Raw Mystery

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a six-story condominium brought together 30 distinct residences and a nonprofit art gallery. The building’s concrete and glass exterior had an industrial restraint, while inside, its unusual apartment layouts offered something more surprising. Our challenge was to give the development an identity that captured that contrast and spoke to the creative people drawn to the neighborhood.

The name The Raven became the starting point. A raven’s feathers can appear black until the light reveals a deep blue beneath the surface. That shift in perspective echoed the building itself: understated from the street, with a distinctive character waiting to be discovered inside.

We translated that idea into a palette of deep blue and charcoal, and created a raven logo from a single continuous line. Its clean, industrial character drew inspiration from the building’s steel window frames, connecting the identity directly to the architecture.

To bring that connection into three dimensions, we created a sculpture with two ways of seeing it. From the front, it resembled a miniature of the building; viewed from above, it formed the raven logo. Like the name and identity, it revealed something different when seen from another angle.

The identity carried through the printed materials. Business cards, folders, and book covers paired a matte surface with a portion of the logo embossed in glossy foil, giving the dark palette a subtle shift in light and texture.

We also designed a minimal website that gave the architectural renderings room to lead. Visitors could explore the building’s story, residences, floor plans, amenities, and availability in an experience designed to make the details easy to find.

Together, the name, identity, sculpture, materials, and website gave The Raven a cohesive story rooted in the building and its Williamsburg setting.

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