Binom combines approachability with intelligence and careful crafting.
Binom is a London–based design practice founded in 2010 by Marta Granda Nistal and Gonzalo Coello de Portugal, partners in business and life.
Both have worked with high–profile architectural practices including Ron Arad Associates, Hopkins Architects and Eric Parry Architects. Each is actively engaged not just in architectural and design practice, but also in teaching: Marta at the Bartlett, and Gonzalo at London Met.
Binom combines approachability with intelligence and careful crafting. The partners begin each project with deep research into its physical and social context. This develops a critical and responsive design process which stays sensitive to their client’s brief, site and budget.
Talking to Marta and Gonzalo in depth we developed a close, collaborative partnership. The partners had strong ideas about what they wanted to see in a visual expression of their brand identity. It was important for us to understand and incorporate these ideas throughout our designs.
The brand identity was inspired by an architectural understanding of how to design a space. We took the principle of using modular elements to create a structure, and applied it to typography. Using modular squares of colours create a layout which suggests the word Binom.
Other graphic elements were designed to support the wordmark. A subtle grid pattern was developed to suggest the technical expertise that underpins their creative approach. A bright green–blue colour was used to bring cohesion to the various project images.
Having worked on Binom’s identity and first website it was great to see the practice go from strength to strength. We were even more pleased when the partners returned to ask us to design a catalogue.
The catalogue needed to stand out and be instantly “pick–up–able”. It had to introduce the practice and highlight key projects in a way that reflected their core idea. The audience of potential clients needed to see that the practice was thoughtful in its approach and detailed in their execution and delivery.
We built on the brand identity, incorporated the partners’ approach and took inspiration from the tracing paper that the architects use every day. The dust jacket of project icons needed careful production, so we turned to screen–printing artists and book publishers Henningham Family Press, to get it just right.
In 2017, after significant growth in the practice, Binom asked us to refresh their first website and improve its functionality.
Binom’s range of work now extends beyond residential architecture. The practice has been commissioned by public authorities and private clients in the UK and abroad on a wide range of projects: from temporary installations and exhibitions in public spaces to private houses, residential blocks, retail fit–outs, a pop–up restaurant at the Hay Festival and furniture for a Georgian house in London.
We held workshops with the Binom partners and staff to explore what they needed the new website to do. The practice wanted to demonstrate its blend of thoughtful craft with a high–quality digital experience. The structure of the site needed to be easy to navigate and reflect the growing diversity and depth of work.
We developed a tile–based layout for the website. The homepage displays an array of projects. Through the mix of photography and project icons a visitor can browse and discover the more about each projects. Filters are used to display particular types of projects.
We redesigned and optimised Binom’s website for a clearer user experience on mobile and desktop devices.
Binom launched its new website in late 2017. You can see it here.
In our work with Binom we took a creative, collaborative approach – aiming to become not just a technical partner, but also a design partner. We took time to learn about the practice’s needs and processes, incorporate its ideas, and deliver with excellence in a way that remained sensitive to Binom and its industry.
“We have never been disappointed with the work that Sparks proposed. They show great creativity in the design work. There are a lot of people out there doing the same thing, but Sparks’ designs feel new and fresh. They’re very flexible in their approach to feedback too – they get where we are coming from. The process was great and everyone is happy with the final result. We definitely got value for money. ”
Marta Granda Nistal, Founding Partner