The Stone Twins

The Stone Twins is a creative branding agency based in Amsterdam. It was founded by twin brothers Declan and Garech Stone (born 8 November 1970, Dublin), graduates of the National College of Art and Design, Dublin.^[1][2][3][4]

The Stone Twins – Declan (left) and Garech Stone – photographed by Krijn van Noordwijk. A homage to the David Bailey portrait of the Kray twins, 1965.

The Stone Twins specialises in areas such as brand strategy, naming and brand identity (both visual and verbal).^[5][6] The firm is best known for the branding of MassiveMusic and A'DAM Toren,^[7][8][9] as well as the design of several Irish commemorative postage stamps.^{[10][11][12][13]} The Stone Twins' award-winning work includes a coveted Dutch Design Award,^[14] several European Design Awards^[15] and 13 D&AD Pencils.^[16][17] Their work forms part of the permanent collections of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam,^[18] and has been described as concept-led, witty, thought-provoking and pioneering.^{[1][19][20][21]}

The Stone Twins regularly write for trade magazines, including Communicatie (Wolters Kluwer) and Eye magazine: the International Review of Graphic Design.^[22] They are the authors of the critically acclaimed book Logo R.I.P. (A Commemoration of Dead Logos);^{[23][24][25][26]} the updated 2nd edition was launched in the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York in 2012.^[27][28] They are keen educators, and were Head of the ‘Man and Communication' department at Design Academy Eindhoven from 2008 until their resignation in 2013.^[29]

A’DAM Toren: Name + Brand Identity by The Stone Twins, 2016.

Books

The Stone Twins have written the following books:

• Logo R.I.P., (A Commemoration of Dead Logos), BIS Publishers, 2012. (ISBN 9789063692902)^[30][31]
• A Catalogue of Curiosities, Relics, Art & Propaganda (CRAP), 2010.^[32][33]
• Hello, I'm A'DAM (The Creation of a New Amsterdam Icon), A'DAM Toren C.V., 2021.^[34] (ISBN 9789082075885)

  

  Logo R.I.P. by The Stone Twins, 2012.

Magazine Articles

Selected articles written by The Stone Twins:

• Chameleons (Single-character logos provide rich, raw material for identity design) – Eye, No. 67, Vol. 17, Spring 2008.^[35]
• Logos without words – Eye, No. 80, Vol. 20, Summer 2011.^[36]
• Something Is Rotten in the State of Design – Design Week, August 2015.^[37] Republished in: Open Manifesto #8: Change, 2018.^[38]
• Design & Humour – 100 Archive: Dialogues, 8th April 2020.^[39]

Exhibitions

TA-2 poster series at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 2014

Selected exhibitions:

• 2015 Liminal – Irish design at the threshold, Eindhoven, Milan, New York and Dublin (group show)^[40][41]
• 2012 New Graphic Design Collection, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (group show)^[42]
• 2012 Graphic Design: Now in Production, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York (group show)^[43][44]
• 2011 Underground by The Stone Twins, Zeeuws Museum, Middelburg (art installation)^[45]
• 2008 1600 X Zierikzee by The Stone Twins, Zeeuws Museum, Middelburg (art installation)^[46][47]

Controversies and criticism

In 2020, the agency began a self-initiated project questioning the fearmongering surrounding COVID-19 and the proportionality of the measures/restrictions.^[48][49]