Easton Architects: 360° Branding

    https://vimeo.com/97148555 Easton Architects is a leader in historic building preservation, helping educational, public and cultural institutions plan, restore and reuse their buildings for the future. Their new brand presence exudes the same sense of historical respect and refined simplicity that they bring to each of their projects.     1. Challenge Easton Architects needed a strong identity system and website that would showcase their work, services, and philosophy in a clear and compelling way. Smart project categorization, concise messaging and imagery would all have to work together in demonstrating their range of services and expertise within the field of historic preservation and adaptive reuse. 2. Strategy MSLK led Easton Architects through a brand audit of competitors and best practices to establish an informed positioning and presentation of the work. Following this analysis, we took a deep dive into their entire portfolio, leading us towards the creation of three project categories: cultural, educational, and public. Seeing all of the work at once allowed us to distill their services into three categories as well: Planning, Restoration, and Reuse. This new framework allowed us to make a concise, smart edit of the projects and images they would be showcasing on their website. 3. Design A modern sans serif word-mark and grey palette allow Easton Architects’ work to speak for itself. On the website, we visually manifested the firm’s passion for historical detail by incorporating a graphic distillation of architectural trim into the navigation. Greyscale photographic details reinforce the firm’s focus while extending the architectural trim motif throughout the site. In the portfolio section, users can easily browse or sort projects by type of institution: cultural, educational or public. 4. Success The new Easton Architects’ brand has reinvigorated buzz around the firm. They now have the tools to present their work and tout their accomplishments, allowing them to easily communicate with prospective clients and maintain existing relationships.