Smith Scott Mullan is a practice which has been going places, having recently relocated to the seat of Scottish architecture – Rutland Place. While its physical address hit the spot its web identity had become outdated, prompting them to reach out to 39Steps for a much-needed refresh. Here the team take us through the process of evolving an established brand and website identity for today’s needs.
Smith Scott Mullan Associates outgrew their offices in Leith 2 years ago and made the move to Rutland Square in Edinburgh’s west end. Naturally, this meant a change of address, but while their shiny new offices looked great internally, externally, the company’s brand and website hadn’t evolved in over a decade.
As the main ‘shop window’, the website came under initial scrutiny. Having been created 10 years ago, it looked dated, didn’t function as well as it needed to and was no longer a true reflection of the team and their work.
No-one was that keen to direct prospective clients to it and that was a problem. With a thriving team and an enviable client folio, it HAD to look good.
Rick McCluggage, an experienced architect and one of the four directors, reached out to 39steps’ after seeing their work for others within the construction sector.
During the initial discovery call, it was clear that the actual challenge was around the brand identity, and there was a real opportunity to strengthen this.
In a sea of ‘greige’ architects who all look and say the same thing, how to stand out?
Julie Diver, Managing Director of 39steps says, “Many think that branding is just slapping a logo on a letterhead and popping up some slick photos on a site. And if you’ve got a dodgy copy of Photoshop, you’re pretty much a designer. But a brand is so much more, and Rick and the team understood the importance of that from the beginning.”
Through a series of team workshops, client feedback and industry research, 39steps unearthed what makes the Smith Scott Mullan team special.
“Our job is to find out what makes a company tick – who they are as people and their business objectives. We help them to get clear on their message and who it is they want to work with. It means the subsequent work we go on to create – rebranding, new messaging and a strong brand toolkit – feels right, reinvigorates and empowers the team to reach those markets, confidently and consistently.”
Keen to go against the typical light-grey-and-tiny-type combo that many architectural practices favour, thinking it looks understated (it doesn’t) and timeless (2004, anyone?) Julie says, “We sought to reflect the team’s verve and essence that became apparent during our workshops, to create a look that felt sophisticated with a pop of colour.
It became apparent that the word ‘Associates’ was no longer needed, but the names carried weight with a good reputation.”
39steps presented several concepts and the chosen one was inspired by the simplicity and elegance of angles prevalent in architects’ drawings. As well as the logo, there is now a suite of bespoke icons and pattern assets to enhance Smith Scott Mullan’s material, with brand guidelines on how to use them.
Alongside the rebranding project, the website started to take shape. As Julie says: “Sites always take time and can feel overwhelming for clients to embark on, but regular check-ins with key team members keeps the project moving and helps clients to feel informed.”
The site now has clear messaging that feels like them along with newly commissioned team photos, conveying the right tone to their clients and prospects. Projects are structured in a way that make sense to the business’s ideal prospects, with the all-important social proof of testimonials – something that previously the practice didn’t display.
There’s also succinct info about the services, and crucially, a great ‘People’ area so prospects can see who it is they’d potentially be doing business with.
“Our new website is so much more positive, identifiable and accessible. The site now clearly shows off our two main assets – our fantastic staff team and the work that we do.” says Rick. “We are now able to quickly convey who we are, what we do, the services we offer and the sectors we work in.”
Along with the new look and feel, the team has a set of easy-to-use on-brand templates and guidelines so they can easily create great-looking material, whether that’s a bid document, case study, presentation or a even a simple social post – confidently and consistently.
Rick says “We are delighted with our new branding and identity… it represents our practice as a creative team underpinned by experience, specialist knowledge and heritage. We have a bold new logo and brand colours, and templates that bring a consistency across our work.”
“Feedback from our staff team, clients and collaborators so far has also been extremely positive” Rick goes on to say.
“A big thanks to the team at 39steps for all their guidance, expertise and hard work on this project, we really enjoyed the whole process.”
Julie finishes, “Rick and James at Smith Scott Mullan were great to work with, taking on board all our recommendations. For us, nothing beats seeing our clients embrace their marketing using the strategies and assets we’ve given them. Can’t wait to see where it takes these guys next!”