Edward Architects
With multiple awards under its belt, Edward Architects is a RIBA chartered practice with a dedication to providing a client-focused and personable service. This clear, practical and collaborative approach wasn’t reflected in the firm’s website and branding, so TBB were brought in to help reflect the team’s vision for the business and emulate the quality and style of its work.
The challenge
Multi-award-winning Edward Architects needed a website that reflected the premium quality, adaptable, and easy-to-manage services the firm held a solid reputation for. Given that 90% of the company’s business came from referrals, the team wanted the website to be visually compelling and user-friendly to effectively engage visitors.
On top of this, the firm’s existing branding – from its visuals to its tone of voice – did not communicate the sleek, contemporary aesthetic of the firm’s projects, or values of simplicity, practicality, and people-focused projects. Edward Architects approached The Bigger Boat with a brief to develop a new website and rebrand that made these values instantly clear to any potential clients.
Our solution
Building a website is a lot like building a house – you need a solid foundation. And so, to guide Edward Architects towards its vision, we held a brand workshop with the team. We spent the day pinning down the firm’s brand personality, values, and reason for being, which informed the refreshed brand identity and tone of voice (TOV).
As an extension, we crafted brand guidelines, and TOV guidelines (inspiring, insightful, honest, and conversational), allowing the firm to bring its philosophy and personality to life at every client touchpoint. A huge takeaway from this was to ensure that people were at the heart of everything.
To communicate the practice’s effortless expertise, inspirational design, and value-led solutions, we made sure to breathe these qualities into the branding, website development, and tone of voice.
Visually, our designers pared everything back, with a refreshed colour palette. Dark greys and greens paired with beige provided warmth, and orange served as the pop of colour to bring attention to calls to action, client testimonials, and emphasised text. We also updated the serif typography for something a little friendlier – nothing too corporate in look and feel.
Additionally, we added hand-drawn elements for CTAs as a subtle nod to the architectural industry - the Edward team are often sketching, planning, and highlighting areas of importance. Since people are the most valuable asset to them, we wanted images of the team up front and centre. We also highlighted the team’s quick-fire values and what they stand for in the footer.
With simple, warm, yet no-fluff copy, we ensured the customer journey was one of ease. This all emulated the firm’s cool, contemporary, people-focused nature, allowing the architectural visuals to speak for themselves. The result? An evolved brand comprising updated design elements, tone of voice, and website that reflects the brand’s vision now and well into the future.
This evolution was rolled out across branding and marketing collateral. Thanks to its rebrand, Edward Architect now clearly distinguishes its unique qualities, standing out from competitors while staying true to its values, mission, and personality across all platforms.
Courtney Taylor
Account manager, The Bigger Boat
Becky Edward
Practice manager, Edward Architects
