AEC Case Studies

For the past several years we have been working with FDH on several initiatives. We walked through our branding process together and applied what we learned to revamp their appearance and their voice.

As we walked through the process, one point became very evident – FDH is a company that was truly founded on innovation. The three founders were academics that were approached by a state department asking if there was a way in which to test a concrete dam’s structure without drilling core (in essence, weakening the dam’s structure). At that time, there wasn’t a way, but the three put their heads together, devised a process, developed the equipment and FDH was born.

One of the deliverables for the rebrand was to deliver a tag line that encapsulated this origin and communicated to their clients and potential clients the fact that other firms may claim they are innovative, but we live it. It came down to two tag lines; “engineered to innovate” and “engineering innovation.” The latter won out due to its action-oriented approach.

WEBSITE AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

One of the cornerstone pieces to the new brand is their website. Early on we knew this site had to feel clean and innovative without being too complicated. The main device used to achieve those goals is a sliding accordion. Using this technology not only allowed us to present several photos/ideas on a page, but kept them neatly organized and provided some interactivity for the user. The back-end Content Management System was customized to facilitate easy entry of all the various types of content.

Additionally, FDH had a need for highly customized and branded PowerPoint templates and e-newsletter templates. These two pieces of their communication puzzle would help solidify the voice and unify their communications. Once the “corporate” template was created, separate “industry-specific” templates were rolled out. While different and unique by industry, they were also cohesive and tied directly back to the main brand vision.

Collateral

As part of our collaboration with FDH, we concepted and designed a flexible collateral system. The main piece of the package is a brochure/folder hybrid. It contains basic information about the company, their philosophy, etc. On the middle panel lives a custom pocket that will hold the various inserts we created for each of their practice areas.

The inserts are industry specific and are easily added, as needed, by their BD team. As a cost saving measure, the inserts were designed to be printed digitally (in short runs) to accommodate changes and any evolution in their messaging.

KAI Design & Build engaged Tripp Co. Creative to refine their brand and re-engineer their website, logo and marketing materials. The brand refresh was part of an overall strategy to highlight the firms focus on technology and its unique approach to projects.

WEBSITE

One of the primary desires for KAI was to have us help simplify the upkeep of the site by implementing a Content Management System (CMS) while providing a vastly improved and more logical architecture.

We realized early on that the portfolio section was going to be the keystone to properly showcasing the extensive capabilities of KAI. We wanted it to be interesting and interactive, but needed to balance the “cool factor” with ease of use and practicality.

The other challenge that needed to be addressed was the company structure… one company with two locations and both locations having very different identities. What ever solution our team came up with had to work for both locations. This meant having two distinct sites allowing separate control but sharing information between the two.

The resulting sites help position KAI as a technology leader and allows maintenance and up-keep to be an easy task for the marketing department.

BRAND TWEAK

Even though our initial engagement was strictly for a redesigned website, KAI soon came to value our expertise is branding and asked us to tackle their current identity. They knew who they were as a company and very clearly understood where they wanted the company to head. Sadly, their current materials didn’t reflect that fresh vision.

Many times a client will ask us to “redesign” their logo, but to do that without any solid business reasoning behind the plan could cause more harm than good. Many times we just need to refresh the logo so we keep most of the equity earned and still communicate a forward thinking message.

That is exactly how we approached this “tweak”. KAI’s old logo was created with an oversized ampersand to emphasize the fact their company was a design AND build firm. We understood the importance of communicate this fact, but knew there was a better way to show the two sides of the company coming together to form one, cohesive unit.

Once a new logo was settled upon, it was time to turn our attention to the touchpoints of the brand. The first one we tackled was stationery. Drawing on inspiration from the current site design we had already started, elements from the website were incorporated into the stationery to give it the same personality. The beam texture was carried throughout their entire communication package. And, wherever possible, we angled the corner on pieces to give them a touch of uniqueness and fun – just like their company.