Building Design Northern

BDN Ltd was a Durham-based architectural practice with a reputation for excellence in structural and civil engineering combined with an innovative and contemporary architectural style.

Following an MBO and relocation to an iconic listed building in their original home city, Building Design Northern needed a new visual identity to better reflect their diverse and expertise and cutting edge architectural project portfolio.

Our brief was to create a new identity system to encapsulate this brave new chapter in the companies long and rich history but also act as a symbol of the bold future that lies ahead.

The identity is focused around the shield mark. As a practice known for both architecture and engineering it reflects these two specialist fields both separately and together to reflect the togetherness within the practice (the three lines above the ground symbolising the architecture above and the semi-circle below reflecting the multitude of precise engineering skills happening below ground that often goes unnoticed. This mark also pays homage to the history of BDN, founded in 1983 the mark is made up of 8 lines in the lower semi-circle and 3 lines above.

The mark shape also takes inspiration from the new practice studio, the listed building of Simpson Street School in Sunderland. Formally derelict it was rescued and given a new breath of life by BDN, and its shape from above with its striking angular tower was another nod towards the shape of the mark.

With the BDN initials being so prominent in the industry we developed a series of BDN acronyms for use on social media and throughout their building to further solidify the new brand direction.