Pelham Waterside Branding
Residential branding
Pelham Waterside Branding
A comprehensive residential branding project close to the waterside in Nottingham
Project
Simpkin Burley created a comprehensive residential branding design for Pelham Waterside, a housing development close to the River Trent in Nottingham. We worked alongside PR & Marketing agency Big Old House, for their client Pelham Homes. The project is designed to appeal to a target market of first-time buyers and families.
We targeted the customer journey of home buyers with an extensive marketing and advertising campaign. Brand applications included a launch event, sales brochures, welcome pack and advertising campaigns. On-site signage included a 75 metre site hoarding, branded flags, welcome totem signs, sold/for sale signs and even a custom made branded welcome mat!
The Design Concept
The Nature of Waterside Living
The waterside area of Nottingham has been transformed in recent years and there are now many new residential developments. Many of these projects have used identities that represent water as a theme. Our concept was to do something different and show the true nature of waterside living. We designed a brand that visualised rich vegetation and a connection to nature. We believe this represents the true nature of a waterside experience.
A Contemporary Colour Palette
We designed a colour palette that featured colours found in contemporary interior design so that the brand appealed to the target audience. The same colour palette was later used by interior designers Claude Hooper in the showhome which contributed further to the strength of the brand.
Project Team
Architecture: CPMG Architects
Interior Design: Claude Hooper
Construction: United Living
Marketing & PR: Big Old House
Photography: Appature Images
Pell Frischmann
Website design and brand evolution for a large, UK-based engineering practice
Project
Pell Frischmann is a top ten, UK-based international engineering practice with over 90 years of experience within the built environment sector. Simpkin Burley was initially asked to review and consolidate the marketing collateral of the firm. The brand evolution was focussed on supplying a suite of marketing templates that improved consistency and clarity of message. This demonstrated the scale of knowledge and experience that is one of the major assets of the businesses.
Following on from the brand evolution, we were also engaged to upgrade the business’s online presence with a new website. The initial work focussed on improving the website navigation and consolidation of the site map. A later phase of this digital project has also introduced better Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), improved user experience and better functionality as the business grows its services and specialisms.
Digital Partner
A Growing Online Presence
Simpkin Burley was asked to update the navigation and functionality of Pell Frischmann’s website. Over a period of time this relationship has grown and we are now on-hand as the firm’s online and digital consultant.
A Comprehensive Marketing and PR Tool
The website has grown to include greater coverage of Pell Frischmann’s specialisms and skillsets. The site is now a resource for the business’s HR department as well as providing a contact interface for all its UK offices. The SEO of the website has been improved to drive traffic to the relevant specialist services.
Brand Positioning
Evolution not Revolution
We reviewed Pell Frischmann’s brand positioning, consolidating and defining their suite of marketing collateral. This ensured their brand was consistent, clear and communicated their messages well. Brand evolution can be a cost-effective method of ensuring a business’s communications are fit for purpose without a full company rebrand.
Consistent Marketing Collateral
Simpkin Burley produced templates that could be easily used by Pell Frischmann’s UK-wide team. Brand assets included new presentations, printed collateral, photography and colour guidelines, as well as a digital newsletter. We packaged the brand in a simple guidelines’ presentation, allowing the whole team to produce a cohesive brand image in all their work.
The Albany Boutique Hotel
A new brand and repositioning for a boutique hotel in St Andrews, Scotland
Project
The Albany Boutique Hotel sits in the heart of St Andrews, one of Scotland’s most loved towns. It’s home to a world-famous university, ancient cathedral ruins and is the spiritual home of golf. When the hotel’s new owners, two brothers with a deep and personal connection to the game, invested in a full transformation of the property, they needed a brand to match their ambition.
The Albany was moving upmarket. The interiors were being reimagined from the ground up in collaboration with Brightscale, a London-based interior and architectural design agency. We were brought in to ensure the brand told the same story the hotel interior was beginning to tell; one of quality, character and a genuine sense of place.
Our Approach
Every project we take on starts with the same question: what’s the real story and how can we tell it?
The Albany Boutique Hotel Story
At The Albany, the answer was compelling. A Georgian building dating to c.1764. A location steeped in history and alive with visitors: golfers, tourists, families of students at one of the UK’s most prestigious universities. And at the heart of it all, two brothers whose family story has strong ties to golf and Scotland.
Our job wasn’t to invent a personality. It was to represent a great offer and give it a visual language worthy of the place.
The Identity
Symbol
At the heart of the brand we designed a roundel formed from golf clubs. The symbol that represents the owners’ family heritage and gives a nod the hotel location in St Andrews. We wanted it to be distinctive without being decorative for its own sake.
Typography
Our choice for type was to pair a bespoke semi-serif with a clean sans-serif typeface, giving the brand a classical confidence. We wanted to ensure that the logo remains legible across every application; from signage on the building façade and printed menus to key cards, the hotel website and across social media.
Colour
The colour palette is inspired by the local landscape: deep greens evoking Scotland’s open spaces and golfing heritage, lifted by warmer accent tones. Developed in close collaboration with Brightscale, our choice of colour ensures the brand and the interior feel like two expressions of the same idea; cohesive, considered and unmistakably The Albany.
Results
The Albany Boutique Hotel brand is rolling out across the hotel in phases, in step with the wider refurbishment. Early signs are encouraging: bookings are up, guest feedback has been positive, and the owners are pleased with what they’re seeing.
In their words: “Working with Simpkin Burley has been a pleasure and we’re really pleased with the results we’re starting to see.”
Project Team
Interior Design and Architecture: Brightscale
Brand Design: Simpkin Burley
New #DesignersClub Event for Nottingham
Introduction
Simpkin Burley collaborated with co-working space, Works Social, to hold a new #DesignersClub event for the design community in Nottingham.
Setting the challenge of designing a movie or music poster, local designers and illustrators were invited to submit their entries. The work was celebrated at an evening of fun where like-minded creatives could celebrate the work.
Pitching their pencils, palettes and pantones against each other were a range of local creatives, all with their own unique style and take on the brief. From The Long Good Friday to Pan’s Labyrinth and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, all genres of movie and music posters were given a makeover. Each posters was shown on screen and chatted through during the evening in an encouraging and informal way.
The Event
Background
Dan Simpkin from Simpkin Burley, who co-hosted #DesignersClub said: “It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while. We wanted to see if there was an appetite for this sort of event in Nottingham. We’ve been blown away by everyone’s enthusiasm and the standard of all the entries. We’re really lucky to have such diverse talent in Nottingham.”
A Creative Community
People shared their stories and inspiration behind their designs. Many people said how much they enjoyed working on a project because it was purely for fun and for their design merit.
Works Social
Hosting the Event
Han van Oudheusden co-founder at Works Social and freelance designer said: “All entries were to such a high standard. They all made it onto the Works Social wall of fame in our outdoor space. The winning three, got extra exposure and were posted by the designers themselves in the culmination of the event, a live fly posting.
Looking Forward
The feedback from all who attended was overwhelmingly positive and we think we’ll have more events in the future. Keep ‘em peeled for details of our next event.”
Shoutout to the Designers…
A big shout out to all those who entered and supported the first #DesignersClub event in Nottingham.
Check out more of their talent on the following Instagram profiles:
Swain Architecture Website
Website design and brand management for a Nottingham architectural practice
Project
We created the Swain Architecture website as well as designed their marketing materials including brochures, stationery, signage and the curation of their social media. In short we ensure that everything presented to the public is on-brand and represents their business.
We are proud brand directors and agency partners of Swain Architecture, a Nottingham based architectural practice. We monitor and apply their brand design to all their external communications in a way that expresses Swain Architecture’s design credentials and positions the business as being both professional and approachable.
Swain Architecture Website
User Experience
Simpkin Burley created a new digital user experience for Swain Architecture. As a design business, it was key that the visual feel of this website was representative of their high design standards.
Website Design
We created a clean layout in which we could add rich lifestyle imagery (courtesy of photographers Emily + Katy). Our design was based around explaining how to work with a residential architect and inspiring residential and commercial clients alike.
Positive Results
A Marketing Tool
As standard for Simpkin Burley websites, we ensured that Google Analytics were installed so that monitoring of marketing and campaign results can be monitored. We trained the Swain team to use the content management system and Analytics so that they can review our performance themselves.
Return on Investment
Within the first few months of launching the website visitor figures have more than doubled. Search engine listing has also improved, and Swain now rank on the first page in many searches. In turn this has meant more and better quality enquiries for our client and their growing business.
Office Signage Design
Simpkin Burley designed bespoke signage to be applied throughout Swain Architecture’s creative studio in Derby. The signage was designed to reflect the Swain brand as well as be a striking backdrop for video conferences and photography.
Brand Guardians
Simpkin Burley have been acting as Swain Architectures brand director for a number of years. We manage their marketing suite of materials including brochures that explain their services to potential clients and business stationery for the Nottingham based architectural practice.
Social Media
For visual businesses Simpkin Burley can provide social media management. Swain Architecture have a large back catalogue of fantastic imagery and a target audience who are eager to new ‘house inspo’. We post monthly digital campaigns, showing case studies and giving insights into the people and process behind the designs. We manage Instagram, Facebook and Linked In, and have grown their following as well as driven engagement which has led to strong growth of new enquiries.
Strata Homes
A bespoke presentation for Strata Homes, a high-end housing developer
Project
We designed a bespoke presentation for Strata Homes. A canvas bespoke presentation box and super-sized book to demonstrate the scale of the project and to showcase the proposals at an appropriate scale. Art directing specially commissioned photography for the project, we were able to incorporate the rich texture and heritage of post-industrial Sheffield into the design to convey a picture of the city quarter’s future potential.
Working alongside an expert team of masterplanners, architects and landscape designers the proposal analysed the history of Attercliffe, reviewed the City of Sheffield vision for the area, and utilised socio-economic understanding to create a development that would fit seamlessly into the wider area, kick-starting further regeneration.
Graphic Design for the Built Environment
A Bespoke Presentation
Simpkin Burley has a history of designing for the built environment and has strong opinions on how to design branding for destinations. We match local knowledge with compelling storytelling to elevate our clients’ offer.
Coordinating Content
Simpkin Burley Coordinated all input from eight consultants into one coherent story. The finished product read as one coordinated presentation which targeted the end-user: Sheffield City Council.
The Attercliffe Team
Project Team
Developer: Strata Homes
Developer: GMI Property
Masterplanning: Spawforths
Architecture: SMR Architects
Landscape Design: Gillespies
Photography: Rob Caddy
Storytelling & Graphic Design: Simpkin Burley
London City Airport
A B2B marketing campaign for London City Airport’s terminal for the future
Project
We created a B2B campaign creative for London City Airport’s terminal for the future. The airport wanted a way of promoting their new retail and leisure space to potential tenants to give a true sense of what to expect. The campaign features contemporary London design because, like the forthcoming terminal, this reflects the essence of the city.
Bold infographics, famous London quotes and a strong sense of storytelling enabled London City Airport Group to convey complex information. This enabled the business to market their offer to potential partners and enhance their brand.
B2B Marketing for Property
Customer Journey
Selling tenant space within a built environment is an area of expertise for us at Simpkin Burley. The London City Airport B2B marketing campaign walks potential tenants through the tender process in an easy-to-understand way. This was designed to increase the number of applicants for space and lead to better quality tenants.
Build Environment Specialists
Our team has over twenty years’ experience in designing marketing material to sell property together with understanding the customer journey of the built environment industry.
Sustainability and Graphic Design
Introduction
In this piece we’re discussing sustainability within the graphic design industry. While it might not be the first profession that springs to mind when you think of being good to the environment, there are plenty of areas where designers can do their bit for the good of the planet.
There is an increasing desire and pressure for companies worldwide to acknowledge their corporate responsibilities when it comes to the environment. Businesses can adopt sustainable practices to minimise the effects they are having on the world.
Print Less
Print Output
While technology is enabling us all to become paperless, there’s no denying that print still makes up a lot of the design industry’s output. Along with cutting down trees and using electricity, metal is also used in the production process. This can sometimes be overlooked.
Turning a Negative into a Positive
We think the attitude towards print could become a positive one. If we as designers, can create something that a recipient treasures and keep, rather than throw away, we can better justify printing.
Choose Sustainable Materials
Choice of Materials
It’s worth sourcing a sustainable paper manufacturer that is certified by a body such as the SFI, FSC or PEFC. Avoid using virgin materials, and use chlorine-free paper to reduce the harmful impact on the environment.
Re-use and Recycle
Whenever you use paper, ensure that as much as possible is recycled afterwards. Minimise the use of UV or foil coatings that might stop the finished product being recycled.
Use VOC-free ink
VOC Ink
Some inks used in printing contain pollutants or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are harmful to the environment. Only use VOC-free inks and check that all the printers that you work with do the same.
No Waste
It’s also important to minimise your use of ink by only printing where necessary. When designing printed materials, reduce bleed to minimise ink and paper wastage. This could have a good knock-on effect for the design project. Often we prefer a more minimal approach to design so the client’s message can achieve greater clarity.
Minimise Energy Consumption
Specification
Graphic designers often use powerful, high-spec’ computers that use a lot of electricity. This is on top of the energy required for lighting and heating. You can offset this consumption by choosing energy-efficient options. Turn lights and equipment off when they are not being used and switch to a green energy supply.
Natural Light
Our Mac’s are positioned close to natural light to avoid reliance on electrical lighting and all screens are chosen for their low energy credentials.
Provide Eco-friendly Options
Sustainability Built in to Our Process
Offering eco-friendly options to your clients is a great way to help them to understand the invisible waste that each process entails. This approach also promotes your own green attitude.
Lead by Example
Send invoices by email instead of post, provide green hosting options for using servers that use renewable energy. Offer Skype video calls instead of face-to-face meetings that require travel and work from home when appropriate.
Choose Clients Wisely
Knowledge and Communication
By choosing to work with a business, you are endorsing them and their company, so it’s important to know who you’re dealing with, and whether you’re comfortable with what they do.
Who to Work With?
While it would be great to only work with non-profit organisations and charities, the majority of businesses need to make money. You don’t have to turn down corporate offers to ensure your principles are maintained. If you make a business look good, they will probably make more money. Sustainability can be a win-win.
Our Sustainable Work
Kiran’s Packaging
Simpkin Burley created the packaging design for Kiran’s Spice Kits, which has a strong emphasis on sustainability. We sourced sustainable products for the printing and product packaging. Our design is 100% recyclable and biodegradable, including wood pulp bags instead of plastic.
Creating a Sustainable Brand
If, like Kiran’s, you have high aspirations for the sustainable credentials of your product, it can be a great selling point to use as a point of difference. To learn more about our Kiran’s design view our case study..
Manning Holden Architects Branding
Branding for Manning Holden Architects, a Derbyshire architectural practice
Project
We created a brand design and naming for Manning Holden, a Derbyshire architectural practice specialising in residential design. The business specialises in sustainable building practices and is family run. We steered the client to a name that included the founder and lead designers’ names. For a client to be working with a director whose name is ‘above the door of the company’ makes them feel like they are talking to a senior architect and that their project is important. It also suggests collaboration and partnership within the practice.
Manning Holden Architects is growing in recognition and have been commissioned to design many residential buildings in their target Derbyshire area. The practice continues to expand both in the scope of their projects and by employing local talent.
Brand Concept
Inspired by Materiality
Simpkin Burley chose to work with the business owners’ natural visual style and created a palette inspired by local architectural materials. We complemented this with simple but classic typography that reflects the business type and its aspirations to be an environmentally considerate designer.
A Brand Application Suite
As well as brand guidelines we produced a pocket-sized brochure to communicate the process of working with an architect. We also created a quality business card and site gear so that our client has a consistent look and feel at every touch point of their customers touch points.
Manchester Airport Group
Creative partner, designing marketing and advertising campaigns for Manchester and Stansted International Airports
Project
Simpkin Burley is a Manchester and Stansted International Airport creative partner to Manchester Airport Group (MAG). As well as ‘in-house’ campaigns we have also supplied creative for international travel brands such as Virgin Holidays and Singapore Airlines.
Working alongside MAG’s marketing team, we have created marketing and advertising campaigns, informational designs, promotion for their services and facilities, including large scale signage and wayfinding.
Manchester Airport T3 Wall
Large Scale Infographic
At Manchester Airport we used the existing Manchester Airport brand in a fresh and bold way to create an information corridor to promote their pre-flight services. We divided a 24 metres terminal wall into individual ‘fly poster’ designs, creating visuals and messaging that spoke to people on the move.
Design Impact on the Move
We combined striking imagery with simple statements that could easily be digested while walking. By taking this design approach, we were able to communicate a lot of information in a concise way.
Destinations Campaign
Promotion
To raise awareness of the many routes offered by Manchester International Airport, Simpkin Burley designed a versatile flyer. The design concept was influenced by an airport departures board.
Event Marketing Collateral
The flyer was designed to be updated and could be given different colour treatments to tie in with events that the airport attended as a business. The flyer was used at a several off-site events like Manchester Pride and events to promote their routes and services.
Price Guarantee Mark
A Mark of Quality
To promote food and beverage (F&B) tenants within their terminals, Manchester Airport engaged Simpkin Burley to design a price guarantee mark. The mark signified that operators of restaurants and bars were pricing competitively with the high street. The campaign aimed to dispel the myth that airports’ operators heavily mark up their food and beverages.
A Complementary Brand
The mark was designed to sit with Manchester Airports F&B tenants’ brands. This meant considering versatility, shape, size and end-user applications.
Creative Partner
Brand Guardians
With a working relationship dating back years, Simpkin Burley’s mission has always been to contribute to the strength and clarity of the Manchester Airport Group brand. Working with the company’s existing corporate identity, we consider ourselves responsible for the presentation of MAG’s brand in a consistent and creative way. We aim to tell their story and enable them to communicate clearly.
Support for Business
Working behind the scenes we have also worked on business presentations and tender support to ensure that Manchester Airport Group’s business runs smoothly and profitably. We also provide on-hand support for some of their airline and F&B partners.
