You may have already noticed but we have just undertaken an extensive and complete redesign of our branding and website. We decided to do this in order to modernise our branding and bring it in line with modern trends but also to more accurately reflect the services we offer to our clients.
Here we have detailed the design journey we went on, how we arrived at the final look and the process of implementing the stunning online presence you see today. It turned out to be very similar to many of our fit out and refurbishment projects!
Step 1: Logo
Arguably the most vital component in any company branding, we decided that the best place to start would be our logo as we felt our current one was slightly outdated and didn’t match the high quality service we offer. This would help us establish a new identity and provide us with the perfect foundations to build on regarding the rest of our brand.
To give us some inspiration we drew up a shortlist of ten different logo designs, all varying in look and feel. We also placed these logos on varying colour backgrounds to help us envisage a potential new colour scheme as we knew we wanted a logo that could be dynamic and flexible, something which we couldn’t do with our old logo due to the colour scheme and ‘cube’ graphic.
After careful consideration we settled on a logo which gave us the flexibility we wanted but also more accurately encompassed us as a company. As you can see below it’s a real drastic change from our previous logo!
Step 2: Website Design Process
Once our logo design was finalised, we could begin to plan out how we’d like our website to look. In order to accommodate the new logo we knew that we wanted a more minimalist design that put the focus on our incredible project photos, therefore it was important to use bright colours sparingly.
Very much like generating 3D renders for our clients, we created a number of different mockups and colour schemes in order to help us imagine what the website may look like with the new logo.
Although the mockups looked great we still didn’t think they quite matched what we envisioned for the final design. As an alternative we chose to use our brand new Brochure as inspiration. We opted for a more full width design that would allow us to make our images much larger and a mostly monochrome colour scheme that would put the emphasis on our content.
Step 3: Implementation
In order to allow our team to get an idea of how the new website would function, fully working test pages were created with the proposed design in place. After we identified and addressed some final tweaks the design was signed off and we were ready to begin.
A splash page with our important information was created and temporarily replaced the website so no clients could see the website under construction. Main design elements such as the logo, colour scheme and page layouts were adapted to fit the new look while content was carefully examined and updated. We also made the all-important change of making content wider on the screen in order to make our images much larger.
The website was back up and running after only 3 days of downtime, minimising inconvenience for our clients!
Step 4: Final Product
We’re extremely proud of what we’ve created. Our new branding and website design perfectly encapsulates what we’re about and what we offer to our clients. The monochrome colour scheme allows our stunning imagery to come to life and be the centre of attention, while our simple and minimalistic page layouts makes it easier to navigate.
See below for a before and after comparison:
Keep your eyes peeled on our website as coming soon will be details on exciting completed projects as well as brand new features to enhance our online experience. Also expect to see our new branding across our social media profiles.
We’d love to hear what you think of our new branding and website and if you’re interested in refurbishing your existing office or fitting out a brand new space please give us a call on 0800 6347 415 or drop us an email on sales@4sws.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!