It's conservative, if that's the impression the client wants to project. It is closer to what I might expect from a law firm.

Architecture is an interesting field to design for (I made some signage for an architect who had her office next to Tiro for several years). On the one hand, architects need to project competence and reliability -- to reassure people that their buildings will stand up --, which suggests a conservative treatment, but on the other hand they need to be seen as creative and innovative.

What kind of architecture does this firm practice? If it is mainly domestic, the appropriate design might be quite different from that for a firm that specialises in offices or commercial properties. Do they favour particular construction techniques or materials?

Whatever the answer to these questions, I suspect that Minion is a poor choice of typeface. I would look for something less common and with more presence. Minion is not a bad text typeface (although it is overused), but it has too little character for a logo. Andy Crewdson memorably called Minion 'the typeface without qualities'.

Personally, I would be tempted to deconstruct the fleuron. You could render it as an outline, in pencil, as an architectural plan, perhaps including some guidelines or measurement lines. You could even get a bit cubist, and try to combined a plan and elliptical projection of the fleuron into a single image. Lots of possibilities.

I would use something other than a fleuron, but similarly understated. Perhaps some sort of geometric or architectural device. Consider a colour other than orange, which doesn't seem too popular in American identity design.

Paul

I agree completly with John Hudson brief! And Paul comments.

Perhaps, a google search for Architect, could bring some ideas of what make a good Architect logo.

If Minion, seems to bookish, perhaps Trajan for very neo classical architects, will work ;-)

More serious, M

What do you think about ff Scala? Maybe this type fits better to architects

http://www.philsfonts.com/detail.html?sku=FF01137201P1

Many architects love Rotis. Too many.
Here's the next Rotis (already loved by one architect - not too many - yet):



Henboy, don't go there.

hhp

My obsession with architecture has me associating sans serif more with architecture. A good architect deals with everything. They create the skeleton as well as the skin it supports. STRUCTURE BALANCE

It could be me and it probably is, but I'm completely obsessed right now with everything severely modern. (specifically image 3) All that can be found/read in Dwell magazine.

However if your firm is not so rigid and/or experimental then you could choose a softer sans. Anisette Petite caps for instance.

But, definitely not a book publishers face.

Of course! Sans-serif!

About TMA : TMA does both commercial and residential architecture, renovation & design.

I've seen logos/company names that are in all lower-case and have even heard it argued that a company name set in all lower-case is more humble & approachable. I'm wondering if you think that approach would work with this, where the company's name is also a persons name... has this rule been broken? Could I break it anyway? I'll admit that my reason for wanting all lower-case is that I like the way it looks.

Here's the latest :



Comments?

I think the symbolism of the high ascenders is nice, but the weight's too thin.
For some reason I'm thinking cigarettes.

And could you make the "g" fit in the x-height? Or maybe uppercase it - in which case you might do that for a few other letters too (like the "a", since it's the only [other] one facing left).

hhp

actually i am architect too, and i agree with tiffany: use a sans (but not helvetica, please).

about setting the logo in lc, i think in this case (architecture firm), the uppercase would be more appropriate. you know, we only use caps for architectural drawings.

i think you could drop any "symbol" too (as the fleuron in your first suggestion) and work only with type.

btw, tadao ando rocks.

[sorry, double post removed]

Now you've got an idea for a sans, play with weight contrast, name in one weight, architect in another.

I'd say try a serif.... too many architects use sanserifs. Celeste could be quite a nice choice.