Ontwerp voor een merk voor ieder huis in eigendom bij de Algemeene Maatschappij van Levensverzekering en Lijfrente te Amsterdam 1904 - 1908

This is a design for a brand logo on paper by Hendrik Petrus Berlage, with watercolor. I love how the shapes seem to be both contained and bursting out. The red in the center breathes outwards, but it's corralled by the cool blue geometric grid. Berlage uses this simple palette, but the texture of the watercolor gives it depth. See where the blue lines aren’t perfectly straight? That slight wobble gives it a handmade feel. The whole composition reminds me of looking through a window. The blue grid acts as a frame, while the red shapes behind hint at something beyond. There’s a sense of order and spontaneity, like a garden carefully planned but also allowed to grow wild. Agnes Martin, another artist who uses a grid structure, comes to mind, but her work is more serene. This logo has a real energy to it, like a hidden pulse.