{Cloister Watch Co. approaches watch design from a very particular place: history, art, and craft. We felt the site in its current state didn’t express that as well as it could. The goal was to refresh the online presence without sacrificing brand equity.
First, make it feel timeless. Then, create space to appreciate the art and genius behind 100% custom execution — something you simply cannot buy off the shelf. The wordmark is designed to feel as though Cloister has been making watches for generations, without tipping into anything self-consciously old-fashioned.
The site is treated as a gallery — a space to see what Cloister is up to rather than everything at once. Each click offers a reveal: pages open in black and white, then reward the viewer with extraordinary detail on hover. A blog component connects prospective clients and enthusiasts to the brand through shared interests — cars, clothing, and other disciplines of fine craft.
The result is less a site to browse watches and more a home for watchmaking and the culture surrounding it. This project was a tight collaboration between Emmett Sutherland and talented designer Noah Johnson.}
{The original logo leaned too close to brands in the space and didn’t reflect the originality and authenticity Cloister truly represents. The directive was simple: keep it stupid simple. Name and function — easy for any consumer to understand. As brand recognition grows, the descriptor falls away and the word-mark stands alone.
Looking back at the history of watch advertising, we drew inspiration from simplicity and sophisticated line work. The result is the word-mark you see below.}
{The logo-mark itself already existed. Noah Johnson refined it by rebalancing the weight of the graphic to complement the word-mark. Brand guidelines follow below.}
