Ọshinówò Studio

The brief – raising the profile of Tosin Oshinowo’s architecture practice

After 10 years of practice, Lagos-based cmDesign Atelier came to Caro seeking ways to capitalise on what was a significant year for the studio.

In a year that saw the architectural world pivot meaningfully towards the African continent and alternative modes of thinking, the studio’s identity and online presence needed to better reflect its increasing role in this shift.

A host of internationally collaborative projects, notably with the UNDP and adidas, 2023 also saw the studio’s founding director Tosin Oshinowo at the helm of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial.

To build on this momentum, Caro was tasked with devising a new brand that balanced the studio’s international reach with a bold, regional identity.

What we did – architectural rebranding for regionality

What emerged was a full rebrand, in which cmDesign Atelier became Ọshinówò Studio.

Placing emphasis on the diacritics of the newly eponymous practice gave assonant as well as graphic life to the studio’s online presence.

Deriving from Yoruba, the predominant culture and language of the region, a collaboration between Caro and the whole studio in Lagos conceived a new visual and textual identity, firmly rooted in Nigeria.

This project was characterised by great attention to detail. For instance, the outline of a mashrabiya, designed and built by Ọshinówò Studio at Lantern House in 2022, was iterated by Caro to form the company’s Instagram highlights.

The results – social media succes

Caro’s design of a new logo and accompanying palette of taupe, energetic oranges and deep reds feature across the studio’s social media platforms, where the rebrand was greeted with a healthy reception, viewed on Instagram and LinkedIn by over 25,000 people.

A subsequent press outreach secured a wealth of coverage for the studio’s project with adidas, marking the global brand’s first flagship store in Africa.

Caro continued to support the studio’s socials and media outreach around the opening of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial – introducing an ever widening audience to Oshinowo’s practice and thinking.

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