Tinker Ma

Brand identity and naming for architecture firm merging three practices

Although Tinker Ma represents a new company name, the collective experience and community commitment behind it spans decades. Trey Wheeler and Thomas Palmer of Cogent Studio joined forces with Craig Peavy of PVDesign under this new brand, bringing together more than 60 years of combined expertise in architecture and design. Whiteboard collaborated closely with the three partners and strategic writing partner 26 Tools to uncover the fundamental 'why' behind their new venture. Architecture is inherently complex, but Tinker Ma's process remains elegantly simple: take a client's vision, breathe life and artistry into it, then reflect it back into the world. We employed this exact methodology throughout our naming and identity design process. The final result celebrates the concept of tinkering with space ('ma' is Japanese for 'space'), creating a modular system that allows for experimentation, play within places, and perfecting the spaces in between. As Tinker Ma believes, who you are is how you work, what you make, and the things you leave behind.