Industrial design has always occupied a unique position within Foster + Partners, the global architectural practice founded by Norman Foster in 1967. The Foster + Partners approach cannot be defined simply as that of an architectural practice designing furniture, rather, in the spirit of integrated design, its extension into the design of products has always been carried through by a dedicated team of industrial designers.
As demand for industrial design has grown within Foster + Partners, the studio has expanded beyond commissions linked to architectural projects, developing its own client base. Collaborating with manufacturers, craftspeople, and startups worldwide, the team creates sustainable, ideas-led products at every scale—from airport seating and furniture to door handles and turbines.
To enhance the studio’s industrial design visibility and establish its distinct presence within the industry, the Foster + Partners team asked Pentagram to help express that vision through its visual identity system. The aim was also to promote that team of expert designers with an extensive knowledge of materials and manufacturing, driven by a passion for every detail of the design and making process.
Pentagram designed the visual system and various applications, including a new website. A design language that feels editorial and carefully curated is influenced by the studio’s technology-focused, detail-driven approach and the perfect geometry of the golden ratio. It reflects the humanist design sensibility and future-facing modernist values that are an enduring part of the studio’s ethos.
The new logo is derived from the Foster + Partners mark, clearly establishing industrial design as a distinct but connected entity within the firm. Akzidenz Grotesk—a timeless Modernist classic—is the primary typeface, while the primary colour palette offers a contemporary take on Bauhaus aesthetics. Warm, tactile imagery captures the design process and the final pieces in context, telling the story of craftsmanship, celebrating the making and innovation throughout the process of industrial design.
Pentagram’s Marina Willer adds: “We were asked to articulate the unique position of the practice’s industrial design team, to celebrate and showcase the excellence of their work through the design of a new website. It has been an honour to work with such a talented team at Foster + Partners.”
The new brand identity gives Foster + Partners Industrial Design a clear and confident voice within the industry—one that reflects its dedication to precision, craft, and innovation. Distilling the studio’s ethos into a refined visual language, reinforces its position as a leader in industrial design while benefiting from its position within the wider Foster + Partners practice as indisputable leaders in the field.
