Hames Sharley / Rebrand & Realign.

Dialogue between management and key younger staff brought to light that the current positioning and brand of Hames Sharley was outdated, failing to align with the shared vision of the firm as a globally respected, design-focused firm.

The traditional landscape had changed and it was identified that just being a multi-disciplinary practice was no longer enough to uniquely position Hames Sharley as a market leader. In tandem with this was the transition of their client base to a younger, more design-conscious, digitally-savvy next generation.

Axiom was tasked with rebranding and realigning the 35+ year old practice; defining a new positioning statement, differentiating it from it’s competitors and aligning the company with their new customer base.

Research identified a clichéd sector style; to position them as a more innovative practice, we’d have to be brave enough to use a colour other than black!

We worked with stakeholders to define and articulate their positioning being ‘Our culture is built upon the creation and sharing of ideas’. We also developed a tagline and supporting + icon to highlight their commitment to ‘creating design value’.

A bold, new wordmark was developed. The brand platform also received an injection of a vibrant colour palette and was supported by hand rendered sketches to reinforce the value proposition of being an ideas based organisation.

The revitalised brand was introduced through national advertising/PR campaign and launch events. The brand was positively received by stakeholders, quickly identifying and subscribing to the new brand promise and vision. It has greatly assisted in realising their vision, helping to attract and retain diverse, experienced and talented people.

Their profile nationally and impressively, internationally, has been raised significantly. Resulting in JV opportunities with highly regarded firms such as Foster + Partners (UK), UN Studio (Holland) and Wonderwall Architects (Japan) to name a few.