Adams Design

The first thing most clients tell me is what they want the logo to look like.

Before we've talked about what they do differently. Before we know who they're actually talking to. Before there's anything to say.

And I always think the same thing: how can you tell me what it should look like before you know what it should say?

A logo that starts with aesthetics is working backwards. It ends up carrying weight it was never built for. Explaining things. Justifying things. Doing the job that strategy was supposed to do.

The strongest identities I've worked on started with a point of view, not a Pinterest board.

When the idea is clear, the logo almost designs itself.

A few examples where we figured out what to say first.

The Cape Club, Liberty Wharf, Stratus Residences

See more about these projects at www.adamsdesignboston.com

Most brand identity work isn’t about designing a logo.
It’s about resolving tension.

One brand, multiple audiences.
Different expectations. Different ways of seeing the same thing.

Make everything consistent, and it loses meaning.
Push too far apart, and it loses cohesion.

That’s the challenge.

I approach it as a system, not a single mark.

A shared structure underneath.
Proportion, geometry, rhythm.

Then the expression shifts.
Tone changes. Energy changes. Audience changes.

But the foundation holds.

That’s what allows a brand to expand without losing its identity.

It’s an approach I’ve used on projects like The Sudbury, in collaboration with The HYM Investment Group, LLC and The Collaborative Companies.

Explore these projects at adamsdesignboston.com

Brenda Adams and the team at Adams Design developed the identity and logos for Makor Capital and Makor Management. The companies required a unified brand system that could clearly articulate distinct roles within the same organization.

Makor Capital leads investment strategy and capital deployment. Makor Management oversees operations, tenant experience, and long-term asset performance. The identity needed to express a shared foundation while making each function immediately legible.

The challenge was systemic, not decorative.

We designed a single, recognizable mark built to do more than identify. It needed to carry the brand across multiple entities, properties, and future growth without losing clarity or structure.

At the center is a core geometric form that acts as both signature and framework. A mark with range. It reinforces recognition, but more importantly, it creates a visual language that can expand, adapt, and hold together as the portfolio evolves.

Typography and color establish hierarchy across the system. Makor Capital, Makor Management, and individual properties each take on a distinct position, while remaining part of a cohesive whole.

The result is an identity that works as a family. Consistent, flexible, and built to extend well beyond a single application.

To learn more about this project: www.adamsdesignboston.com