The Situation:

For over 30 years SDG has been a trusted supplier and expert in construction solutions. They aim to increase turnover significantly in the coming years by designing and manufacturing their own innovative, eco-responsible, secure products produced locally in the UK. Their first product involves designing and manufacturing a visible stair connector device with green and safety credentials, produced locally and sold on the global market. Other innovative products will follow.

Product benefits:

• Increased safety and structural benefits – a more solid and long-lasting solution
• Less manpower needed to complete the work
• Faster installation with less transportation of material to complete the work
• Greener footprint as it is made in the UK
• The simplicity of installation and more cost-effective than the competition

The brief:

My Approach to Brand Design for the Construction Sector:

After significant trademark name research and availability, we developed an extensive range of name solutions. The new name ‘STRUXXUR’ was agreed upon, which was Trademarkable and available as .com/.co.uk domains. The made-up name plays on the word structure with the ‘XX’ misspelling implying a doubling up of strength, safety and resolve.

From this I then designed a selection of visual identities based on the name for presentation, each incorporating the ‘XX’ feature. A clear favourite was identified with the ‘XX’ feature woven into the word itself and not sitting as an isolated marque/graphic. The ‘XX’ letter spacing allows the ‘XX’ to touch each other which suggests support and a secure connection. On the second ‘X’ the bars are slightly elongated, highlighting that the bars are possibly sliding into place, so there’s movement required to securely ‘connect’ the devices.

The bold font used is UPPERCASE, suggesting strength and longevity. The lines on the XX are perfectly aligned and parallel, which suggests accuracy. The green tones are used to represent the eco-footprint, which is so important for the client in this brand.

I developed a strapline “THE FUTURE OF INNOVATIVE CONNECTION SYSTEMS”. The products are innovative connection devices, which helps give a little clarity to the function and solution the ‘STRUXXUR’ range of products offers.

A complete Corporate Identity style guide document was created to ensure brand consistency and accuracy were adhered to across all marketing channels and ensure the product was instantly recognised even without the logo. The templates included details of the family font to be used, the colour palette, image style, stationery design layouts, dos and don’ts regarding sizing and colouring the logo, social media design style layouts, brochure template designs, signage, PowerPoint slides, exhibition panels and all manner of marketing collateral.