Williams Rawn Architects

The challenge

Williams Rawn was formed by three award winning architects who specialised in civic architecture. They needed a new brand identity, various marketing materials and a website to convey their ideas of better serving communities by helping people lead richer and more fulfilling lives through architecture that inspired and uplifted.

Approach

The first stage of all rebranding is to apply my strategic brand framework. This is a bespoke diagnostic tool I use to better understand the essence of who the company is, what they do and why it matters. This included constructing a clear picture of who the ideal client is and getting under their skin to fully understand their motivations and desires.

I then applied the insights gained from this to design a comprehensive brand experience for their ideal client that is clean, smart, and authentic. My approach removed all doubt from the minds of their ideal clients who they should be working with, rendering all competition irrelevant.

I use stylescapes (or moodboards) to help bridge the gap between brand strategy and design. This sets the visual compass for the project and gives us something to refer back to ensuring everything remains focused to the objectives outlined in the earlier brand strategy.

Branding

The logotype I created evolved to work as both a stand alone “w” monogram as well as the complete name in full. The use of blue was the only design element inherited from their old branding.

Simple geometric shapes within the monogram reflect the shapes of buildings often seen within a masterplan document. I then went one step further and looked at how this could also be used as a creative device that would become part of the brands visual language. This added a distinctive layering effect to any design that reflected the layering of materials in a buildings construction.

Differentiation renders all competition irrelevant.

A big part of this was clearly communicating what makes Williams Rawn the obvious choice to their ideal clients. This was achieved by applying a clear and concise brand narrative across every touch point in a way that was both consistent and in alignment with their brand values.

The net result of gave Williams Rawn a systematic approach to attracting their ideal clients, but also included improving client loyalty, increasing market share, attracting top talent and commanding a premium price.

The secret to a charismatic brand and getting everyone on board.

Brand guidelines

Consistency of a brands defining attributes lead to its success, and the best way of achieving this is through developing a set of brand guidelines. For Williams Rawn I created guidelines that got new staff up to speed and kept vendors on the same page. The approach I took was to look at how the guidelines should influence the character of the brand, rather than become a rigid and prescriptive set of rules.

The guidelines I created communicated a single source of truth everyone could refer to that protected their investment and allowed the brand to grow, evolve and adapt to any situation.

Innovation lies at the heart of better design and better business.

Website design

My earlier analysis of competitors websites revealed a lack of clarity or explanation of what made each practice different. It soon became clear that competitors were copying each others websites structure and format. By designing simple, powerful content, dressed in the brands distinctive uniform, I created a cogent and enticing user experience that was innovative for the marketplace.

Front-end development added dynamic interactions that helped reveal the story of who Williams Rawn are, what they stand for and why they matter.

Scope of work

What’s next?

Just reach out! I'd love to hear about your brand or UI project challenges, even if you’re not sure what your next step is. No pitch, no strings attached.