Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Sheel Damani

The part where we go from generic to specific.

Most companies face this: “Misunderstood image.”

Either it is neutral or negative. Hard to recall or invisible. Alternately, a new one is demanded due to business evolution or scaling up. Mostly a mix with variable parameters.

If you didn’t know, brands have emotions (read emojis) too.

This was my design problem for an Architect’s firm:

[Vitan Architects] was looking to solve their [branding] problem because they felt [people did not perceive them up to the level of their work]. After [25 years of being established] they thought [their image needs to match their work experience and expertise].

The critical word is “felt.” Intangible notions call for a qualitative study, where insights are found. And feelings cause cavities. Unmet goals, comparison, and aspiration are at work; rotting the wisdom tooth.

Dig them.

All three are subjective and emotional. Making a gap, every leader wishes to fill with urgency.

I asked the team about their competitors and short-term objectives. I studied other companies they aspire to become. The exercise helped us draw a realistic picture of their aims mapped against the possible stages to achieve them.

Here is a snippet from the founder’s interview —

Every project I have designed has a unique solution, no cookie-cutter concepts. How can I crisply show all with versatility and yet bring out the width of projects?

I don’t want to “sell” our capacity to handle large-scale projects. Our story should show it.

Our clients value us and come back. The focus is on attracting new ones at the next level.

I also want people to stop thinking that we have a flexible (or bargainable) pricing, by design. We deliver value. Period.

How we got Specific?

The founder had a story to tell (in 200 slides! This is an accurate figure).

Moreover, during one of the sessions, we also spoke about the core team facing a communication gap with the rest of the people. The leadership had a vision and philosophy that most weren’t aware of. The company’s legacy, projects, strengths and business approach were not a coherent value system on a day-to-day basis.

He had a great story. But they did not have it handy—to build a coherent team, business, and brand around it.

What was Asked?

A new website for Vitan Architects to reflect their design philosophy, projects, and bright minds to find solutions.

What was Needed?

A coherent brand story as credentials to do the same. Pool projects into discreet pockets to communicate the design value, approach and impact. Say a story that’s real, pleasing to hear, relevant and says it all—to the team, new recruits and clients alike.

They needed a documenting system that showed design strengths and business skills with brevity.

The task at hand: Dig down twenty years to trace the company’s growth, evolution and project stories.

The tight spot was pushing the team to collect data. Balancing their busy schedule, hinting this to be as critical as ongoing projects— and to make sure the output gives us useful raw material. Phew!

A Project Brief is not Set in Stone. Question it.

There is always more to the system than it appears. Vitan Architects thought a new website would quickly rebuild their brand image. My intervention helped us find the real problem. Organise information internally first, identify a process and create a compelling story anywhere using this method.

If another professional had stepped in to create that website as asked, the company wouldn’t be able to share its story meaningfully right away. Because all they had were scattered pieces in hidden corners.

Documenting work is always sidetracked. A classic example is this case study for a project from 2015. 👀

Thank you for taking an interest in my process (and reading this all the way). If you have examples of twisting project briefs, I am all ears.

Next in Line:
• Weaving the brand story (2/3)
• Adding Business Logic to the Brand Story (3/3)

Case Study: Architects at Work (1/3) was originally published in prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Case Study: Architects at Work (1/3)

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