Logos of particulate matter

We used particulate matter, harvested in the street right outside our studio, as basic material for the logos and patterns of ‘Smogware’.

Smogware is initiated by architect Iris de Kievith and designer Annemarie Piscaer. Together they found a way to harvest particulate matter, and safely use it as coloured glaze for ce-ramics. With this knowledge they developed new tableware. The colour that particulate matter adds to the glaze shows the poor air quality, making pollution not only visible, but even tangible. Our contact with the air we breathe becomes as mundane and intimate as our contact with our breakfast plate and coffee cup. Through Smogware, the user brings particulate matter directly to his or her lips, whether consciously or not. This is a way for Rotterdam citizens to become more aware of the air pollution that surrounds them.

For the development of a set of logos and spherical patterns, the toxic powder was blown, scattered and sprayed in different ways. In doing so, we searched for refinement and tactility.

 

Winner International Corporate Design Award – Gold, Logo

Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk
Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk

The logos vary from downright dirty to misleading fairytale-like.Just like the smogware itself, which significantly varies in colour and appearance by applying different concentrations of particulate matter.

The dynamic logo set makes it possible to play with the tone of the message. The use of heavier or subtle, barely visible logos will either stress or lighten the grim undertone. Used separately, the logos can be linked to a specific ceramic line, a specific theme or event.

 

Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk

The tests below perfectly tell the story of Smogware. By linking the amount of particulate matter to the number of years that a single resident breathes in the Rotterdam air, the pollution becomes crystal clear.

Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk
Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk
The above tests are made with transparent glaze and particulate matter in varying quanti-ties. The iron and copper particles in particulate matter are the ingredients that colour the enamel.
Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk
Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk
Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk
Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk
Servies, Huisstijl, visual identity, dynamic logo, dynamisch logo, fijnstof, particulate matter, printed matter, bijzonder drukwerk, servies, award, analoog, analogue, air pollution, luchtvervuiling, grafisch ontwerp, graphic design, sivk