Kuhn Riddle Architects & Designers Rolls Out New Name, Look

AMHERST — Kuhn Riddle Architects, an Amherst firm established in 1988 by John Kuhn and Chris Riddle, has rolled out its new name and new look.

The firm is now Kuhn Riddle Architects & Designers and is headed by its second generation of leadership, President Aelan Tierney and Principals Jonathan Salvon and Charles Roberts.

The firm worked with a Northampton-based creative studio, Transit Authority Figures, to develop a logo, signature colors, fonts, and a name that reflects the firm’s foundation, as well as its transitions, growth, and views toward the future.

The new Kuhn Riddle logo is built on a simple grid using elemental shapes to create a symmetrical, abstract ‘KR’ monogram. These forms, each consisting of a quarter-circle and a triangle, face each other and together form a square. The new logo reflects Kuhn Riddle’s dedication to smart and creative problem solving rooted in timeless foundational principles.

The font used in the new logo recalls the Goudy Old Style used in the original firm logo, yet has its own history, weight, and meaning. The new font, called Martina Plantijn, was developed by the Klim Type Foundry and named after the strong and formidable Dutch businesswomen who ran the Plantin-Moretus publishing house — then the world’s largest — in the early 17th century. As a woman-owned business, Kuhn Riddle takes inspiration from Plantjin’s entrepreneurial spirit and the family-owned company’s legacy of empowering women, which inspired a series of women descendants who went on to manage the business for much of the next three centuries.

To complement the new logo, the firm chose deep blue and radiant yellow, color hues that are unique, bright, and friendly.

“Kuhn Riddle is well-known with deep connections to the community, so we felt it was very important to hold onto the name,” Tierney said. “But we also wanted to present the firm as who we are currently and who we are becoming. In thinking about who may be the next generation of owners, we are more than architects. We are interior designers, project managers, passive house consultants, planners, and possibly more. We wanted our name and our fresh, new look to be inclusive of the many different strengths and capacities of our team, and to welcome the future.”