WHY.

Why is a team of interdisciplinary makers and thinkers, committed to creating lasting connections between people, culture and place.

The team works mainly between Los Angeles and New York, but their people cover the world – and their projects span continents. They specialise in five disciplines within architecture: buildings, landscapes, museums, ideas and objects – all with form, function and flourishing at their core.

We began our long-standing relationship with WHY in 2020, just as the pandemic took hold. During weekly calls with coffee (their morning) and beer (our evening), we went through the initial shock of the world grinding to a halt and the months of consequences that followed – building a connection that’s continued to this day, as both collaboration partners and friends.

There was little wrong with the concept of WHY’s previous branding, but the execution wasn’t up to the same high standard as their work. Overall, they lacked clarity. And when it came to showcasing their projects, they fell short of the level of storytelling they accomplished in their practice.

The website, however, was underperforming. Bloated with clunky content and riddled with technical issues that made it hard for the team to manage, it had slowly become a graveyard.

With a long-standing network in place and an abundance of work coming in for years, these seemed like small problems. Ones that didn’t create huge issues – until they did. WHY realised they’d started missing out on opportunities solely because their external perception didn’t clearly depict their unique approach, strengths and abilities.

That’s when they asked us to bolster their image.

With so much variety and diversity in their practice, WHY needed a strategic, streamlined, cohesive approach to evolving their brand and creating a website.

The way the organisational structure was depicted came off as complex. The first task was to simplify and clarify. Through audience engagement, competitor analysis, stakeholder workshops, surveys and discussions, we got to grips with understanding what WHY does, how they do it differently, why they do it, and why clients choose them. Armed with this knowledge, we could shape, define and refine.

The identity sits somewhere between the WHY and the WHY NOT. There’s structure, balance, a minimalism that lets their work and ideas speak for themselves. And there’s the opportunity to be more playful, more thoughtful, more curious – depicting their individual approach and refreshing thinking.

We retained the original stencil concept, creating two new typefaces for the visual identity – one called WHY and one called WHY NOT. This is something that excited our designers beyond belief.

Overall, we gave the brand order and useful systems, while injecting some of WHY’s natural charm and charisma.

The website was more difficult – needing to contain enough depth and feeling about WHY’s facets, process and thinking, but in a way that didn’t bog it down. We went simple, minimal – smooth, slick and easy to navigate, letting the work and ideas speak for themselves.

A main aim was to clearly depict the five disciplines, which we simplified and linked to the organisational values – a clean, modern look and feel for a contemporary approach.

With colour used sparingly, smooth transitions, and space for words and work to breathe, the website has a classic, timeless feel that has already stood the test of time.

We’ve been working with WHY since 2020 – fleshing out the brand, creating new comms and templates, training, and collaborating on projects together. (Watch this space for updates.)

Working with brands long-term where we can bring more value and cultivate trusting, collaborative relationships is always rewarding. If you’re looking for a reliable, long-term design partner, get in touch.