(Oct. 7, 2016, Duane Shimogawa, Pacific Business News)
The Honolulu-based firm tapped Middle Management, created late last year by former graphic designers for Honolulu firms Wall-to-Wall Studios and Nella Media Group, to come up with its new logo. A cost for the project was not given, although it had been about a decade since the 82-person firm last changed its logo.
Bettina Mehnert, president and CEO of AHL, told Pacific Business News that the changes signify the firm’s continuous growth and several different generations that are now working together in one office.
The change is also a way to mark its 70th year in business.
“We feel our logo is a fresh reflection of our design thinking, the company culture that we have here right now,” Mehnert said. “It’s not stagnant. It’s a visual representation of the firm as we continually evolve.”
The back of the company’s business cards show design elements of its projects, including the recent Symphony Honolulu mixed-use condominium project.
Mehnert has seen the firm grow during her nearly 30 years there.
“There’s a beauty to being as diversified as we are,” she said. “There’s always something happening. It’s exciting to see the new generations coming into the office and how we are changing with them. You have to be open with new ideas that continuously come in.”
To mark its 70th anniversary, AHL recently held a companywide contest calling for designs for a pop-up public space. AHL designers Ina Wong and Rebecca Weatherford came up with the winning design, called “pedal parc.”
The parklet, which is made from mostly repurposed materials and includes Wi-Fi and stationary bikes to recharge electronic devices, is located in front of the Dillingham Transportation Building for public use until Oct. 18.
