When Seattle architect Tony Case contacted Design Kompany, he had a vision for a new web site to be something more than just a portfolio or a bulletin board for announcements. He was planning a big office move for his 10+ year-old company, Case Design and Project Management, and wanted something fresh to mark the new beginning for the firm.
We thought it was a great idea. And together with the whole Case Design team we arrived at the brand theme “more with less.” Case’s projects are not only sustainability-minded, they are about letting a thing be what it is and shine. About being conscious of the surrounding, and connecting with it to maximize synergy. The logo that came out of this process eloquently sums up these thoughts.
For the web site, the focus was to bring out Case Design and Project Management’s approach. They had a wish-list: link to their constituencies, showcase their work in a way that shows the process, communicate with their clients. Oh, and cook eggs and bacon in the morning (ha! that is definitely ahead of time). In short, community-oriented. Tony & the Co.’s style is definitely personable, and open. Reflecting that style, both in the design and feel, to the web site was paramount. It’s blog-based, with some custom functionality built-in that the members of the company can use easily to build contents.
Design Kompany knew just the right person to build the back-end. Web developer Mark Von Rosenstiel had created a snazzy web site for the student magazine The Internationalist and was super-savvy in the kind of design that takes advantages of existing systems and plug-ins. Design Kompany’s Akira Morita collaborated with Mark, and lead the Case team along the path to just the right system, and oriented the team with it so once built, they can be in the driver’s seat from the day one.
Which is exactly what happened. The site has been up for a few weeks now, and already there’s a ton of stuff to look at and explore; you can already feel the community forming around it. Well done, guys!
Case Design and Project Management
Case Identity Logo Design
“Tony Case Homes” on Flickr
“It” of Branding by Design Kompany
DK’s mantra: Make it tell a story
Also see:
D+A Studio Architects | Designing D+A Studio’s website
Group3 Architects LLC | Designing Group3 Architects’ website
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