Case Studies

DevCo Residential Group Brand Strategy & Visual Identity

A successful multifamily housing developer in Washington State wanted an intentional brand to highlight their unique qualities and align their team as they expanded nationally. 




The Sitch

Making an Impact in Washington State, but Ready to Go Further

DevCo was an extremely successful housing developer in Washington, building affordable, multifamily homes. As they continued to grow and expand their presence across the country, the organization knew it was time to be more intentional about their brand. They needed to find a memorable way to communicate who they are and what makes them unique to investors, communities, and residents. DevCo also knew they needed a scalable brand strategy  that could keep pace with them as their growth continued.

Another challenge the team faced was that their company was actually made up of four organizations, including:

  • HNN Communities: A property management company
  • DevCo: A development company working in Washington
  • DevCo Restoration: A development company working around the U.S.
  • Heartland Construction: A construction company located in Washington

Their goal was to unite the four different companies under a single brand. 

The Solve

A Thoughtful Process Allowed DevCo to Put Their Best Foot Forward

ABN led DevCo through a full brand development process. The process began with an in-depth investigation, including a comprehensive audit and audience research. During this stage, ABN dug into the positioning of DevCo’s competitors, evaluated current collateral for strengths and weaknesses, and queried the people who knew the organization best for insights on key opportunities.

Equipped with this information, ABN then built out a set of brand drivers using a workshop-focused process. Brand drivers are the core concepts behind any brand, meaning the key descriptors that make a business unique and allow it to stand out from the crowd. In DevCo’s case, these drivers included a brand essence, promise, attributes, personality, and positioning statement.

Together, these drivers created a portrait of DevCo’s specific story and offered a foundation to build out the following:

  • An evaluation of whether to continue using DevCo as the company’s official name, or find a new name. Ultimately, DevCo came to a decision that evolving their name from DevCo LLC to DevCo Residential Group was the right change.
  • A recommendation for an endorsed brands architecture. This structure would allow DevCo to retain flexibility throughout and beyond their current expansion while keeping all four companies closely connected and aligned.
  • A visual identity and style guide design process. This iterative process allowed DevCo to narrow in on how they wanted their brand to be expressed visually. It included specifics around logo design, colors, typography, photography, graphics, communication, and brand voice.

DevCo - Brand Drivers




The Results

A Unique Brand That’s Ready to Grow

The DevCo team was highly engaged throughout the entire brand development process, helping narrow in on the drivers, name, architecture, and visual identity that best expressed their company’s unique story. Now they’ve taken the lead on aligning their internal growth strategies and teams around the brand strategy. 

DevCo is now positioned to grow in an intentional way, becoming a national player in multifamily housing development, with a unified brand identity that connects and aligns all DevCo entities.

DevCo - The Results 1

DevCo - The Results 2

 

A Brave New guided the process of understanding what made DevCo and its family of brand unique. Throughout, our team listened and collaborated with the DevCo team, and provided us key input on messaging and design to ensure their new brand reflected both who they are and where they’re going. The result is a re-brand that has created excitement in their organization and helps them stand out in a crowded industry.




Josh Dougherty
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