Why design studio OnePlus treats branding like cultural excavation, not invention

Italian branding and design studio Oneplus was built off the back of several years of design work spread out across studios in Europe – experiences that all fed into the start of the joint practice of Pietro Avolio, Matteo Bonato, Aaron Capobianco, Giovanni De Felice, Francesco D’Agrippino, Elio De Michele back in 2023. Fresh on the design scene and steadily growing its list of projects and collaborators, for the past three years Oneplus has predominantly worked across publishing and visual identity systems, but research is what really sits at the centre of the studios practice.

“We see each project as a process of excavation rather than invention, aiming to reach the cultural and visual core of a subject, where references, behaviours and codes begin to overlap,” shares Pietro. From cultural and historical digs to studies of the contemporary visual landscape, the team dives head first into all collaborations. Whether its a design system for a tapas spot that wants to bring the warmth and comfort of Filipino food to the Milanese, or a sensitive identity for a book that seeks to explore grief memory and loss, the studio are firm believers that “in-depth insights” into the subject at hand develops “distinctive aesthetics” that don’t look like anything trend led, shares Aaron. The studio’s portfolio is reflective of this approach. While choices of typography, colour palettes or formats might have a vintage flair, it’s clear that references have been reconfigured into design systems that feel more sleek, adaptable and modern.

But it’s not all work and no play at Oneplus studio. The designers regularly travel together, collaborate on creative side projects and have even taken up a few team sports. “Among these, we run Oneplus Ensemble,” says Matteo, “a music project where we perform live, exploring sounds between R&B, jazz and hip-hop. These experiences always feed back into our practice, keeping it open and in motion.”