Back to Our Roots
We’re proud to unveil our new logo! The name Io stems from Greek mythology. Io was a demi-goddess represented by a white heifer. As a woman-founded design practice we deliberately chose the name based on its strong female archetype and also its agricultural symbolism. We have both personal ties to small-scale community agriculture and a professional focus on sustainable and productive landscapes.
The original capitals from the Art-Deco Stock Exchange Building. Photo courtesy of Rhonda Lauritzen, Evalogue Life
The new logo is an adaptation of the capitals on the columns of the historic Art Deco Stock Exchange Building at the Ogden Union Stockyards.
The documentation and adaptive re-use of this historic landscape is still one of our favorite projects. It required the unique combination of expertise and design theory that is at the core of Io’s design and planning philosophy, including historic landscapes, ecological restoration, and outdoor recreation.
The ambitious project, undertaken by Ogden City, transformed the once-booming stockyard (the largest west of Denver at one point, processing thousands of hogs, sheep, and cattle a day) into a new community asset.
With the amalgamation of industrial agriculture, this stockyard became obsolete for stock-processing, eventually transitioning to a fairgrounds, and then to a vacant (and contaminated) site. Io worked with Ogden city to document the history of the site, and preserve some of its most iconic elements in a master plan that weaves history, nature, and outdoor recreation into a unique industrial park that offers a wide range of public access and amenities.
The Art Deco Stock Exchange Building, which will be undergoing restoration soon. Photo courtesy of Jessica Ritter, Ritter Photo Tek