Project Projects was commissioned in 2010 to design the identity for SALT, a new cultural institution in Istanbul. Merging a contemporary art space, an architecture and design gallery, and a scholarly archive, SALT promotes research and experimental thinking. This mission prompted a meditation on the nature of institutional identity in a world of continuous cultural change.

The institution’s name has a unique position within the identity system: the letters S-A-L-T are not represented as a formal mark, but are instead embedded within custom-designed typeface, Kraliçe. As a result, no logo or singular graphic mark is necessary: the institution strategically disperses its name within the language it uses everyday, for a scale of applications.

In addition, an ongoing curatorial program initiated by Project Project takes the identity system itself as a space for intervention. Periodically, a select group of designers will be invited to reimagine the letters S-A-L-T and thereby modulate the identity’s overall look.