Render Branding was recently invited to give a branding presentation to the students of the University of Utah School of Architecture. This invitation came from Erin Carraher, School of Architecture Assistant Professor, who served with Adam Wester on the Beaux Arts Ball committee for Salt Lake Design Week, an event hosted by AIGA Salt Lake City.
Render was asked to talk about their creative work, and also, come up with an idea for a hands-on exercise to do with the students. Shawn Hansen, Art Director at Render, had a brilliant idea for an exercise based on a particular pet peeve of his: Seeing architecturally beautiful new (or restored) structures that subsequently had signage or typography applied to the exterior in an entirely uncomplimentary manner. The exercise involved students finding both a good and bad example of this concept to present, and then offer a better visual solution for the bad example. Erin liked the idea and gave the assignment to the students of The School of Architecture prior to Render’s visit and critique.
The result was an enlightening exchange with students presenting concepts centering on branding, identity, typography and their relationship to architecture. Historical examples of typographic classifications to Roman lapidary inscription and architectural giants such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Gropius were discussed for their principals of incorporating graphic design and typography as part of the design process. During the critique it became obvious the all to often, lack of consideration towards Graphic Design or even proper space allocation for signage during the architectural design phase. Part of the examination was to demonstrate that architectural design should include and be aware of the many areas that Graphic Design will come into play when achieving a successful, integrated design solution. Below are a few images of great examples that obviously incorporated the logo/signage and it’s placement into the initial design phase of the building.
Please contact us for additional speaking opportunities or if you would like to collaborate on a project together. Thank you, Render.
