PROJECT NEWS - CATEGORY: BRANDING

BRANDING: BLUEWAVE HITS HOUSTON

BlueWave Express Car Wash is an exciting new express car wash technology that is being debuted in Houston, Texas, in March of 2007. Emphasizing a fast, safe, clean and dry alternative to other car washes in the region, BlueWave's unique architecture and proprietary technology provide the perfect platform on which to build a dynamic, fresh brand, positioning BlueWave as the value leader in the industry. This project came to us through our work with Baysinger Partners Architecture and their visionary approach to partnering with clients.

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BRANDING: ARCHITECTS BUILD WEB PRESENCE

Building in the real world is nothing like building a site in cyberspace, as Baysinger Partners Architecture, PC, found when they set out to implement their brand on the web. A longtime client, Baysinger first called us in to help with a their corporate branding that started with renaming the firm to reflect changes in principals and direction. Talk about exciting! There's nothing better than getting in at the ground level with a savvy client willing to look outside the box for solutions.

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BRANDING: HIGHWAY RETAIL

Highway Retail, a commercial development company, was planning to open a chain of convenience store/carwash/gas station outlets in suburbs in the Midwest. It was targeted to appeal to a larger and more affluent demographic than the typical development in this category. It needed to appeal to women and families, and it had to upgrade the somewhat low-level image that many of these developments have. To appeal to women, we felt it had to have a more upscale image and feel like a safe place to go alone or with children. The process would culminate in a name for the developments, a logo and brand image, as well as a template for the interiors.

 The first step was to present "concept boards" to the client to firm up direction and suggest the materials that might be incorporated into the project. We presented two concepts, the first titled "Tuscan" that took a Starbucks-style approach, fairly conservative and nothing out-of-the-ordinary. The second was  "Streamline," that was more modern, brash and fun and would differentiate the Highway Retail concept from other developments around the country. Each concept met the design criteria set out by the client but solved them in different ways.

The client chose the "Streamline" concept, and we proceeded to develop the name, which became "The Market at (location)." The logo was a retro-cool vertical image, which led to the development of interior designs with bright "surfer" colors and textures on the signs, and metallic surfaces with water-themed murals inside.

BRANDING: CORONADO CAFE

The Coronado Cafe is a healthy juice bar and cafe that opened its first location in the Argyle Square development in Wilsonville. The owners had plans to open a few branches in the area, then possibly franchise the concept regionally and nationally. They had approached Baysinger Partners Architecture to design the interior, who brought us in to work on the branding strategy and then to collaborate with their staff on executing that strategy.

After meeting with the client to determine the basic strategy and direction for both the design of the interior and the branding, we developed concept boards that outlined the look and feel we were going for. Because of the name, we suggested a classic, beach-oriented concept that would differentiate them from the competition, most of whom are emphasizing a palm-tree, thatched-hut, surfer concept.

From that, interior concepts, colors and graphics were presented. They chose the "sun" concept and are the icon as a branding mark on cups, t-shirts and other products.