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Architecture for Humanity is a 501c3 charitable organization founded to seek architectural and design solutions to humanitarian crises and to provide design services to communities in need.

Design Like You Give A Damn

Proceeds from the sale of this book will support the work of Architecture for Humanity. Learn more about the book.

Please note: the logo competition is now closed. We expect to announce a finalist by late January 2007.

Criteria

We are looking for a logo that will reflect both the mission and spirit of the organization. A good fit for us would include the following:

1. The logo should be able to be understood globally and inoffensive to all cultures.

2. A logo that is not overly representational as our work overlaps so many aspects of design  i.e. Definitely no houses, no people, no people in houses and no houses in people.

3. Neither the mark nor the logotype would use the abbreviation "AFH." there are too many organizations with abbreviations in the development and reconstruction world you end up getting lost in alphabet soup. Please use our full name, 'Architecture for Humanity' in the logotype.

4. The logo must be replicable for all Architecture for Humanity chapters. Therefore the logotype must accommodate everything from 'Architecture for Humanity Roma' to 'Architecture for Humanity San Francisco.' It is also suggested that entrants also explore chapter logos using both the local dialect and English. (ie. Architecture for Humanity Tokyo should be able to be read in Japanese and English)

5. The design should be able to be reversible and use both light on dark and dark on light.

6. The logo will be used for a myriad of print and online applications. It must be readable from use on silkscreened T-Shirts to dodgy fax machines in far off countries.

Full Color (publicity, multimedia, Internet, etc.)
2-3 colors (booklets, simple and short-range applications)
2 colors (booklets, massive applications)
Gray scales (for newspapers or ink print-outs)
Black and white (fax print-outs, woodcuts, etc.)

Submission Criteria

1. Logos should be submitted in vector format when possible and file sizes should be no greater than 1 MB. JPEG or PNG formats are also acceptable.

2. Entrants are also required to submit a JPEG web version of the logo no larger than 250px x 250px.

3. Submit you entry via email attachment to logo@architectureforhumanity.org

4. All entries have to be emailed no later than midnight of December 15, 2006. You may submit up to three logos but to be considered for this competition you have submit to at least one. (no typed suggestions of what it should look like)

5. Entries should include:
Your Name
Email Address
Phone number
Physical Address
Two to three sentences on your design inspiration and process. (optional)
Your favorite character in a Hitchcock movie.

What do you win?

The top ten designs will be awarded signed first editions of ‘Design Like You give A Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises’ and the winning design or team will receive $1000. A jury will select the winning entry and all results are final.

The winner can also donate the winnings towards an Architecture for Humanity project of their choice.

How Architecture for Humanity got its original logo treatment.

In 1999 we hosted an international design competition to develop transitional housing for returning refugees in Kosovo. At the launch we held a press conference at the Van Alen Institute in New York. Around an hour before a good friend Ilja von Nagel and I quickly scrawled together a competition poster and logo. Suddenly we had a graphic identity and it has stayed the same ever since.

Competition Rights and the legal mumbo jumbo

Any teams submitting electronic materials in connection with the Competition shall agree, by the act of submitting such materials, that all materials shall become the property of Architecture for Humanity, and Architecture for Humanity may delete, destroy or otherwise dispose of such materials without any obligation whatever to any Entrant to return such materials following the Competition.

In addition, by entering this competition you agree that the rights of the winning logo will be transferred and held by Architecture for Humanity. The winning entrant will be recognized on our site.

Update

To date we have received entries from more than 28 countries. The chart below shows which countries are representing and those who, sadly, are strangely absent. Switzerland - this means you.

Here are the leading Hitchcock characters. Quite frankly the fact that the birds are beating Grace Kelley has us all kind of frightened.