How do you create a new website and refresh an existing brand without knowing anything about the business you’re working with?
Short answer, you can’t. So we don’t.
Creative strategy document created by Ellie Bowie
Frustrated working with other web designers that didn’t cut the mustard, and knowing he didn’t have the time or skill to create a site that did his work justice, Andrew Minto, founder of Landhaven Developments Ltd, took up a recommendation to chat with us.
And boy, are we glad he did. We think Andrew’s pretty chuffed too:
“With yourselves, it was refreshing. We went through the process properly. We had a lot of conversations about what I was doing, my history, and where I was trying to go with the business. All of that was valuable.”
Looking at my brand and working on that before even thinking about the web design meant everything was consistent – the website matched my brand. It was wonderful. And definitely, a step that was missing before.
First impressions count
As an established business developing high-end, beautiful new homes, Landhaven already had a distinctive brand and had won several awards on the back of it.
Keen to preserve this success and everything Andrew had built so far, we pulled in our branding and design specialist Ellie, who, rather than push for a complete rebrand , suggested a refresh, tweaking some of the positioning and colour as well as exploring more about what sat behind the brand.
“It was a helpful reinforcement that what we had was actually quite valuable.” said Andrew.
“I was thinking we must redo the brand, but we didn’t, and that was great.”
We then looked at what else Andrew needed support on, pulling together a ‘dream team’ of freelance specialists, including an SEO expert, photographer and copywriters, all overseen by us
This approach meant we were all on board with what Andrew wanted.
He didn’t have to keep repeating himself or briefing different people; we’re always there for him to return to if he needed something more.
“I didn’t want to work with a one – person band. I wanted a team because there’s a range of skills and idea sharing. We couldn’t afford a big agency. And we wouldn’t have wanted that. So it’s nice to have a team behind us on this. And the beauty of it is that all these people are super skilled and specialists in their field. I value that.”
I’ve always liked thinking about strategy…
This process, and the help you all provided, was liberating.
Photography is a crucial part of any website, but Andrew hadn’t had any professional photos taken in the past. Our brilliant photographer Adele took the time to help him prepare, planning the shot, props, location and even clothes.
“Adele helped us feel at ease, and it wasn’t the huge stress it could have been. And then she got some cracking images that we can use on the website and across all our other marketing materials, so it also gives us consistency.”
Full copywriting service with Hilary Salzman
All these people are super skilled and specialists in their field. I value that.
Like many business owners, Andrew had a sense of what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go but freely admitted that he needed help narrowing it down. Through his brand strategy session with Ellie and initial meetings with Amy, Rich and Hilary, one of the copywriters, he was able to explore his thoughts in more detail, pulling on our individual expertise and the collective mind of the team.
“It wasn’t a one-afternoon thing, and it took a bit of time because I had to think through what I was being asked, our message and our values. But it was brilliant. I’ve always liked thinking about strategy but kind of avoided some of the trickier questions. This process, and the help you all provided, was liberating.”
If you get a good team and see the value in all of them, you won’t hesitate to invest money in your website.
We’ll leave you with one final tip from Andrew:
“My tip, once you’ve decided that a website is important for your business, is to use a team. I did quite a bit of research, and I looked at one – person bands and thought I’d made the right decision, but it was lacking because there was no team. If you get a good team and see the value in all of them, you won’t hesitate to invest money in your website.”
Could you be our next success story?
Check out Andrew’s site for yourself, and if you’re interested in exploring how we can help you bring your personality out through your website, let’s chat.