
Eternal Research
Eternal Research’s new identity redefines how we see and hear sound.
Rooted in the intricacy of Victorian ornamentation yet powered by advanced generative code, it balances precision with experimentation—an homage to old-world elegance paired with a love for innovation. The system reflects the company’s belief that music-making is both a meticulous and exploratory act: deliberate and slow, yet expressive and experimental. Centered on an historically accurate, infinitely generative Victorian pattern that responds to the nuances and dynamics of sound in real time, the identity translates the complexity of sound into visual form. Through careful research, technical invention, and a devotion to craft, the identity positions Eternal Research as one of music technology’s most conceptually ambitious brands.


The Eternal Research logo is a custom-drawn wordmark based on Trust, an engraved sans-serif by MCKL Type. Heavily customized and unique, its precision-cut forms and subtle irregularities evoke the tactile permanence of engraving, providing a refined counterpoint to the brand’s more experimental visuals.


Logo System Proof-of-Concept


Pattern from stacked logo. Used in stationery and custom tablecloths for booths at expos.

Typography
To develop the broader typographic system, Cotton studied numerous typographic references from the Victorian era—a period defined by an openness to experimentation and an embrace of stylistic variety. Drawing from this, the brand uses not one, but eleven header typefaces—a deliberate decision that mirrors the diversity of typography from the time.




Diagrams



The Demon Box Interface
For the instrument’s knob interface, founder Alexandra Fierra asked Cotton to study the interfaces of space shuttle control panels for inspiration. She wanted the brand to feel universally accessible; taking cues from systems designed to be unmistakably clear in the most urgent situations was the solution. To make it effortless for users to switch modes and recall settings, Cotton also carefully considered the player’s posture, reach, and interaction with the instrument in use.




The Victorian Pattern Motif
Ornamental motifs from the Victorian era mark a distinct moment in design history: attention to detail was celebrated, creation was deliberate and often slow, and intricacy conferred value. As a result, and perhaps most strikingly, every creation was truly unique.
For founder Alexandra Fierra, “process” at Eternal Research—both the act of building an instrument for the community and the act of making music through it—embodies that same spirit of care, detail, slowness, invention, and individuality.
Cotton studied hundreds of archival Victorian patterns, analyzing the systems that bound them as a family and the nuances that made each one singular. The result is an infinite array of historically accurate patterns—all ornamental, all intricate, all echoing the era’s devotion to craft—and, most importantly, all unique, like the musicians and makers who form the Eternal Research community.
Audioreactivity
A company whose output is primarily sound, Eternal Research is, at its core, an auditory experience. Their instruments produce sounds of immense depth and complexity—tonalities that founder Alexandra Fierra believes carry far more richness, emotion, and information than we often recognize. Preserving the integrity of that complexity became central to the audioreactive component: every nuance, vibration, and imperfection matters.
Visually, the pattern needed to express that same intricacy. On one hand, the visuals had to feel like an objective reflection of the sound itself; on the other, they needed to be different every time—capturing how no two experiences of listening are ever the same.
Cotton created a truly audio-reactive visualizer for the Demon Box instrument—one that authentically responds to the nuances of sound. Rough tones are rendered as sharp and textural; airy sounds become smooth and diffuse; and everything in between. To achieve this, Cotton studied timbre and the anatomy of sound—going beyond amplitude to analyze high mids, low mids, frequency ranges, and relative extremes—and translated those qualities into distinct visual features within the generator.

The pattern can take any shape at all. Here, we see the pattern in the form of the iconic Eternal Research triangle.


Public-Facing Tool
Explore the features here.
Example Tool Exports




Patterns can be made in any number of sizes and aspect ratios.

Behind the scenes: an early iteration of the back-end of the generative pattern.


Original generative packaging concept
Digital Worlds
Original launch website.
Print Collateral (Produced)



Packaging Details









The Demon Box Manual

Closeup of Demon Box Manual title page

Project Team
- Talia CottonCreative Director, Technology Director
- Noah SchwadronLead Designer & Coder
- Sewon BaeProject Manager
- Alexandra Fierra, Brynn Nieboer, Jordan Bortner, Amelia HazenEternal Research Team
- Madonna MurphyHand Lettering for Monogram & Notecards
- Adam McHeffey via Rock Paper ScissorseCommerce Strategy Consultant
