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Branding for real estate developments

Real estate branding from a design and marketing firm like AKSENT is about creatively packaging all the entities of the real estate company with the aim of communicating the benefits and identity associated with the brand thereby successfully positioning it to consumers.

Businesses that are planning to be in real estate development for a long period of time should always build a strong master brand and not only projects. The master brand is where the value resides and travels once projects are finished and sold out. The gain in equity and value every time the brand has a successful project will feed the image of the project and the image of the master brand simultaneously.

Branding basics in real estate are no different from other sectors; what’s different is the special dynamics of the business. Before beginning any brand project though, one needs to understand why it is needful to do so.

IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING A BRAND

• Identification- in that the buyer is identifying with a certain lifestyle and taste associated with the brand. With that, a design firm needs to develop a consistent real estate brand in terms of colour palettes, logo, font styles that can define corporate identity and allow the brand to stand out from the competition.
• To establish credibility and a record of accountability- Knight Frank researched branded and non-branded property developments in 17 global cities and found that developments linked to well-known designers or labels were around a third more valuable that similar plots nearby.
• High Clientele-With a trusted credible brand comes a high clientele not just in numbers but in quality; credible clients deal with credible brands.
• Citing innovation in the property market-a real estate brand is able to come up with unique concepts that distinguish it from its competitors.
Questions To Ask Before Beginning A Brand Project For Real Estate

1. What are the consumers buying into? Consumers are buying into the sense of the place and the feeling of the community. Once you understand your consumer you are able to develop a connection and trust in them that the brand can grow upon and establish.
2. What are the consumer’s expectations? Whether its luxury or affordable living, the brand image is a silent promise to consumers on what they are going to receive from the brand, therefore it is paramount that the brand delivers what they promise in order to develop trust with their clients and establish brand equity.
3. How is the brand positioning itself differently from others?
This is where creativity and concept are born. Let’s take the case scenario of a real estate development company that values the natural flora; the favorable theme to run with when branding such a company is an ‘eco friendly’ theme.

DEVELOPING A BRAND-DESIGN

Concept

In order to create brand identity, one must understand the core concept that sets the brand apart from its competitors. For example as previously described, a real estate development company that values the natural flora can be branded with an eco friendly theme that revolves around green palettes and imagery from nature.

Application

This is the stage whereby concept materializes creatively into stationery, websites, Flyers, Brochures to position the brand image to its consumers.

Consistency

Elements used to identify the brand materials such as colours, logo, shapes, and font styles should be repeated throughout all branding materials to create familiarity for the brand in the consumers mind and for easy identification.

Creativity

The brand materials are key to making the brand stand out and since mediocrity won’t do the trick, exceptional and innovative design will help position the brand to stand out from its competitors.

NOTE- Avoid over-branding by keeping branding efforts to key developments which have the potential to become lifetime brands i.e. Destinations, Communities and Icons – Smaller developments would fall under these 3 groups, possibly as a sub-brand because people and customers will not remember several individual brands and will not be able to have meaningful relationships or even perceptions about a growing number of projects and developments.

DEVELOPING A BRAND- STRATEGY

POINTS TO CONSIDER

• A real estate developer in the process of establishing a brand name will make his presence felt at major real estate events such as property exhibitions, and will regularly offer new projects to buyers at such events. He thus puts his company into the limelight.
• Projects that are prominently advertised in leading property-related publications and other periodicals create interest with consumers. With repetitive exposure by such media, a brand name gets firmly imprinted in the minds of property buyers.
• A branded developer is aware of having a reputation to protect and live up to. This is evident in conscientious choice of location, superior amenities and quality of construction.
• A branded builder is a trend-setter on the property market – in other words, the rates he charges in his projects will often decide the rates that other projects of similar configurations in the same locality will charge.
• Make sure that all projects are successful in their own areas and for their specific target groups so the master brand value will keep growing.
•Always build a master brand not only project brands.

To conclude, behind all propositions such as all-in-one place”, “waterfront living”, “themed communities”, “good investment” we can find one Core Promise that real estate brands should be offering, it is the promise of a “better life” – If you want to build a brand in real estate, never break that promise.

Finally, a respected brand image is a developer’s most valuable asset.

– Aina Kiwelu

The chair

Timeless Design

So far, no one has put a number on timeless design as far as years are concerned; how long does a design have to last to be called timeless? For this reason I don’t believe in timeless design rather I believe that design can be timely. Sure, a good design can last for three generations but I believe that one day or time it will fade into the background and transition gracefully into vintage. Examples of industrial designs that have stood the test of time so far are: the piano(300 years and counting), the rounded clock, the fork and knife and even the mundane plate; In graphic design we have a number of logos that are no competition to the industrial designs but have lasted long enough to be considered `timeless’. Such examples are: Coca cola, Apple, BMW, Nike, Addidas, Mc Donald’s so on and so forth.

WHY HAVE THE ABOVE DESIGNS BEEN CONSIDERED TIMELESS?

INDUSTRIAL
I began by studying Dieter Rams, one of the world’s best industrial designers of our times. My research quickly lead me to discover Rams Criteria to good design which he formed after asking himself a very simple straight forward question, is my design good design?

Good design is:
1. Is innovative – The possibilities for progression are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for original designs. But imaginative design always develops in tandem with improving technology, and can never be an end in itself.

2. Makes a product useful – A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic criteria. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could detract from it.

3. Is aesthetic – The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

4. Makes a product understandable – It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self explanatory.

5. Is unobtrusive – Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

6. Is honest – It does not make a product appear more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

7. Is long-lasting – It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

8. Is thorough down to the last detail – Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

9. Is environmentally friendly – Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

10. Is as little design as possible – Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

GRAPHIC DESIGN.

When I study all the logos mentioned previously and their historic backgrounds, I quickly understand that no good logo is designed vacuously, rather each logo has a strong thought behind it.

One such example is the Apple logo which was referred from the Biblical story of Adam and Eve; the apple represents the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, with a pun on `byte/bite’. Rob Janoff, the logo designer, said in an interview that though he was mindful of the `byte/bite’ pun (Apples slogan back then; Byte into an apple), he designed the logo as such to “prevent it from looking like a cherry tomato.”

Another good example is the BMW logo; its medallion represents a propeller of a plane in motion, and the blue represents the sky. This is because BMW has built engines for the German military in World War 2.

Other than a good thought behind a logo, execution is paramount and so far I have noticed a simplified approach to `timeless’ logo design with all these Key factors in mind:
1. Easily identifiable
2. Can be easily reproduced
3. Visually appealing
4. Target market is in mind
5. Unique

In conclusion, ‘timeless’ design especially industrial is birthed from necessity while `timeless’ graphic design is birthed from concept.

Here at Aksent, we deliver nothing but the best in design, making sure that our clients experience nothing but the best designs, second to none. We make it our mission to take our clients brands to the next level and add some 0’s to their bottom line.

– Aina Kiwelu, Creative, AKSENT Ltd

Where is the president? Look for the Presidential Standard

We took on the project of redesigning the President’s Standard – a flag raised when the President is in the vicinity.

The previous standards we have had in Kenya look like this:

Mzee standard 1

President Kenyatta’s Standard from 1963 to 1970.

Mzee standard 2

President Kenyatta then had his Standard redesigned to look like the above, this stayed with him until his death in 1978.

moiStandard

President Moi had the above standard from 1978 to 2002.

kibakistandard

President Kibaki followed with the above until 2013.

uhurukstandard

The current standard looks like the above.

The president has too much content on his flag, the acknowledgement and respect due his father in the use of so many similar elements is noted, but, this can be done a fresh way, a way that reflects the spirit of his “digital” nation and its aspirations.

We developed the following motto and used it as the basis to develop President Uhuru’s new Standard: With a solid foundation, any dream can be realised.

The simple motto covers a lot, it acknowledges Mzee Kenyatta’s huge role in President Uhuru’s and indeed Kenya’s past. It also, however, embraces the dreams of Kenyans who everyday wake up to chase their dreams.

The Standard we developed owns this history in a unique yet clear manner while acknowledging the President’s new role as the custodian of the dreams of Kenyans through the use of the symbol Kenyans used to show who they charged custodian of these dreams, the TNA dove.

The whisk represents President Uhuru’s lineage and his raising. The dove peeking from behind the whisk represents the President’s journey from under his father’s shadow to create his own vision for his future and that for Kenya.

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TYPOGRAPHY – Simply Put – Simply written – Simply Understood

Let me start of by saying that typography is an art – that said – it is the responsibility of every typographer to uphold the aesthetics of the typefaces and not degrade them.

Two responsibilities that we bear as designers when using type are, to make the readers experience pleasurable and lastly we owe a responsibility to the typefaces we employ.

 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Serifs or San-serifs?

Discussions on which one is better when it comes to extended text has been quite pointless. It’s been said that san serifed type is better for extended text because they lead your eye along…, all I can say is , what is readable is credible! Decide for yourself!

 

Is It Safe?

In web design and development, this is a matter of whether the font will show up on the users interface. The font that you use on your design projects might not be available on the viewer system. Choosing type for the web is easier owing to fewer choices; however, that’s beginning to change. We now have sIFR and ‘web fonts’, so it’s all the more important to think carefully about the type we use.

Honor Content

Typography is a craft by which the meanings of text (or its absence of meaning) can be clarified, honored and shared…
Robert Bringhurst

If the content is for example about love, your type face should be easy and dreamy with exaggerated curls to express the heights of love and romance – let the type face represent and communicate the content appropriately.

Simply, read it

When you are setting up text and your done, read it – really read it. Ask yourself, is it easy to read? Does it bore you every time you have a fresh look at it? and even when in doubt you can always ask other designers or non designers to give you feedback, after all design is subjective.

Output

If your text’s final destination is paper, then print it and see. Your type might look exquisite on screen, but horrible on paper. There really is no substitute for printing.

If setting for the screen, then check it on both PC and Mac, and at different resolutions (screen sizes).

Mix it Up a Bit

The interplay between text gives them energy. The more distant the typographic palette the more vibrant the final design is.

Choosing type families with different features helps prevent redundancy.

Mix typefaces with similar proportions; the best way of doing so is to assign each a different purpose and limit each to a specific range of sizes.

Note – Titling preserves its spotlight by appearing occasionally and always in large sizes. Example below:

 

MISTAKES TO AVOID

Courtesy of Erik Spiekermann

Capitalization

NEVER use CAPITAL letters to accentuate words in running copy. They STICK OUT far too much spoiling the LOOK of the column or page. Use italics instead. If you have to set words in capitals, use proper small caps with or without initial capitals.

 

Connections

There are three different ways to connect or separate words: the hyphen -, the en dash –, a little wider than the hyphen, and the em dash —, wider still. The regular hyphen is easily accessible on any Mac or PC keyboard, whereas the en dash needs the combination option-hyphen on the Mac. The em dash is accessed by pressing option-shift-hyphen on the Mac. The use of these dashes depends on house styles and tradition. The em dash with no space around it is traditionally used to separate thoughts—like this one—but I think its length is a distraction in running text. Try using the en dash to separate thoughts – like this one – with a character space on either side. En dashes without space on either side are also used between numbers and compound words as in: the shop is open 10–7, while you can take the New York–Kansas City train or the New York–Baltimore train only 8am–3pm.

 

Ligature

A ligature is defined as the visual or formal combination of two or three letters into a single character. They consist of letter combinations such as ff, fi, fl, ffi. Ligatures keep letters from overlapping and improve legibility. For example: affluence, configure, deflate, affinity.

 

Justification

Avoid flush settings! Most applications create justified text by hideously stretching and squishing words and spaces. Note that it takes many hours of tedious work to typeset justified text that is truly well-proportioned and legible. For this reason, professionals prefer to use ragged-right composition, either with or without hyphenation, depending on how much line-length variation they wish to allow. This gives the text a more harmonious appearance and makes it easier to read, since all word spaces have the same width.

Bulleting

Use bullets or centered points instead of hyphens (-) when you list items. Bullets are part of the standard character set.

Note: Terminologies

glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written. So, for example “fi” comprises two glyphs, namely “f” and “i”; however, they can be combined into a single “fi” glyph (in this instance the combination of “f” + “i” to form a single glyph, is known as a ligature).

Finally, always seek out great typographic examples and keep on learning because the art of typography is ever evolving just like any other field in the arts.

– Aina Kiwelu, Designer at AKSENT