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IA Interior Architects is a global architecture and design firm dedicated to creating spaces that transform how people work and connect.
Idea Worth Rallying Around®
“Design That Moves.”
This rallying idea sits at the heart of IA’s brand. It reflects a belief that great design moves people through space and moves business forward, inspiring employees, captivating guests and building loyalty.
Visual View
Reading View
(01)
Project
Overview
Overview
A design force whose portfolio had outgrown its identity.
IA, formerly Interior Architects, had decades of success in workplace architecture and design, but as they pivoted toward vertical growth, their legacy of interiors-driven corporate campuses was hemming them in. With 19 studios across the U.S. and Europe, and global expertise in retail, hospitality, experiential design, and art curation, they needed a brand to fully embrace their multi-disciplinary portfolio. IA engaged Motto® to craft an identity equal to the design powerhouse they had become.
(Details)
- Type Rebrand
- Program Flagship®
- Model B2B
- Category Architecture + Design
(02)
Challenge
A new brand to hold a multitude of perspectives.
Each IA studio is sought after for its distinct point-of-view shaped by local culture, history, and creativity. What unites them as a global firm isn’t a rigid design philosophy, but rather a working style that’s tailored to each project and client. Our challenge was to craft a brand flexible enough to express every aspect of their identity without losing what makes each office and vertical practice unique.
(03)
Method
/ Immersion
/ Immersion
A constellation of studios, working together as one.
Strategy workshops and interviews with IA’s leadership team unearthed a clear throughline: while every studio offers a personalized take on craft, they share a people-centric view of design and partnership. Motto® developed this insight into the foundation for the Idea Worth Rallying Around® to strategically align every client team, global studio, and vertical practice around a story powerful enough to fuel the next era of expansion.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Brand audit
- Landscape audit
- Strategy workshop
- Stakeholder interviews
- Competitive positioning
- Insights Report
(04)
Method
/ Brand Strategy
/ Brand Strategy
Elevating human experiences through Design That Moves.
Motto® turned IA’s design ethos and collaborative approach to client relationships into an emotionally resonant Idea Worth Rallying Around®. Design That Moves captures the purpose and power of their work to move people through space, pushing them beyond creative and conceptual limits into a more receptive mindset. Design That Moves also echoes the practical need to move business forward by inspiring employees, captivating hospitality guests, and cultivating retail loyalty through original experiences.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Vision, purpose, mission
- Strategic narrative
- Culture and values
- Positioning statement
- Employee value proposition
- Brand architecture
(05)
Motto Method®
/ Verbal Identity
/ Verbal Identity
Centering people, wherever they gather.
As a preeminent design firm, IA needed a voice that reflected both the sophistication and human-centered thinking of their work. Motto® structured it around three Voice Pillars (Purposeful, Perceptive, and Cultivated) and channeled a persona who’s part visionary, part storyteller. Lines like Your work inspires ours and We create in order to connect, and connect in order to create lead with feeling and warmth, demonstrating IA’s commitment to putting people at the heart of every space.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Voice pillars + persona
- Value propositions (Commercial, Hospitality, Retail)
- Key messaging
- Brand vocabulary
- Verbal guidelines
(06)
Motto Method®
/ Visual Identity
/ Visual Identity
A system of relationships, united in one elegant identity.
Motto® grounded IA’s visual identity in relationships and movement, echoing the strategic foundation, Design That Moves. Each stroke, angle, and space in the logomark represents a facet of their business. Color keeps the visual focus on client projects, with a single yellow accent playing off restrained blacks and grays in the primary palette. A mix of technical and hand-drawn illustrations marry refined structure with a more expressive layer that captures moments and vignettes with character.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Logo + brand system
- AI Imagery
- Layout system
- Graphic elements
- Motion guidelines
(07)
Motto Method®
/ Activation
/ Activation
Designing so many ways to move.
Motto® built a set of tools that integrate motion into IA’s new brand. Precise architectural linework moves, emulating how spaces grow and change around and alongside the people who inhabit them. Lines undulate to reveal images, act as transitions, and create structured patterns. Even spacing creates a calm rhythm and evokes confident momentum, and by building progressively, layers on a sense of discovery.
(01)
Project
Overview
Overview
A design force whose portfolio had outgrown its identity.
IA, formerly Interior Architects, had decades of success in workplace architecture and design, but as they pivoted toward vertical growth, their legacy of interiors-driven corporate campuses was hemming them in. With 19 studios across the U.S. and Europe, and global expertise in retail, hospitality, experiential design, and art curation, they needed a brand to fully embrace their multi-disciplinary portfolio. IA engaged Motto® to craft an identity equal to the design powerhouse they had become.
(Details)
- Type Rebrand
- Program Flagship®
- Model B2B
- Category Architecture + Design
(02)
Challenge
A new brand to hold a multitude of perspectives.
Each IA studio is sought after for its distinct point-of-view shaped by local culture, history, and creativity. What unites them as a global firm isn’t a rigid design philosophy, but rather a working style that’s tailored to each project and client. Our challenge was to craft a brand flexible enough to express every aspect of their identity without losing what makes each office and vertical practice unique.
(03)
Method
/ Immersion
/ Immersion
A constellation of studios, working together as one.
Strategy workshops and interviews with IA’s leadership team unearthed a clear throughline: while every studio offers a personalized take on craft, they share a people-centric view of design and partnership. Motto® developed this insight into the foundation for the Idea Worth Rallying Around® to strategically align every client team, global studio, and vertical practice around a story powerful enough to fuel the next era of expansion.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Brand audit
- Landscape audit
- Strategy workshop
- Stakeholder interviews
- Competitive positioning
- Insights Report
(04)
Method
/ Brand Strategy
/ Brand Strategy
Elevating human experiences through Design That Moves.
Motto® turned IA’s design ethos and collaborative approach to client relationships into an emotionally resonant Idea Worth Rallying Around®. Design That Moves captures the purpose and power of their work to move people through space, pushing them beyond creative and conceptual limits into a more receptive mindset. Design That Moves also echoes the practical need to move business forward by inspiring employees, captivating hospitality guests, and cultivating retail loyalty through original experiences.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Vision, purpose, mission
- Strategic narrative
- Culture and values
- Positioning statement
- Employee value proposition
- Brand architecture
(05)
Motto Method®
/ Verbal Identity
/ Verbal Identity
Centering people, wherever they gather.
As a preeminent design firm, IA needed a voice that reflected both the sophistication and human-centered thinking of their work. Motto® structured it around three Voice Pillars (Purposeful, Perceptive, and Cultivated) and channeled a persona who’s part visionary, part storyteller. Lines like Your work inspires ours and We create in order to connect, and connect in order to create lead with feeling and warmth, demonstrating IA’s commitment to putting people at the heart of every space.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Voice pillars + persona
- Value propositions (Commercial, Hospitality, Retail)
- Key messaging
- Brand vocabulary
- Verbal guidelines
(06)
Motto Method®
/ Visual Identity
/ Visual Identity
A system of relationships, united in one elegant identity.
Motto® grounded IA’s visual identity in relationships and movement, echoing the strategic foundation, Design That Moves. Each stroke, angle, and space in the logomark represents a facet of their business. Color keeps the visual focus on client projects, with a single yellow accent playing off restrained blacks and grays in the primary palette. A mix of technical and hand-drawn illustrations marry refined structure with a more expressive layer that captures moments and vignettes with character.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Logo + brand system
- AI Imagery
- Layout system
- Graphic elements
- Motion guidelines
(07)
Motto Method®
/ Activation
/ Activation
Designing so many ways to move.
Motto® built a set of tools that integrate motion into IA’s new brand. Precise architectural linework moves, emulating how spaces grow and change around and alongside the people who inhabit them. Lines undulate to reveal images, act as transitions, and create structured patterns. Even spacing creates a calm rhythm and evokes confident momentum, and by building progressively, layers on a sense of discovery.
(01)
Project
Overview
Overview
A design force whose portfolio had outgrown its identity.
IA, formerly Interior Architects, had decades of success in workplace architecture and design, but as they pivoted toward vertical growth, their legacy of interiors-driven corporate campuses was hemming them in. With 19 studios across the U.S. and Europe, and global expertise in retail, hospitality, experiential design, and art curation, they needed a brand to fully embrace their multi-disciplinary portfolio. IA engaged Motto® to craft an identity equal to the design powerhouse they had become.
(Details)
- Type Rebrand
- Program Flagship®
- Model B2B
- Category Architecture + Design
(02)
Challenge
A new brand to hold a multitude of perspectives.
Each IA studio is sought after for its distinct point-of-view shaped by local culture, history, and creativity. What unites them as a global firm isn’t a rigid design philosophy, but rather a working style that’s tailored to each project and client. Our challenge was to craft a brand flexible enough to express every aspect of their identity without losing what makes each office and vertical practice unique.
(03)
Method
/ Immersion
/ Immersion
A constellation of studios, working together as one.
Strategy workshops and interviews with IA’s leadership team unearthed a clear throughline: while every studio offers a personalized take on craft, they share a people-centric view of design and partnership. Motto® developed this insight into the foundation for the Idea Worth Rallying Around® to strategically align every client team, global studio, and vertical practice around a story powerful enough to fuel the next era of expansion.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Brand audit
- Landscape audit
- Strategy workshop
- Stakeholder interviews
- Competitive positioning
- Insights Report
(04)
Method
/ Brand Strategy
/ Brand Strategy
Elevating human experiences through Design That Moves.
Motto® turned IA’s design ethos and collaborative approach to client relationships into an emotionally resonant Idea Worth Rallying Around®. Design That Moves captures the purpose and power of their work to move people through space, pushing them beyond creative and conceptual limits into a more receptive mindset. Design That Moves also echoes the practical need to move business forward by inspiring employees, captivating hospitality guests, and cultivating retail loyalty through original experiences.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Vision, purpose, mission
- Strategic narrative
- Culture and values
- Positioning statement
- Employee value proposition
- Brand architecture
(05)
Motto Method®
/ Verbal Identity
/ Verbal Identity
Centering people, wherever they gather.
As a preeminent design firm, IA needed a voice that reflected both the sophistication and human-centered thinking of their work. Motto® structured it around three Voice Pillars (Purposeful, Perceptive, and Cultivated) and channeled a persona who’s part visionary, part storyteller. Lines like Your work inspires ours and We create in order to connect, and connect in order to create lead with feeling and warmth, demonstrating IA’s commitment to putting people at the heart of every space.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Voice pillars + persona
- Value propositions (Commercial, Hospitality, Retail)
- Key messaging
- Brand vocabulary
- Verbal guidelines
(06)
Motto Method®
/ Visual Identity
/ Visual Identity
A system of relationships, united in one elegant identity.
Motto® grounded IA’s visual identity in relationships and movement, echoing the strategic foundation, Design That Moves. Each stroke, angle, and space in the logomark represents a facet of their business. Color keeps the visual focus on client projects, with a single yellow accent playing off restrained blacks and grays in the primary palette. A mix of technical and hand-drawn illustrations marry refined structure with a more expressive layer that captures moments and vignettes with character.
(WHAT WE DID)
- Logo + brand system
- AI Imagery
- Layout system
- Graphic elements
- Motion guidelines
(07)
Motto Method®
/ Activation
/ Activation
Designing so many ways to move.
Motto® built a set of tools that integrate motion into IA’s new brand. Precise architectural linework moves, emulating how spaces grow and change around and alongside the people who inhabit them. Lines undulate to reveal images, act as transitions, and create structured patterns. Even spacing creates a calm rhythm and evokes confident momentum, and by building progressively, layers on a sense of discovery.