Engineering community together
element structural engineers
When we heard that a first-generation, Vietnamese woman-founded company was making waves in the Bay Area, we knew it would be a good match. Element is a passionate and diverse structural engineering firm with deep experience in affordable housing. Together, we helped guide their company through “awkward teenage phase” and elevated their brand into the highly-capable, tech-savvy, fun and sophisticated team that they are.
HOW WE HELPED
Market Research, Brand Strategy, Visual Identity, Collateral, Content Strategy, Social Media + Digital Marketing, UX & Web Design, Packaging Design, Workshopping
Photos by Panaskopic
WITH OUR SUPPORT, THEIR REVENUE DOUBLED in ONE year
With every project, we start by asking about business goals. Where do you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years? What is your exit strategy? With that clarity, we were able to help Element meet and exceed their own expectations. They hired 6 more employees, including one who looked exactly like the marketing persona we created for “Prospective Employee.” (He’ll never live it down…) They successfully expanded into their top two target sectors (healthcare and education), won work with their dream architect partner, and were awarded their first 6-story building project.
Website Redesign
Element’s website was redesigned down to the studs. We built a custom Wordpress site using our thorough UX design process, including card sort studies and accessibility best practices. Again, projects were organized based on the data, not just “what looks pretty.” Residential, commercial, healthcare and education emerged as the four logical containers for their work. Not because we said so, but because Element and their stakeholders did—and we listened.
Qualifications Deck
Normally, the qualifications package is a dry, utilitarian document passed back-and-forth between folks in AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) to introduce themselves. We looked at several, and thought… yawn. Especially since we discovered, through our market research, that architects are structural engineers’ #1 target clients. So, we designed something for them: a full-width, landscape, editorial/magazine style experience that would let the work speak for itself.
Content strategy plan
Thinking beyond brand and web to the platforms and channels that would drive traffic, we created a content strategy plan which considered audience types, editorial calendar and brand voice. We kicked off their social media marketing with scheduled posts, and provided reporting and recommendations based on engagement.
DIGGING INTO DEMOGRAPHICS
Our process began with deep market research. We conducted video interviews with 9 team members, and analyzed Element’s stakeholder survey, resulting in 51 comments. Findings were scrubbed into a report which informed brand strategy, and outlined opportunities for business development.
Email signature transformation
From the moment the client first emailed us, we knew there was an opportunity to do better. We transformed their email signature into a clean and functional design, while retaining the mandatory legal language necessary to protect Element and its clients.
File Naming Conventions
Another way we go beyond just providing creative support is noticing what is broken. Swapping creative for tech stack hat, we organized their image library using a file naming convention system built for their needs. In addition, we art directed a photoshoot for their staff from 2 states away that resulted in the perfect shots to represent their team: a team built from real people with real lives away from work who are fun, capable and a joy to work with.
