OUR PRACTICE

BrandNu Design Studio is a full service architecture and design firm founded by Michael Ford FAIA, NOMA. The firm works nationally, with offices in Dallas, Detroit, Madison, and New York.

Michael Ford has two decades of experience delivering cultural, civic, and community focused architecture. He received the Spirit of Detroit Award from the Detroit City Council in 2019, was named Young Architect of the Year by the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2022, and received the 2026 Whitney M Young Jr Award from the American Institute of Architects.

The firm’s work is grounded in research, culture, and music. Projects draw from history, place, lived experience, and sound based cultural practices to inform form, material, scale, and spatial organization. BrandNu Design Studio works across museums, cultural centers, civic spaces, housing, and public realm projects, with deep ties to Detroit’s cultural and musical legacy.

Art, music, and design operate as a single practice. The studio develops architecture alongside textiles, installations, furniture, and visual work, informed by musical structure, rhythm, and cultural production, to shape cohesive environments.

The firm’s mission centers on improving quality of life through design that supports equity, access, and long term community value.

GIVING BACK

Michael Ford founded the nonprofit Hip Hop By Design to expand access to design education. Its flagship program, The Hip Hop Architecture Camp, introduces youth to architecture through music, culture, and the built environment. The program has served communities across the United States and internationally, using design as a tool for education, agency, and long term impact.