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.