Ellis Works
Alex Bellos approached High Tide with a clear ambition: to build a design-led hardware company grounded in functionality, beauty, and longevity. The journey began with the name Ellis Works, a thoughtful blend of heritage and craftsmanship. Drawing from Bellos' great-grandfather, Elias, and the hands-on spirit of their Brooklyn studio, the name bridges past and present while signaling a commitment to thoughtful creation.
With a strong name in place, we went on to shape Ellis Works’ messaging and visual identity, developing a cohesive story and system that reflects the brand’s core ethos: make things well, make them beautiful, and make them last. The visual language is intentionally simple and grounded, brought to life through a considered palette that echoes the warm, organic materials found across the collection. Designers are celebrated at every touchpoint, reinforcing the human element behind each piece. Inspired by a long tradition of craft, the identity favors tactility over polish—mirroring the same sense of purpose found in the objects themselves.
In the spirit of creative constraint, the brand is anchored in a single typeface: E.W. Manifold, a customized version of Manifold by HEX. Referencing IBM Selectric typewriter samples, the typography introduces a mechanical clarity with subtle human character. Rounded interior corners and sharp exterior edges echo the look of routed materials, while chamfered angles suggest hand-tooled precision.
Makers’ marks carry a centuries-old lineage, originally used to hold craftsmen accountable for the integrity of their work. Drawing from this tradition, we developed a series of micro-marks inspired by historic silver hallmarks from the Medieval era. The system includes a range of EW monograms, a bellows symbol nodding to the founder’s name, and a seagull motif referencing “Gull Island”—an early name for Ellis Island, once known for its large population of seagulls.
Photography: Graydon Herriott