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Why Foam photography institute’s new brand identity is motion-focused

Foam identity by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amsterdam – The 25-year-old photography institute Foam has unveiled a new visual identity by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, marking the first time it has used a brand system rooted in motion. The redesign aims to reflect Foam’s evolution from a museum into a global platform spanning print, digital and talent development.

Foam’s previous identity, created by Vandejong, ‘has remained strong, but Foam’s positioning has evolved alongside social changes and the shifting photography landscape’, says Irene Bakker, Foam’s head of marketing and communications. Wieden+Kennedy’s task, explains design director Alex Thursby-Pelham, ‘was to join the dots between all platforms… so Foam could be more visible without detracting from the photography’.

Motion became central to the redesign, but not as ornamentation. Lead motion designer Sohyeon Nam says the team focused on ‘creating a digital voice to pause and truly see’ building a language defined by ‘resistance, friction, tension, angular shifts and pause’. Sound design reinforces this sensibility with subtle rhythmic shifts that echo ‘layered, diverse perspectives’, adds sound creative Miray van der Bend.

The refreshed system retains Foam’s Monument logotype, introduces new type pairings and applies restrained but precise layout changes, including a subtle cut in the ‘a’, a detail Thursby-Pelham calls ‘a lexible alignment tool’ that anchors the identity across print, digital and spatial contexts.

The refreshed system retains Foam’s Monument logotype, introduces new type pairings and applies restrained but precise layout changes. This includes a subtle cut in the ‘a’ which Thursby-Pelham calls ‘a lexible alignment tool’ that anchors the identity across print, digital and spatial contexts.

To understand the wider cultural context behind this new visual identity, read our macrotrend report The Synthocene Era: Merging Human and Machine Intelligence, which examines how hybrid human–machine design systems are reshaping visual identities.

Strategic opportunity

Develop visual and verbal systems that blend human craft with algorithmic or motion-driven behaviour. This positions brands for fluid, multisensory digital environments

How Letterboxd’s Video Store counters subscription fatigue

Global – Letterboxd has unveiled the Letterboxd Video Store, an in-app rental feature launching in early December that pushes the platform beyond film logging and into film delivery.

Positioned as a curator-driven counterpoint to subscription-heavy giants such as Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video, the store lets users rent titles individually, with pricing and availability varying by region. Its pivot highlights how curated, pay-per-experience models are becoming a powerful counter to subscription fatigue. As the company notes, there’s ‘no lock-in, no paywall’ – just pay-per-title flexibility.

The catalogue will spotlight harder-to-access films, including festival selections awaiting distribution, long-watchlisted favourites, restorations, and short-run exclusives which will be available for limited windows. The roll-out further strengthens Letterboxd’s role as a social hub for cinephiles.

This strategic shift mirrors analysis in our Streaming’s Next Frontier report, which identifies the rise of niche, curator-led ecosystems as streaming splinters into more personalised, passion-driven modes of discovery.

Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels

Strategic opportunity

Position your brand as a cultural filter that simplifies choice and elevates discovery. As consumers tire of recurring fees, explore flexible, non-subscription access to high-value content or services

Stat: UK retail workers experience uptick in abusive behaviour from the public

Zara, UK

UK –The Retail Trust has unveiled billboards at key London sites as part of its Let’s Respect Retail campaign. Featuring shop workers, industry leaders and members of the public who are beaming ‘smiles of respect’, the out-of-home adverts can be seen at destinations including Heathrow Airport, Piccadilly Lights (Europe’s largest advertising screen) and Flannels’ Oxford Street store.

The initiative addresses a crisis of hostility facing the retail workforce. New research from the charity reveals that 77% of workers experienced intimidating behaviour in the past year, while nearly a quarter (23%) were physically assaulted. Abuse is becoming a weekly reality for many, with 43% reporting harassment every week – a 10% rise since last year.

To counter this, shoppers are being encouraged to bring back basic manners while shopping and submit their own smiles to appear on Piccadilly Lights on 17 December 2025.

As retail becomes increasingly automated, human-centric customer service is emerging as a core differentiator. As explored in our Retail Staff Futures report, businesses that invest in worker support, training and safety are best placed to retain talent and enhance the customer experience.

Strategic opportunity

Build empathy for retail staff by designing campaigns and experiences that highlight their daily challenges, celebrate their work and encourage simple acts of respect to strengthen customer-staff connection and loyalty