Framing the Future of Buildings

The challenge

For the 4th annual Buildings of Excellence Awards Ceremony, the Center for Architecture sought poster designs to showcase nine innovative affordable housing builds that are setting new standards for New York’s low-carbon future.

The scope

The posters needed a layout that harmoniously showcased the buildings' renderings, project credits, addresses, and descriptions, all while adhering to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) brand guidelines.

The process

We drew inspiration from the 20th-century Dutch artist Piet Mondrian and Bauhaus School styles to compose the poster layouts. The modernist's colorful compositions inspired us to create a grid-based layout, while Bauhaus’s minimalist and functional approach helped us balance text and imagery with clean lines and geometric shapes. The final design landed somewhere between these two iconic styles, blending structure with a modern aesthetic.

The results

We created two versatile poster templates featuring bold cobalt blue and vibrant yellow from the NYSERDA color palette. These 2 layouts offered us flexibility and options for each project presented. These large format posters were then exhibited at the Center for Architecture for the event.

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