DutchScot create an ingenious identity for the iconic architecture practice Conran and Partners

Founded by Sir Terence Conran, Conran and Partners are an iconic architecture and interior design practice with a strong emphasis on lifestyle. Redesigning a brand known for its good taste is no easy task, however, London-based design consultancy DutchScot found a solution by complementing a clear sans serif wordmark with a contrasting bespoke monogram. By arranging the letters ‘C’ and ‘P’ into an ampersand, they compressed the three-word name of the practice into one simple shape.

In order to create an ownable symbol out of an ampersand, DutchScot tried many different styles and combinations – only to come back to one of their earliest versions. “The combination of the curvy characters with the precision of the sharp diagonal felt fitting for a company that blends interior design and architecture as Conran and Partners do,” explains Alex Swatridge, Partner at DutchScot.

The contrast between the uppercase wordmark and sleek monogram is intentional – “so there is no temptation to reduce down the ampersand and put it in the long-form wordmark,” reveals Swatridge. The wordmark is set in Styrene by Commercial Type, chosen for its “character, modernity but also because it feels grown-up,” while the bespoke monogram was designed to be “beautiful, elegant, fluid, and more emotive,” adds Swatridge.

The inspiration for the mainly black-and-white colour palette came from Conran and Partners’ office environment, which features black timber and concrete. Even though the earthy set of secondary colours is supposed to be used mostly for internal purposes, Swatridge leaves us with a clue as to where we might spot them: “the comp slips are rumoured to deploy a different colour for each new print run.”

DutchScot

Conran and Partners