SAK Structures is a Queens-based contracting company. The owner wanted a visual identity that referenced both his Muslim background and the history of Islamic architecture.
To that end, I created a basic abstraction of the geometric patterns which typify Islamic ornamentation, and used that system to construct both the logo and a series of flexible patterns that constitute the branding system.
Initial Sketches
My original presentation and initial sketches contained a good number of "generic" logos for contractors, but eventually the client chose to pursue further elaborations on the Islamic ornamentation theme.
The initial explorations were based on squares or octograms in order to evoke a sense of order and rigidity, and later evolved to utilize the rotational symmetry that is common in Islamic architecture. None of these logos offered much insight into designing the rest of the identity, and the client didn't much like them, either, so I decided to come at the problem from the other way around.
Typical Islamic Geometric ornamentation, which inspired the design
The five tiles used as the foundation of the identity, derived from the 5 Girih tiles
I decided to directly utilize the pattern work I've been indirectly referencing, and then extrapolate an appropriate logo from the basics of the identity. Patterns are built with strokes which evoke architectural blueprints, and emphasize the structural (rather than the decorative) facets of Islamic ornamentation.
The Girih tiling is a traditional Islamic system first observed in the Darb-e Imam, built in 1453. The pattern is significant because it is non-periodic, allowing it to repeat irregularly, and it pre-dates modern mathematical non-periodic tilings such as the Penrose tiling by hundreds of years. It can be used to construct large patterns that are very adaptable, and visually interesting at any scale, preventing scaling issues from limiting the utility of the basic stroke.
A non-periodic construction using the titles, with the logo at the center
The logo is constructed from the smallest tile of the set. It can be used interchangeably with that tile, allowing the logo to be seamlessly incorporated into a complete pattern.
Girih tiles can be used to create large irregular designs which still possess consistency of negative space. Repeating patterns can also be built by using only the partial set, as shown here.
Business Card Mock
Launch BBQ Flyer
Thanks for reading!
-Kevin
