Visual identity systems help real estate companies solve challenges.
Brand success, much like with a leading real estate firm, often starts with delivering one outstanding property. To expand and quickly develop new listings while scaling the brand portfolio, a visual identity system is essential. This system primarily addresses the challenges faced by the business.
Retain loyal clients: A real estate brand, effectively developed from a flagship property, maintains recognition and transfers brand equity to other listings.
Build trust with new clients: The existence of standard guidelines and principles within the visual identity speeds up the creation of marketing materials and ensures consistency across the brand’s visual elements. Consistency fosters trust.
Cut costs and save time when launching new properties: The process of developing new listings, ensuring consistency, and managing a real estate brand is becoming more streamlined, faster, and cost-effective with a clear visual hierarchy.
Keep clients informed about company changes: The brand system creates a sense of external harmony that conveys balance across all properties and services offered. Often, refreshing a visual identity is a way to make internal, unseen changes visible to clients.
Boost team morale: An appealing visual identity positively influences a team’s motivation and mindset, as it reflects the values and principles of the real estate company.
The real estate brand scaled its structure amid uncertainty.
At the project’s outset, the real estate team was unsure about how they wanted to scale their brand structure and the number of properties they aimed to manage. They suggested we collaboratively start with a concept they were eager to pursue: the flagship property. The team identified three focus areas: Location, Design, and Community. Alex Johnson, a designer, explored the Location aspect, while Jamie Lee focused on Design.
Our team began to work on the Community aspect, without strict guidelines on the direction to take. While the absence of boundaries might seem advantageous, it can complicate the task. There was uncertainty about the complete list of future properties, their number, or hierarchy. Additionally, there was no clear understanding of the specific requirements for the system regarding scalability and adaptability. Therefore, we needed to explore how to create cohesive property images and establish an expandable brand structure. To achieve this, we implemented our Design Funnel approach.
Real estate companies often face challenges when redesigning their brand identity.
Transitioning from an old brand identity to a new one can be particularly tough, especially when clients are accustomed to a specific logo and visual style. Our experience indicates that a real estate team typically requires at least two months to fully embrace a new identity. The longer a brand has been established, the more time this process demands, as brand identity is deeply woven into their properties, services, and the perceptions of their clients.
Sadly, some design agencies overlook this crucial aspect. These agencies may accept a redesign project without asking the right questions or dedicating enough time to research, only to vanish for weeks and return with a solution that might not resonate with the client.
While this approach can occasionally yield results, agencies that fail to collaborate closely with their clients are less likely to receive approval. Moreover, even a well-conceived design can be misinterpreted if the client lacks sufficient time to evaluate the new visuals, grasp the underlying concepts, and familiarize themselves with the new visual language.
If the process is rushed, clients may view the new identity as foreign and feel it lacks essential input from their team. The Design Funnel method addresses this issue by anticipating and resolving potential problems.
