Design studio OMSE on the future of type and AR graphics

London design studio OMSE was awarded Best in Book in our Annual this year for Agenda 2020 – an interactive exhibition exploring the graphic potential of AR. As part of our 2019 Annual coverage, we talk to co-founder James Kape about the show

It’s rare to see a self-initiated project take top prize in the Creative Review Annual, but our digital judges were unanimous in their praise for Agenda 2020 – an interactive exhibition created to promote London foundry OMSETYPE’s latest typeface, Gattica.

OMSETYPE is an offshoot of East London design consultancy OMSE, which was founded by Australian creatives James Kape and Briton Smith in 2016. The pair met at a music events company in Sydney, and went on to work for larger agencies before moving to London and founding their own practice. (Smith was a Senior Designer at Interbrand in Sydney, and worked on branding projects with London consultancy Ragged Edge, while Kape spent four years at Wolff Olins after a stint at New York studio NR2154.)

“We had the ambition to start a studio years ago in Sydney, but we wanted to gain more experience in different areas. When we both ended up in London a few years later, we decided to make the leap and start OMSE,” Kape tells CR. OMSE has since worked on projects for Itsu and artisan chocolate maker Hill St and has recently been working on branding for the Church of St John in Hackney.