Cocowa

Identity + Branding

Cocowa is a new architectural design studio founded by two women who believe that great design doesn’t have to be impersonal. They came to me asking for a logo that was strong, yet feminine; sassy, yet sophisticated. The initial direction was very loose, but both women wished to avoid anything that felt "boxed in” and did not want any sort of icon to be associated with the logo.

The name Cocowa comes combining a core value of their studio - collaboration - with the places the two founders grew up (Morocco and Iowa). Despite this, the client did not want the logo to emphasize these separate words, but present the name as a single unit. A main use of the logo is in the title block of architectural drawings, so the final product needed to be legible at any scale, without abbreviating the name.

A first round of concepts presented a variety of styles to narrow down what appealed to the client and provide a common vocabulary.

The second and third rounds were focused on cleaning up spacing, line weight, and the w-a ligature.

The final mark is elegant but modern, with letterforms full of contrast, just like the new studio. The curve of the w-a ligature is a nod to the studio’s flexibility within their design process, while providing a playful, unexpected twist.