“We are committed to working on projects that enrich communities, so we choose to work primarily with cultural and civic institutions. Many of our projects involve curators, artists, architects, urban planners and writers who have strong aesthetic or editorial visions, which we help interpret in smart and accessible ways.”
Paul Carlos, September 2011
“Our strength involves using interactional and contributory skills to create content-rich narratives, experiences and environments. We believe ideas that are both formally and explicitly articulated—and also embodied by design—appeal to and engage diverse audiences in more meaningful ways. Said another way, it is an approach to design that goes beyond surface. Our process draws on the content, context and goals of a project, and is informed by our knowledge of cultural and social histories and public policies.”
Urshula Barbour, September 2011
After clarifying each client’s particular goals through face-toface meetings, in-depth observations and self-initiated research, we start conceptualizing designs, establishing timelines, and exploring and presenting solutions. Client and user feedback enables us to develop and refine our ideas and specify requirements and materials. As our client relationships evolve, we learn their culture and can anticipate needs and preferences.Whether creating an identity, an exhibition, a publication, or a website, we devise integrated solutions that communicate ideas, all while sourcing sustainable materials whenever possible.
Urshula Barbour [coprincipal] is a designer, writer and educator. Her approach draws on a multidisciplinary background that infuses design with knowledge of anthropology, social history and public policy. Her work has received recognition from the AAM, AIGA and SEGD. Urshula teaches senior thesis at Parsons and has taught at CCNY and Cooper Union. In 2010 she volunteered as an advisory member of the Bronx High School for Visual Art CTE Self Study Group. Urshula has been a speaker for events at CFA/AIANY, Columbia University, NYU’s ITP program, NeoCon, Penn State, SUNY Binghamton, Tufts, Yale and Sotheby’s Institute. She has written for I.D. and Print magazines. Urshula holds masters degrees from the New School Graduate Faculty (where she explored the cultural and social construction of olfactory scapes) and from the University of Penn and a bachelors from The Cooper Union. Before founding Pure+Applied, she was a Center for Women in Government Fellow at SUNY, Albany. As a fellow, she researched and wrote about—and participated in community outreach efforts to support—food security and economic security in disenfranchised communities across New York State.
Paul Carlos [coprincipal] is a designer, educator, and typography enthusiast. He was formerly the art director of Interiors magazine and was a design associate at Design/Writing/Research and Donovan and Green. He has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, The Art Director’s Club and Society of Environmental Graphic Design. After receiving a BFA from Cooper Union, he worked at Donovan & Green and Design/Writing/Research. He has taught typography, editorial design, and exhibition design at Parsons, The New School for Design, The Cooper Union and Maryland Institute. Paul has been a juror for the Society of Publication Designers and I.D. magazine and a guest critic or speaker for the AIGA, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, MICA, NeoCon, NYU’s Integrated Technology Program and Sotheby’s Institute.
Architecture for Humanity
Center for Architecture/AIA NY
Center for Jewish History
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art
The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
David Nosanchuk
Friends of the Israel Museum
Guggenheim Museum
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, DC
Hudson River Powerhouse Group
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
The Jewish Museum
Lower East Side Ecology Center
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Museum of the City of New York
National Association of City Transportation Officials
National Building Museum, Washington, DC
New York City Ballet
New York City Department of Design & Construction
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
New York City Department of Transportation
New York Philharmonic
New York Public Library
Isamu Noguchi Museum
Parsons, The New School for Design
Princeton University
Prospect New Orleans / U.S. Biennial
Rafael Viñoly Architects
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Rizzoli
Time Inc.







