Serpentine North

Brand Identity · 2026

Independent concept

Flat red stencil capitals reading NORTH IS OPEN GROUND on solid black — The claim, cut as a stencil and set at full width

The challenge

Explore how a gallery identity could adapt to changing exhibitions through signage and graphics that feel temporary and easy to reapply.

The solution

Stencil lettering and signal red connect banners, posters and wayfinding, drawing on the visual language of a building site.

Georgian park building with scaffolding carrying a giant red stencilled NORTH — The building read at forty miles an hour from the park road

Red vinyl banner on concrete reading NOT FINISHED — A site banner that states the position and stops there

Flat off-white specimen with a giant black stencil N and SERPENTINE NORTH set small and upright above a short red rule — The N given the whole page, the wordmark given a footnote

SERPENTINE NORTH stencilled in red paint on a raw concrete wall — The mark applied as site paint, direct to the fabric of the building

An off-white tote bag stencilled NORTH stands upright on the concrete floor just inside the gallery's glass entrance doors — The identity carried out of the building, set down at the threshold

Off-white lamp-post banner reading OPEN GROUND above a red footer bar — Park-road wayfinding at the scale of a road sign

Black street hoarding pasted with red, off-white and photographic posters showing a folded jacket and a single shoe on a plinth — Four posters on a hoarding, the collection changing behind them

Macro of black stencil type OPEN GROUND printed on cotton — The print at thread level, where the stencil bridges do the work

Flash-lit photograph of a red cap standing on a plinth, embroidered with a small NORTH, with a second cap blurred on a plinth behind it — Merch in the room, branding the size of a fingernail

Project Information

This self-initiated concept treats Serpentine North as a place where work is always in progress. “North is open ground” and “Not finished” establish that direction.

Stencil bridges give the lettering a consistent structure across large banners, wall graphics and small printed items.

The applications include exterior signage, exhibition posters, a tote and a cap. Red marks directions and key messages against black or off-white surfaces.

CAIO BARRETO

Creative Direction:
Caio Barreto

Design:
Arthur Rosa, João Alves

Motion & Interactive:
Renan Rosa

Strategy & Project Management:
Priscila Oliveira

Fonts:
Stanley Stencil, Untitled Sans — Custom / Klim Type Foundry

Year:
2026

Brand Identity · Concept

Self-initiated concept work. Serpentine North is not a client of CAIO BARRETO. Imagery generated, not photographed.