Logo
Situário’s logo emerged as a result of a collaborative process between the studio and Frederik Niklaus of DieKonditorei, a Berlin-based graphic designer. Having created graphics and branding for a wide range of consumer goods, Frederik’s talents are highly transferable to any marketplace. He’s got a keen eye for detail and a vivid imagination, often asking incisively probing questions that force you to delve into the reasons you like something, or say you like it. When we discussed Situário’s logo, and what the aspirations for it were, the conversation very quickly turned into what kind of company Situário is, and what is aspires to become.
After a few short sentences, it quickly transpired that I didn’t consider architect’s logos as being memorable at all. Most of them are grey, few of them venturing away from a sans-serif font, and almost all of them steering clear of non-written representation. Perhaps what I find most intriguing, is how seemingly little architects logos say about the kind of company they are. Or, when the message is there, it is so subtle as to be whisperingly invisible.
Perhaps this is an unfair view. An appreciation of design requires a trained eye, a curious mind and sometimes an active imagination that can look for meaning in the forms, spaces and colours around us; a good logo shouldn’t have to shout to get a point across. Further, when we consider the most memorable logos in our day-to-day lives, how often do we think of service providers (such as architects)? Aren’t the logos at the forefront of our social consciousness those that are associated with products? Aren’t these logos also not the images, the shapes, the colours of all the brands that are keenly aware of their place in the marketplace? Going further, aren’t these the forms, the shapes, the colours of consumption? Is this perhaps a cynical view? Where does a logo for an architecture company position itself in a marketplace where any brand logo is associated with consumption?
But perhaps the relationship between a brand and a logo isn’t as simplistic as this. What my conversations with Frederik made clear was that the significance of a logo is closely tied with the experience for the user when engaging with that brand. Most importantly, this user experience is not necessarily dependent on consumption.
Our conversation ventured into intangibles relating to what kind of company Situário sought to position itself as. As a company that is keenly aware of context and language, the name “Situário” is a portmanteau of the latinate “situ”, meaning “on-site” or “in-place”, and the Portuguese suffix -ário, that forms nouns denoting a place where something is kept. Capturing the intangibles of an experience of a place and language, more specifically one rooted in Portugal, emerged then as an ambition for the logo. Tiles were always going to inform the end result, but so too were deep cool shadows on a blisteringly hot day, as was a sense of clarity and organisation.
Frederik’s response cleverly synthesised all of the above concerns in a legible format that captures the imagination, and we are proud to include it wherever we can.
Have a look at more of Frederik’s work here.
