Fifty shades of typeface, a London dominatrix gets her own brand identity

Since the turn of the millennium, media exposure around BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Sadism and Masochism) has seen a significant uptick. Emerging from secret societies of kink-friendly environments, Hollywood began to produce films such as Secretary and the smash hit Fifty Shades Of Grey, elevating the smutty novel into a billion dollar franchise. Whereas social media sites like Tumblr opened up dialogues around sexual exploration. Nowadays, we see A24’s Babygirl and the rise of former sex worker Julia Fox carrying the torch of the mainstream conversation around what domination and submission can mean. Now the branding agency WMH&I is digging into the graphic potential of bondage – with a multi-sensory identity for the London-based dominatrix Jane Grey.

Applying the same strategic rigour they do with other brands, be it a high-end whiskey or a family-owned frozen seafood processor, the WMH&I immersed themselves in BDSM’s erotic world and underrepresented customer base through testimonials, competitor analysis, and, in this case, peer-reviewed psychosexual research. Speaking to WMH&I’s Daisy Benn, managing director and Mark Nichols, creative director about a category that had long relied on cliché, they told It’s Nice That about bringing emotional connection and intelligence into an overtly physical world. “We don’t rely on the category clichés, the tired tropes of red leather, latex and metal chains,” says Mark. “We moved beyond the physical nature of BDSM aesthetics to capture something far more powerful, and far more true to Jane Grey and the psychological control exerted by Jane onto her willing subs.”

The brand’s distinctive asset is “binds”, strips of their bespoke typeface distorted to appear like ropes or leather, adding a subtly erotic edge to the campaign without nudity. The ability to suggest and entice is key in WMH&I’s arsenal of text based playfulness. “The ‘binds’ are a visual representation of Jane Grey’s psychological control,” says Mark. “Always taut, the binds emanate directly from Jane when present in the scene or act as her omnipresent control when she’s just off camera.” Aiming to disarm an audience of willing “subs”, this text-based experimentation dabbles in the dark arts of mind tricks and manipulation.

WMH&I investigated the interests of sexually submissive men when figuring out the brand identity for Jane Grey. Thanks to extensive psychological research into the minds of submissive males and the practitioners of BDSM, WMH&I could confidently traverse their desires, wishes and lust in order to create a brand identity that spoke to them rather than merely advertising sadomasochism. “Finding the tension in their attitudes led us to our audience’s insight; the Jane Grey sub seeks submission not as humiliation, but as self actualisation,” says Daisy. “They are worthy and confident enough to explore their truest desires, they just need a little nudge from someone like Jane.” The typeface itself carries an air of confidence with sharp edges and sleek line work, but more importantly – the typography intimately interacts with their campaign’s professionally photographed scenes of shibari, wax play and branding (literally, through the use of tattoos).

“In terms of advantage, all of our work is audience centric, if we were just creating beautiful designs we would be a team of artists not creatives,” says Daisy. Through the art of brand identities, WMH&I offer audiences not just a place of belonging, but introspection and character-building – using “taboo” subjects and shattering preconceived notions. After all, in today’s landscape of erotic media making a comeback, there may be no better time to flirt with the possibilities of raunchy typeface.