Architecture firm InForm Design decided the time was right for a brand makeover, coupled with the addition of two areas of service, to increase its competitiveness in the Hawaii market.
The nearly twenty-year-old company had initially delayed plans in the first year of the pandemic for its rebranding and expansion into interior design, as well as the ability to offer 3D scanning technology. InForm decided to make it a reality in 2021, president Ann Kutaka recently told Pacific Business News.
The rebrand included a new logo, brochure and website, aesthetic improvements that were much needed, Kutaka said, for a company that attempts to evoke an emotional response through its designs.
Perhaps more significantly, she believes her firm of 15 people can now do in a functional sense what most others of its modest size cannot. InForm’s two tripod-mounted 3D laser scanners, including one bought last year, allow it to map out interior spaces digitally through millions of data points in a matter of minutes.
“Technology has become more affordable for our firm,” Kutaka said. “It was a cost-effective approach to provide higher accuracy and documenting interior spaces for our buildings and clients, and to use as a base when we’re doing renovations.”
The scanners also allow for increased safety, as employees now don’t have to climb up into the beams of a warehouse on a ladder to map out an area, for example. They range between $20,000 and $80,000 each.
“For us, it adds to our capabilities to be able to service building owners, property managers, tenants … even other architects who may not have the technology,” Kutaka said.
The other component to the overhaul was adding interior design with procurement for items such as furniture to InForm’s traditional services of interior and exterior architecture. Architect Jen Toba-Davila leads InForm's interiors division.
InForm has traditionally been known as a luxury retail architect, but it has stepped forward to do work in hospitality, office, education, industrial and financial spaces. It was announced on Sept. 10 as the interior designer for the planned residential tower Ulana at Ward Village.
“Strategically, it made sense for us to offer interior design services to complement the interior architecture,” Kutaka said. "We're encouraged by what we've seen."
Interior design has been an ongoing investment when factoring in the addition of three staff members, a physical build-out and the addition of equipment for the company headquartered on Kapiolani Boulevard near Ala Moana Center.
InForm’s other recent projects have included Ala Moana Hotel, Hokulani Waikiki, American Savings Bank Kalihi Branch, Aloha Beer Co. Downtown, Hana Koa Brewing Co., and the Ko Olina Travelers Lounge.
