House 337 Launches Innovative Brand Identity to Reflect its Collective Approach

House 337, the newly launched agency group formed from the merger of Engine and ODD, has created a ground-breaking corporate identity reflecting its collective organisation and its strategy of empowering individual decision-making.

Featuring non-fungible tokens (NFTs) awarded to each member of the collective, the design system is based on an alphabet of newly-created iconographs which can be put together in different combinations to create a unique ‘house key’.

Every member of the collective and every client will have their own unique house key design. Each identity will be in the form of an ‘H’; composed of a different array of icons. Each expression of the H icon is machine-generated from an online questionnaire completed by each House 337 member, resulting in the creation of their own key which they can keep forever, even after leaving the organisation.

The house key also serves as an identifying marker for each member of the collective and will function as an electronic identity that can unlock access to the physical and digital workspace and other tools. In addition, all client work will also have house keys attached.

House 337 CEO, Phil Fearnley, explains, “When we set about building the House 337 brand, we wanted to create an organisation that truly values the contribution of each member of the collective. We think our unique corporate design solution reflects these aims, giving each individual ownership of their role and a key to access all the relevant areas of the agency.

“NFTs are just one way of creating this sense of ownership and of harnessing the power of all, helping also to ensure everyone feels valued members of our collective. What’s more, this machine-readable code will, over time, unlock new functionality, including innovative ways for members to get to know each other better.”

Matt Fenn, chief design officer says, “We set out to reveal something which mirrors our culture as a collective that believes in the power of creativity and lives and breathes far beyond bricks and mortar, being instead bound by our approach. By using machine processing to generate an identity that is alive, our iconography will shift and change. As the visual language grows over time, leveraging the core set of symbols that make up the master brand expression, and building upon them, it’s very much the opposite of standing up after three months of working on it and going, ‘Now here's our new logo!’ And, while the iconography is machine generated, it's also machine readable, with its many practical uses making it more meaningful and more potent.”

Kim Lawrie, head of emerging technology, adds, “This is not about hiding membership and our ethos within the confines of the office, but instead bringing that to the forefront of our brand identity. With every housemate owning an individual dynamically generated version based on characteristics unique to them, airdropped as an NFT, their membership will last forever. Meanwhile, the ecosystem around the house keys flows throughout the entire House 337 experience in a uniquely modern way, and across all touchpoints – from entering the office, to starting an office playlist and connecting with other members. As we continue to add to these symbols, our brand identity will evolve and never stagnate.”