W–E studio and Decimal’s digital design system for Aaino mimics the tactility of print

Is it possible to bring the sensitivity and tactility of print into the online sphere? Can digital mediums mirror the pace, rhythm and story of something physical? And what experiences of editorial content can be enhanced? These are all questions W—E Studio explored in the development of its identity for online magazine Aaino – a niche online platform that calls itself “a digital home for beautiful objects, remarkable people, and notable places,” curated by Kristin Müller, to inspire and connect creatives.

Initiated by Kristin after more than a decade of working in the editorial departments of a major publishing house, the founder and editor found that there was “a large gap in the quality of the work published in print versus online”, leading her to the ambition to build something that “brings the thoughtfulness of the printed page into the digital space”.

The idea behind Aaino was to create a platform that “celebrates the written word as well as the spoken one, the moving image as much as the still”. A deeply personal endeavour, the digital magazine was planned to be an ever-moving brand that grows alongside its community of interest – those within or adjacent to the design and art world. Who better to take on such a brief than print experts Claudine Eriksson and Piera Wolf of W–E Studio.

As fellow print lovers, the pair were excited by the challenge and worked with Kristin to “articulate, shape and expand the vision of what Aaino could be”, shares Claudine. Intent on forging something that was flexible, the team have developed a pared-back digital design system that makes Aaino’s site feel akin to a gallery identity: “It is confident, elegant and consistent yet flexible and allows anything showcased within it to shine alongside the brand. It can be quiet when needed and bold when the time is right,” says Piera.

Although stylishly simple, the platform inventively utilises all possibilities provided by a screen, with motion, sound and animation coming together to create a tactile, multi-sensory journey through its contents. For a digital platform that aims to publish articles and editorials online with “the same love, passion, and effort put into print”, a huge point of influence for the structure of the site was Claudine and Piera’s experiences of that of a printed publication. “The tension and rhythm when setting the narrative of a print object have been our inspiration, while embracing the opportunities that technology brings to enhance the experience similar to flipping the pages of an editorial piece but on screen,” explains Claudine.

To bring its vision to life, W—E collaborated with web design experts Guillermo Brotons and Cherif Zouein of Decimal Studios who crafted an “evolving and scalable” editorial platform with responsive features and spread-like layouts that built on the brand’s expression. “Working closely with W—E, we used motion as a brand expression on specific moments of the digital experience: when the website is loading, when the visitor is scrolling down the page, reading an article, etc. It was really about creating small moments of delight without being distracting,” shares Decimal.

Where website users might be categorised with small attention spans in an online world increasingly dominated by speed and unfiltered quantity, W—E Studio gave them the benefit of the doubt, explains Piera. Thoughtful decisions to populate the website and hide within it, such as its diverse use of Dinamo’s Arizona typeface. The letterset makes up not only the logotype but also many of the graphic elements and image framing devices on the site through the use of its glyphs such as the moving punctuation above the shorthand ‘A’, indicating an article’s reading length.

In an age where anything we consume on social media feels like a constant roulette, this slow editorial approach brings the joy and wonder of print back to our digital experiences. “Aaino is proposing something different, a more curated journey, a deep breath of fresh air, a healthy elevated meal exception from our daily fast food routine,” ends Decimal.