Construction's identities
Within most sectors there are subtle differences when it comes to forming a visual identity. Most revolve around how the company’s messaging interacts with its audience. This can be anything from the tone in which the audience are greeted, to the textures of a packaged item. All aspects need to be thought about through the audience’s perspective so that on each interaction the company are leaving a lasting impression. This more subtle aspect of a visual identity isn’t always given the thought it deserves.
In the construction sector these subtle interactions are what an identity needs to be built around. It needs to be flexible and understood by the people who are going to be representing it. The most direct and consistent point where messaging needs to reside is in the daily connection between staff and the company’s clients. You can have a very effective visual identity on the front but if that messaging isn’t being carried over by the staff then it just doesn’t work. This disconnect can create confusion and mistrust in your brand.
This daily communication has to be a continuation of your brand’s messaging. This could mean designing an identity around the staff’s working process and developing tools to make their working process easier. If it speeds up the output production for the staff then they’re more likely to apply it and appreciate it. There’s also an aspect of educating the staff to make them feel like they’re all ambassadors of the brands message. If this is done right then the staff will feel more connected with what the company is about and can then communicate the messaging to its audience.
When discussing these tools and guidelines for staff it all has to reflect on how the brand wants to portray itself. This can been seen from a macro level, viewing the social media campaigns, brochures and identity. But also at a micro level of what to include in a visualisation, or a photograph, or the types of icons used in an illustration, or even how a spreadsheet is read. Say for example the company focuses around people, then this needs to be represented in their output. This leads to a whole host of questions around inclusivity, diversity and representation. And more importantly, what story are you trying to say with your visualisations. How are people interacting in the space and how does your involvement produce the end result that’s required by the client. If at every point in the long process of design and construction the client has a consistent message then this will build trust and mean more repeat business. It can also have the impact of a client being able to see a piece of output and immediately recognise the brand without their name or logo and thus trust in the work that’s been produced.
All of these aspects need to be thought about when creating an identity for the construction sector. The identity needs to be developed with this flexibility in mind for all the different uses and how to make them user friendly. This isn’t an easy task and can only be achieved through conversations at the very beginning of developing a visual language for a company with discussions around how an identity needs to be implemented.
I’d love to have further conversations around this topic so if anyone fancies a chat please feel free to get in touch.
