Case Study: Melling Brand Sprint

Project Overview

Name of the Project: Brand Sprint

Client: Melling Interior Design (Vancouver)

Goals and Objectives:

Melling came to us looking to refresh their brand and website with visuals that reflect their sleek and modern style (which we are absolutely obsessed with, might I add). We were biting at the chomp getting ready start this Brand Sprint and to help them achieve their main goals of elevating their brand, attracting high-value clients and expanding into more custom residential spaces. No small task! But we were all up for it.

Research and Analysis

Market Research:

We kicked things off with some deep-dive competitor research, checking out how their direct competitors were branding themselves online and across social media. In an industry like Interior Design, it’s key to have a stand-out brand that doesn’t overpower your interior design portfolio, but that can sometimes lend itself to flat, barely existent branding. So, we got to action planning on how we could tackle this challenge.

Audience Insights:

We developed a muse archetype to guide our project. In our Brand Sprints we focus a bit more on tangible specifics rather than developing a whole personality – this works really well with our limited timeframe and still allows us to approach our concepts with a strong direction. Here's a quick rundown of what Melling came up with for their muse:

• Age: 35 - 54
• Gender: Female
• Income: $100k+
• Marital Status: Married
• Education: College/University
• Born in: Canada
• Spending Habits: Style, self-care, experiences, travel, family, self-development, technology
• Living Area: Suburban + Urban

Main Challenges:

The big challenge was creating a brand that appeals to high-value customers while fitting seamlessly into Melling's interior design style. We needed something neutral enough to complement and not overpower their work, but bold enough to stand out in their market; and if our research taught us anything, it was that this wasn’t going to be the easiest of tasks, but perseverance is our middle name, and that we did.

Design Process

Day-by-Day Breakdown:

• Day One:
  • Typically our Brand Sprints live entirely online, including our kick-off call, but we had the distinct pleasure of having Laura Melling (Founder and Creative Director) flying in from Vancouver for an in-person session! We’re always delighted to play host so having this opportunity made everything feel even more special.
  • During our meeting, we were able to hash out any lingering questions and outline the week's plan, plus a bit of gab, because of course.
  • Once we had all of our Qs answered we moved right into the moodboard phase and started creating 3 distinct moodboards, presented them, had Laura’s choice by early afternoon, then a quick pivot into concepting.
• Day Two:
  • We spent the day fleshing out our concepts, assembling the brand presentation, brainstorming taglines, the brand statement and drinking a fair bit of caffeine.
  • It was a busy day for us, but pretty chill on the Melling side.
• Day Three:
  • We presented our brand concepts in the early afternoon, the folks over at Melling took their allotted hour to chose their favorite, and we made some very small tweaks based on their feedback.
  • After the tweaks were signed off on, we packaged everything up and started on the remaining brand assets. Brand = done and dusted.
• Day Four:
  • We had an early morning call to discuss web development and also to gush about how much Grant and Melling were an absolute match made in heaven.
  • The rest of the day was heads down, focused web work.
• Day Five:
  • We sent a website preview to Melling, incorporated their feedback, and made some final tweaks.
  • Launched the site, celebrated et voila!
    • Also based on our mutual obsession with each others’ studios, Melling decided they wanted us to build out the remainder of their site, and of course we said 1000% YES.

Implementation

Platforms:

We mainly focused on their website, and social profiles. We included some brand usage examples in their brand guide as well to help direct them as they continue to build their materials.

Strategies for Brand Consistency:

We kept colors and typography streamlined and made sure the images provided by Melling weren't overpowered by the new brand elements. We reflected that in our mockups, web design and gave them plenty of instructions in their brand guide on how to achieve everything moving forward. We worked collaboratively to find the best use cases for certain brand elements, colours and typography to ensure they were all on board.

Results and Impact

Outcomes:

We delivered a fresh new brand and website for Melling. The whole process was smooth and collaborative, which lead to additional work for our team – everything we could ask for and more. We're confident the new brand and site will attract dream clients who share Melling's values and keep their momentum going as one of Vancouvers most elite interior design studios.

Client Response:

The fact that they decided to expand the project scope is a phenomenal benchmark of a happy client, so we’ll take that as a huge win. They were engaged and enthusiastic throughout, which made the process even more enjoyable and motivating for us.

Measurable Impacts:

We can’t wait to update this in a few months once Melling officially launches!

Reflection

Successes:

Our collective communication was on point. Melling’s clear and concise feedback, along with their positive reinforcement, kept us motivated to deliver our best work, and frankly, we’re all obsessed with the outcome.

Challenges:

A 5-day timeline is always a bit of a challenge, but one that we absolutely love. Melling’s responsiveness and vision made it so easy that we basically blinked and 5 days were over. So a challenge it was, but a very enjoyable one.

Lessons Learned:

Working with clients who share our values, communication style and vision is something we never take for granted. This project reinforced the importance of client compatibility in achieving top-notch results, and it’s always good to have a really strong reminder of that every once in a while. While there were a few processes that we’ll be tweaking based on our crunchy timelines during this project, overall, we couldn’t be more pleased with this project from top to tail.

Melling + Grant = <3