Somerset Companies manages over a dozen residential, commercial and entertainment properties throughout New York and Pennsylvania. They were in need of a top-down rebrand that would unify their locations and reflect the quiet, clean luxury they offer. Somerset turned to FIFTEEN to create this new identity.

Challenged with creating a primary logo as well as a brand family tree for 16 existing properties with future developments in mind, we needed to create marks that were instantly recognizable as Somerset and had individual staying power as well as versatility and room to grow. The logos would be everywhere, from the websites we were building, to wayfinding signs, branded collateral and interior art.

FIFTEEN’s design evolved to a brushstroke look inspired by the enso. In Zen Buddhism, the circular enso is a symbol of enlightenment. The symbol is drawn with one fluid stroke and marks the freeing of the mind. As Somerset’s primary logo, the enso embodies their ability to create spaces that encourage thought and productive conversation in a peaceful, healthy, communal living environment. The subsidiary brands have their own unique mark inspired by a feature of the property itself, all united by the same minimalist brushstroke. This same technique can be employed to new Somerset developments in the future.