Rich Baird

Effective design has a clear purpose, invites meaning-making and is created with care and creativity, be that a simple logo, brand strategy or brand identity. This is the cornerstone of my practice and is derived from working with architectural clients, developing businesses in the design space and engaging in historical research. Each activity builds to a more complete picture and a sense of purpose in my work.

LogoArchive has been a key project in the development of a specific interest in modernist logo design. It has formed a historical and contextual basis in which to ground my design practice. Part digital archive and part zine series, the project has developed an interest in both digital product design and print, with the latter being expressed as a series of sell-out LogoArchive zines, the first of their kind.

Alongside LogoArchive, I built the editorial site and publishing business BP&O. This functions as contemporary counter-point to the historical research undertaken for LogoArchive, exploring corporate identity design as it exists today. BP&O has offered its readers thoughts and opinion on brand identity for over 10 years, and cultivated a significant readership over this time.

These initiatives, in conjunction with design practice, have afforded me a number of opportunities. These have included recording a podcast with Monocle Magazine, writing articles for Brand New, The Dieline, Computer Arts and IDEA magazine; project features on Dezeen, It’s Nice That and Creative Review; and collaborations with Hugh Miller on the D&AD award-winning publication LogoArchive Akogare and Jim Sutherland on the exhibition ‘spieLrAum’.

I have designed hundreds of logos and worked with clients across the globe. These have included Universal Music, The Verge, Sony, Fiskars and Gallo Wines amongst many more well-known brands. I have a special interest in Japanese design and history, architecture and editorial design and this can be seen in my work, whether it’s in the zines designed for LogoArchive, designing logos, my writing for BP&O or in my growing library of historical design books and magazines.