Minimized Logo Variation

Category: Brand development and creation.

Deliverables: Brand guidelines, brand guideline book.

Role: Lead designer, independently done.

Aura Brand Identity

I was tasked with creating a company from scratch and then designing its brand guidelines to accompany that. I decided to create an architecture studio named Aura that would be based out of Manhattan, New York, with satellite offices based in several major cities around the world, such as Toronto, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It was started by a group of younger architects who wanted to put their own spin on the industry, and I wished to create a brand that reflects this.

The name Aura was chosen cause the word itself essentially is used to describe the feeling/atmosphere of a space or area, which I believe is a large part of what architecture is about, especially the kind that this studio would be doing.

The design guidelines I ended up with followed the basic principle I set out with initially, which was that I was aiming to create something which was very contemporary and minimal, in stark contrast to many of the architecture studios I have seen in the past, which tend to be a bit more conservative and safe with their branding, regardless of their architecture work.

I wanted to incorporate cubes and three-dimensional shapes into the design, as I wanted to play off the idea of children’s building blocks stacked up, or arranged in a row horizontally. This, again, was me desiring to create a studio that didn’t take itself too seriously. The black and white colour palette used throughout was chosen to show that the design layout should be effective enough to speak for itself, both in graphic design as well as architecture, and that colour is only something you add afterward to emphasize what is already there. I also wanted to make the logo very versatile, so it could be used in several orientations.

Additionally, I used a grid-like repetition of the cube outlines to create a pattern, which is something that as an admirer of architecture myself, I often see in building design, particularly contemporary design. The very rounded sans-serif typeface I used, called Comfortaa, was chosen for the book because I believe it also embodies the feeling of the company.