Marblex by Koto
This week, Koto's goblin-centric new branding for blockchain game Marblex, and Lithuanian padel club Mostai gets not one but two wordmarks thanks to a new identity from andstudio.
Gaming Goes Goblin-mode
Opinion by Emily Gosling
Remember the heady days of 2022, as we emerged blinking into the light in a cautious post-pandemic haze – confused, slightly heavier, wondering whether we should cancel Disney+ now that going out was sort-of-possible? It was then that The Oxford Languages Word of the Year (well, two words if we’re being pedantic, which is surely an approach the famous dictionary-pedlars would welcome) was “goblin mode”. And that made sense.
Defined as a “type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”, it’s all quite appealing in some ways. Indeed, in recent years there’s arguably been a quiet, but palpable and persistent movement of goblins out of the realms of pure nerdery and towards a more generalised appreciation; gently shifting into the role of innumerable poster-creatures for a faintly nihilistic zeitgeist that’s both timeless and weirdly contemporary zeitgeist.
Take ‘goblincore’ – an aesthetic not too unlike other ‘cores’ like ‘cottagecore’, or the adorably but ridiculously named ‘gorpcore’ (“good ol’ raisins ‘n’ peanuts” – but of course) – characterised by, as far as I can tell, a sartorial and attitudinal alignment with stuff like moss, mud, voles and general woodland ephemera.
Things have actually been goblins galore once you start to pay attention to them, it turns out. But why is that relevant here? Because it’s high time the world of brand design paid goblins their dues, as has been done with absolute aplomb here in this fantastically, perfectly garish work for Marblex by Koto (Uniqode, Fluz, De-Extinction)…
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Mostai by andstudio
Opinion by Emily Gosling
Ten or so years ago I’d wager that most of us hadn’t even heard of padel, but the tennis-adjacent pursuit has boomed in recent years: there’s reportedly a whopping 30 million padel players worldwide, as of stats from late 2024.
Exactly why padel’s seen such a worldwide boom in the past five or so years, I’m not sure. But as yet, it seems there’s been little effort to liven padel up aesthetically, or on a brand level – until Mostai, that is.
Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, Mostai is a new padel club that aims to provide not just a space for sport, but a community-centric hub. As such, as well as offering padel courts it boasts a kids’ academy, physiotherapy sessions, film evenings, and “degustation dinners”, whatever those are. It also looks superb, thanks to a gorgeous brand identity courtesy of andstudio (Wisl, Uoga Uoga Kids), which is also based in Vilnius
According to andstudio, “Rather than operating as an insular arena for competition”, Mostai “positions itself as an open club – a space for sport, conversation, rest, and shared experiences…” The name, taken from a casual Lithuanian expression for a racket swing, reinforces effortlessness and ease, signalling that the club is as much about social connection as sport…
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