Modernizing Historic Preservation

Hammel Associates Architects, LLC was a trusted name in historic preservation for the historic South Eastern, Pennsylvania area. As the Lead Architect was taking ownership of the firm, he wanted to update the branding of the firm but also maintain the trust and reputation they had built over 22 years of maintaining and rehabilitating 200+ year old buildings.

As their in-house Marketing Manager, I was tasked with creating a brand for them as well as maintaining their brand through designing the RFP Proposals.

Old School vs. New School

Trends in architecture were changing and now were accounting for green spaces and energy efficiency. The challenge was to create a brand and proposal template that ensured historic commissions Hammel would maintain the integrity of the historic buildings while communicating to the new generation of City Councils that Hammel has the experience to make historic buildings sustainable.

Branding Choices

The color brick was a major theme in many of Hammel's existing project photos. Brick, one of the old building materials known to man, has always been known for its strength and insulation. When it was invented around 7000 BC, it represented a modernization in human housing that has lasted through to this day. Brick was chosen to pay homage to the history of shelter and warmth brick has given us and to it's sustainability throughout the ages.

Since Hammel was not previously branded, I chose Optima as their main font for it's clean lines and it's classic, but modern profile.

Architecture is Sexy

The crown jewel of Hammel Associates Architects' had to be their proposal responses. As architecture photography is a whole art in itself, it was important that I highlight the incredible photography as the centerpiece to showing Hammel's experience and abilities. Architecture RFPs have a tendency to be lengthy and technical, though most of the stakeholders in any public architecture project aren't engineers or technical in anyway. The challenge was to create a proposal that could fully respond to the specific RFP's request but also be accessible to Marketers, neighbors, and council members. By combining Hammel's incredible photography with fresh copy, I created a layout for the proposals that broke up dry and technical information with visuals that can be understood by everyone.

The Art of Good Design

It wasn't hard to find the beauty in Hammel's creativity and capabilities as the art in architecture spoke for itself. The leadership at Hammel Associates Architects understood the power of good design and went out of their way to invest in beautiful photos and robust brand. This led to the firm securing more LEED, new build, and modern projects, expanding their market and increasing revenue.