Responses by Hagar Erez, founder and creative director; and Yotam Geller, interaction designer, Ark Visual.

Background: “The primary purpose of RUST’s site is to establish itself as a multidisciplinary architecture firm, showcasing both architecture and interior design at their finest,” says Hagar Erez. “During the initial stages of this project, RUST cofounder Shany Tal shared an insightful perspective with me: ‘When I studied architecture at university,’ she said, ‘one of my lecturers emphasized that graphic design should adhere to the same high standards as architecture. A good designer understands how to approach both disciplines at the same level.’ This principle stuck with me, along with the goal of highlighting that these architects have a keen understanding of color. From the very beginning, we realized as a team that we wanted to integrate this philosophy into our design system.’”

“Our work process and the resulting design align with the core values we have established,” Erez continues. “These values also serve as benchmarks to measure our success: global connectivity, or emphasizing an international outlook and cosmopolitan way of living; cross-over design, or embracing a multidisciplinary approach that blends various materials and techniques; and an aesthetic we call ‘contemporary warehouse’ that combines light, industrial chic elements with high-end professionalism. By adhering to these principles, we ensure that our designs not only meet but exceed expectations, reflecting the high standards of both architecture and graphic design.”

Design core: “We believe in setting clear expectations with our clients,” Erez explains. “We engaged in a dialogue with the client about how many projects they wanted to display. They responded by saying they wanted more of a ‘boutique’ website featuring eighteen projects, and the rest could be in an archive. This led us to implement an infinite scroll feature for the projects category. After displaying the initial set of projects, the site continues to show additional images, creating a seamless browsing experience.

“The project index page contains all the projects RUST chooses to show but in a secondary hierarchy,” she continues. “We divided the projects using a filtering system based on category, material and location.”

Favorite details: “Our goal was to systematize the use of colors as an integral part of the interface,” says Yotam Geller. “We worked with pairs of colors for each page, aiming to balance vibrant design without overshadowing the architecture. The challenge was to be trendy yet timeless.

“Our final decision, which we didn’t inform the client about, was to create a toggle that shifts the site to black and white,” Geller continues. “This feature provides a refreshing alternative in case the vibrant colors become monotonous over time.”

Challenges: “When interviewing the client about the necessity of a material library feature,” Erez explains, “Shany replied, ‘A material library is not really unique. I don’t think we need it. If you look at the top ten architecture firms in Israel, they will be using the same materials.’ This response challenged us as we wanted to foster a unique dialogue about materiality. We understood that while the materials themselves were not novel, the firm’s unique approach to working with them was. This feature evolved significantly during the process because we were initially unsatisfied with our approach.

“In the end, we worked with AI to create a comprehensive library featuring the primary materials RUST uses in their projects, such as concrete, marble and stone,” she continues. “Each material is linked to specific projects where it has been utilized. I appreciate the practical solution we devised because it serves as a useful tool. RUST can open the material library during client meetings to initiate discussions about materials and showcase related projects. It’s unpretentious, practical and effective.”

Time constraints: “I think this project was handled very efficiently,” says Erez. “After five months of work, the site went live. We were very accurate in understanding who RUST is and what it wanted. Every milestone was responded to with confirmation. It was a flawless process.”