BRAND STRATEGIES
REBRANDING
EDUCATION PROGRAM
COMMUNICATIONS
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GENERATIONAL COMPANY REBRAND
CLIENT
Pat Bailey
Artisan Hardwood Floors
Contractor/Supplier Highend Hardwoods
B2B, B2C - Architect, Engineering, and Contractor (AEC), Homeowners
RESULTS
Significant increase in brand engagement
20% increase in new, incoming leads
12% increase in new clients
SERVICES
Brand Development, Brand Strategy, Visual Brand Design, Client Relationship Processes, Copywriting, Content Strategy, Web Design & Development, Sales Materials + Collateral, Social Media Marketing, Digital + Print Advertising, Email Marketing
With the leaders of Artisan Hardwood Floors, I brought their 50-year-old company into modernity while highlighting the integrity and values on which the business was founded. The visual brand and communication processes were restructured to appeal to modern audiences and create revolving, lifelong relationships for growth.
Artisan Hardwood Floors began in the 1960’s building custom furniture then quickly turned into custom-designed parquet patterns. From there custom hardwoods for floors, walls, and ceilings. Today, they work with some of the best architects and designers in the country. My extensive knowledge of the Architect, Engineering, and Contractor (AEC) sector lended well to their rebranding project.
Analysis of the current brand and market positioning identified the need for change. Over the years Artisan’s brand and visuals had become diluted and less impactful. It was no longer attracting new markets or expanding in its existing market. Engaging the AEC community directly and shifting direct focus from homeowners, while maintaining those B2C relationships was the end goal.
After conducting market research, analyzing consumer feedback, and evaluating their competitors, we developed a successful new marketing strategy focused on the brand and Artisan’s market differentiation. Not only did they receive a full visual rebrand, but I also worked with thought leaders in the target industry to share the Artisan story.
Processes and touchpoint systems were also created to ensure the cohesiveness of design and integrated messaging throughout the company.
In the end, we saw a significant increase in brand engagement across all platforms and a 20% increase in incoming leads.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDE
Artisan’s logo is intentionally simple and has been designed to create a solid foundation for the rest of the brand identity. It consists of the words “Artisan Hardwood Floors” in two typefaces and a single gray rectangle.
The rectangle is of drawn to the dimensions to a medium-length flooring plank and is the foundation on which the logo rests.
Artisan has an active social media presence with a loyal and engaged following. To cater to the special circumstances presented by social media applications, we have developed a standard profile image based on the styling of the logo. This helps ensure legibility and recognizability in small (often round) spaces on handheld devices.
However, it is important to not dilute Artisan’s image with multiple rogue and derelict accounts. So this should only be used on official Artisan accounts, which are managed by a single admin email address.
Artisan’s logo and brand style contain two typefaces (fonts): EB Garamond and Proxima Nova. They were chosen because they are readily available, easily readable, and when contrasted against one another, reflect Artisan’s relationship with the past and present.
There are many versions of the Garamond typeface. It was originally created, by hand, by Claude Garamond in Paris in the late 15th century. It is classified as an old-style serif font and was chosen to represent the historic nature of Artisan’s product and capabilities.
Proxima Nova is a modern hybrid sans-serif typeface designed by Mark Simonson in 2005. It was chosen to provide contrast against the more historic Garamond to highlight Artisan’s modern approach to business and environmentally conscious material choices.
Artisan’s color palette is intentionally monotonous, featuring a grayscale that leans slightly warm. This set of grays reflects the warm tones that define wood as a product and are a large part of the reason that natural wood is so desirable in a home environment.
We have also included Pantone Turquoise as our primary accent color. Partly because it offers a comfortable contrast to the grays, browns, and yellows that naturally occur, but also because it was the Color of the Year in 1971, the year it all began for us. This color ties us back to our past as a company and will us build a brand of elegance and refinement for the future.
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PROMOTE EXPERT STATUS
CLIENT
Pat Bailey
Artisan Hardwood Floors
Contractor/Supplier Highend Hardwoods
B2B, B2C - Architect, Engineering, and Contractor (AEC), Homeowners
RESULTS
Leads from Architects increased by 37%
Revenue increased by 41% in direct to Architect sales
64% increase sales referred by Architects.
SERVICES
Brand Development, Brand Strategy, Client Relationship Processes, Copywriting, Content Strategy, Sales Materials + Collateral, Print Mailers, Digital + Print Advertising, Email Marketing, Educational Course Creation
After an extensive rebrand, I worked with the leadership of Artisan Hardwood Floors to re-establish them as an expert in their industry. Analysis of the current brand and market positioning identified the need for change. Over the years Artisan’s brand had become diluted and less impactful. It was a new direction for the sales team and leadership was unsure, but the success was amazing.
Artisan Hardwood Floors began in the 1960’s building custom furniture then quickly turned into custom-designed parquet patterns. From there custom hardwoods for floors, walls, and ceilings. Today, they work with some of the best architects and designers in the country. My extensive knowledge of the Architect, Engineering, and Contractor (AEC) sector lended well to their project.
Building lifelong relationships with the AEC community and homeowners alike was the end goal. Studies have shown across age groups anywhere from 70-80% of people are brand loyal. I created and implemented a strategy to encompass the entire lifecycle of marketing, from awareness to referral.
With both internal and external data showing AEC seeks out extensive information on all products used, I developed a plan to set Artisan up as the go-to expert and supplier. We began by developing a series of Continuing Education Lectures for the American Institute of Architects and the Texas Society of Architects. The four-part series was presented at multiple conferences, in architect offices, and company-hosted events. I also worked very closely with the sales team to ensure messaging about the lecture series was uniform and frequent.
The decision to create four parts allowed us to spread the messaging out over an entire year - keeping Artisan at the forefront of industry news. After an entire year of running with this plan, we saw great results. Leads from Architects increased by 37%, revenue increased by 41% in direct to Architect sales, and 64% in sales referred by Architects.
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DIGITAL PROCESSES IN A TRADITIONAL INDUSTRY
CLIENT
Pat Bailey
Artisan Hardwood Floors
Contractor/Supplier Highend Hardwoods
B2B, B2C - Architect, Engineering, and Contractor (AEC), Homeowners
RESULTS
Increased referrals by 23%
Positive client reviews
Happier employees
SERVICES
Brand Development, Brand Strategy, Client Relationship Processes, Copywriting, Content Strategy, Sales Materials + Collateral
Artisan Hardwood Floors has long been part of the traditional side of the business - preferring a handshake to a contract, doing things well, and taking pride in their work. While those traditional business practices may need to adapt to modern tools and technologies, the underlying principles of customer focus, quality, and long-term relationships are very valuable. Leadership and I set out to combine the best of both to help Artisan thrive in today’s market. The implementation of new processes and tools has led to positive engagement from clients and employees.
Artisan Hardwood Floors began in the 1960’s building custom furniture then quickly turned into custom-designed parquet patterns. From there custom hardwoods for floors, walls, and ceilings. Today, they work with some of the best architects and designers in the country. My extensive knowledge of the Architect, Engineering, and Contractor (AEC) sector lended well to their project.
Building and maintaining lifelong relationships with the AEC community and homeowners alike was the end goal. In a multi-generational business like Artisan, referrals are almost everything. We plotted out the customer journey, evaluated existing clients on brand alignment, created a touch system, and implemented a new CRM system to track all of their touchpoints.
Cultivating processes that would create, maintain, and extend relationships with both AEC clients and homeowners was the goal. But, in the process of new processes, we also created an environment where employees across the company understood their place in the company. They finally understood how everyone could work together in the same direction with guidance from marketing strategies. In the end, referrals increased by 23%, positive client reviews were up, and Artisan had happier employees.
