing slow culture within design – dedicated time for contemplation, fascination and feeling with no rush to be anywhere else. Besides, music isn’t going away any time soon, why should anything else?