Graphic Design: Pentagram completely redesign London auction house Sotheby's

If you’re the world’s oldest and most respected auction house, who do you go to when you’re looking for a comprehensive rebrand? Probably to one of the world’s most respected design consultancies. In the case of Sotheby’s that’s exactly what they did, enlisting Pentagram to revamp everything about their visual presence, from their logo mark to the design of their in-house magazine.

The first and most surprising thing you notice about Pentagram’s update is the refinement of the Sotheby’s wordmark. It’s a dramatic shift from Gill Sans to a custom version of Mercury, offering an infinitely more classic appearance. Once they’d nailed this it seems that everything else just fell into place, from the initial redesign of the website to the wholesale re-evaluation of every single element of the brand’s visual output. With Pentagram in tow you can be sure you’re in good hands, but this feels like exceptionally considered work even for them.