Symbolizing Architecture
To look at a symbol and know what the firm represents is a feat in itself for the company that has its identity at stake. Architects use all sorts of symbology – from typography to illustrating icons that help make a statement matching their design philosophy. This article looks at ten firms, elaborating on the possible meanings behind each logo design.
1. Zaha Hadid | Starchitecture
The font used here needs no explanation. One of the most famous architects in history, Zaha Hadid built quite the portfolio before her unfortunate demise. From the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku to the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, her signature flourish speaks for itself. The logo incorporates her futurism, with the curvy splits contrasting against sharp corner angles to give the name a very special identity.
2. Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke Ingels is known for his very adventurous imagination – not only does he never shy away from the most bizarre design, but he also finds ways to bring out everyone’s inner child, to make architecture more playful. The logo used for his firm is not just a language play, although the graphic designer is to be applauded there, too! It is a conscious reflection of Bjarke’s aesthetic, hinting at his most famous buildings such as the Lego House. His logo takes the viewer into a very BIG future.
3. COX Architects | Starchitecture
COX spent time rebranding their firm to create a logo that better matched their design philosophy. Calling it “By the many, for the many”, they attempted to give a more cohesive outlook by making everyone feel like they had something to contribute to the overall scheme of the company. The three simple letters, spaced evenly apart, are not just an aesthetic. They are symbolic of the environment of the workspace. The ‘X’ turns into a statement in itself, with the lines merging to form a character when they otherwise would be undefined.
4. Nest Home Plans
A logo stemming – pun intended – from a wider concept, Nest Home Plans gives viewers a warm welcome to their website with the assurance that their home is as guaranteed as a mother bird picking out a nest for its children! Cleverly putting together the letters, the designer here makes sure they give the bird, the symbol of nature, the power to build the logo. People tend to gravitate towards the familiar, and who doesn’t appreciate a birdsong?
5. Henn | Starchitecture
An old, established firm from Germany, HENN shows here stability and control. Containing the letters within a box, one imagines the company to be very organized and disciplined. Their massive portfolio contains quite a bit of commercial architecture, and it shows they know how to keep things under control. The spaces in between also visually create a plus sign, as if to say they could add value to your design!
6. Aga Khan Trust for Culture
The logo for Aga Khan Trust for Culture makes a very literal impression of the kind of work they undertake. Although not a typical architecture firm, their work on the conservation and restoration of thousands of buildings around the globe counts as an architectural feat. Concentrating their efforts on Islamic heritage, and belonging originally to an Islamic tradition, they have curated their logo so it looks like a pattern out of a mosque.
7. DWP
On their website, DWP proudly owns a very ‘global’ sense of architecture and design. To cater to their motto, they decided to go with a very simple way of putting things. Drawing a circle and writing the company name inside it – an elegant idea that is also easy to remember. They did really pull off a 360-degree turn!
8. Snohetta | Starchitecture
A firm that prides itself on the contextuality and environmental relevance of its design, it is no wonder that it chose a logo that symbolizes the area they started from. Although the name itself is the highest mountain in Norway, the owners of the firm say they chose to call it so out of a joke. Their progress in the architecture world has been somewhat like that of climbing the summit, so good for them!
9. Aidea
AIDEA is another fun wordplay – the name rhymes with ‘idea’ and has a very academic backstory to it. The word stems from the Latin phrase ‘a idea ad esse’ which means ‘from ideas to reality. The very robotic font used symbolizes the digitally active team of the firm, as the architects employ the use of VR and the likes to achieve high-quality architectural displays to showcase their integrated methods of design.
10. Creo | Starchitecture
Creo – a word that has very creative roots, this firm takes its logo very seriously. Passionately committed to innovative design and delivering only the most unique solutions, Creo took the infamous 3D pyramid and morphed it into a capital C. Not only does it show their ingenuity, but also pays tribute to a long history of illusory art and its importance in the physical arts.
References
Kramer, L., 2019. 31 architecture and architect logos that go beyond the facade – 99designs. [online] 99designs. Available at: <https://99designs.com/blog/creative-inspiration/architecture-architect-logos/>
Home Plans, N., n.d. NEST HOME PLANS. [online] NEST HOME PLANS. Available at: <https://nesthomeplans.com/>
Agha Khan Trust for Culture. n.d. Agha Khan Trust for Culture. [online] Available at: <https://www.akdn.org/our-agencies/aga-khan-trust-culture>
Ingels, B., n.d. BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group. [online] Big.dk. Available at: <https://big.dk/#projects>
Architecture, C., 2019. Featured — COX. [online] COX. Available at: <https://www.coxarchitecture.com.au/featured>
Ian Volner, P., 2016. How Maverick Architects Snøhetta Became One of the World’s Most Sought-after Firms. [online] WSJ. Available at: <https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-maverick-architects-snhetta-became-one-of-the-worlds-most-sought-after-firms-1478135401>
Inc., A., n.d. Expertise – Aidea Inc.. [online] Aidea.com.ph. Available at: <https://www.aidea.com.ph/expertise/design>
Kaur, C., n.d. Logos of 50 World Famous Architecture Firms. [online] RTF | Rethinking The Future. Available at: <https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architects-lounge/a312-logos-of-50-world-famous-architecture-firms/>
