NAi Catalogues and Printed Materials

The flexible identity system developed by Bruce Mau for the Netherland Architecture Institute (NAi) reflects the multifarious nature of the institution’s program. The NAi consists of an archive, museum, library, and cultural center, with a complex and dynamic range of programs. This identity was developed through a process that reflects the changing and various needs of the organization; Mau projected the NAi image onto various surfaces and materials to create a system of unified but multiple applications which allowed the institution freedom to interpret and experiment depending on the need for any given event, activity, or program. In line with the flexible formal design of the logo and identity system, Mau also developed a color strategy inspired by the artist Gerhard Richter’s 1024 Farben (1973), a painting consisting of 1024 colors. Unlike the traditional approach of a static and consistent identity system, this approach by Mau illustrates how an identity can be flexible yetstill retain a unified image through a consistent and unique modular approach to production and use.