Mode handed brief to fashion Adjaye identity

Renowned architect David Adjaye is rebranding his Adjaye Associates practice and has hired design consultancy Mode to create the identity system.

Mode is developing a corporate identity to reflect the ‘maturity of the studio and an expansion in the size of projects it is undertaking’, according to consultancy director Phil Costin. ‘The identity is intended to reflect the qualities of David’s work through print. We started by looking at various paper stocks and materials that could achieve this before we began any typography,’ he says.

Branding will encompass all aspects of Adjaye Associates communications, including stationery, credentials, publications and the website (www.adjaye.com). It will also define the look of the studio’s proposal documents, which are used to secure new projects.

Typography will use a treatment of the Baskerville typeface, set at an ‘unusual’ angle to suggest architectural forms. Business cards have two layers of paper through which the typography runs – an analogy of construction and materials, according to Costin.

Each item of print material will also feature an ‘architectural imprint’ detail taken from the external elevation of a current Adjaye Associates project. ‘David’s work is modern, but has a timelessness and is not disposable. This is something we have tried to capture in the identity,’ adds Costin.

Mode will also be developing an Adjaye ‘signature identity’ to sit alongside the visual language. This will be applied to current and future limited edition furniture ranges, such as the modular system presently on show at the Albion Gallery in London. The marque will be a representation of Adjaye’s handwritten signature, adjusted to give a more architectural and identity quality.

The branding will be phased in throughout 2007, culminating in a book design and website relaunch later in the year. Mode has previously worked on print materials for a number of Adjaye Associates projects.