Aro
A quiet, precise identity and site for an imagined small architecture practice.
Brief
The self-set brief: design an identity and site for a small, two- or three-person residential architecture practice — the kind that doesn't need a large portfolio site or a loud brand, just something precise enough to match the work and simple enough to update themselves as new projects finish.
Approach
"Aro" — Portuguese for "ring" or "hoop" — gave the identity its central shape: a single ring motif standing in for a plan drawing's compass mark, rendered in a restrained, near-monochrome palette so the practice's own project photography would always be the loudest thing on the page.
Built as a Full Identity brief followed directly by a Studio-tier Website Design & Build: a CMS-backed site with a project index, individual project pages, and a simple about/contact page — sized for a small practice that will add two or three projects a year, not a high-frequency publisher.
Decisions
Constraint
A small practice, not a large firm
Decision
Kept the identity to a single mark and a tight two-weight type system, deliberately avoiding a "corporate architecture firm" register.
Constraint
Project photography needed to lead
Decision
Chose a near-monochrome palette and a generous grid so imagery, not brand colour, carries each project page.
Constraint
Infrequent publishing (a few projects a year)
Decision
Specified a CMS content model simple enough that adding a new project takes minutes, not a redesign.
Constraint
Wanting the mark to mean something, not just look neutral
Decision
Tied the ring motif directly to a compass/plan-drawing reference — the same logic as the studio's own arc-and-corner mark, applied to a different business.
What it demonstrates
A concept piece, not a delivered client outcome — it shows a Brand Identity & Design Systems brief carried through into a Website Design & Build, for a small, quiet practice rather than a loud consumer brand.