Harry Berkowitz Custom Homes

Brand identity and collateral for a developer of some of America's finest homes.

Harry Berkowitz vertical logo
Harry Berkowitz horizonal black and white logo
An example home build by HB

The project

A professional, upscale, but subtle brand identity for an independent real estate developer.

Berkowitz works with some of the world's most discerning clientele. When it comes to developing homes in the Newport Beach, CA area, almost no detail is overlooked and no expense is spared.

He needed a brand and logo system that was simple, recognizable, and upscale while staying short of becoming too over-the-top.

An example home build by HB

Logo

The logo here is simple, a little playful, and has a touch of subtle nuance—which some will see, while others won't—and that's ok.

The playfulness comes from the simplicity—that the logo consists of two simple-looking houses, while in reality, Berkowitz is designing and constructing multi-million dollar homes.

The curious, but not overwhelming nuance, is the "HB" initials formed from the houses.

For flexibility on a variety of mediums (e.g. business cards, letterhead, pens, digital formats), I created several versions: a vertical (preferred) and horizontal. I also wanted to account for full color, black & white, and solid color as well.

Showing the typeface, Gotham, used in the HB logo
I chose Gotham as the typeface for several reasons: it's strong, balanced, and legible at various sizes and weights. Gotham is also geometric, which works well alongside the basic shapes of the houses. It also hints at reliability and a strong foundation—both of which are critical to the construction process.

Concepts

Several other concepts showing the logo take shape. I knew name recognition was important and wanted to feature and incorporate the owner's initials somehow.

Sketches of possible logo concepts

Colors

The colors evoke much of the materials used in the construction of the homes: mostly wood, stone, stucco, and shades of sand (since the beach, or proximity to it, plays such a vital role in clients' desire to live in the area).

PANTONE ®
7558 C (85%)
PANTONE ®
411 C 2