Like a strong ocean current, their brand identity had slowly shifted at an imperceptible rate until they one day realised it had drifted a long way from the values and vision that made them such a winning combination. Their rigorous “house process” alone showed an attention to detail that was lacking on anything that was put in front of potential clients. Unless you set foot in their studio or one of their buildings, you’d have no idea about the depth of thinking that goes into their design process.

 

As upcoming architects, they were winning projects through word of mouth and the merit of their work. But their current branding was holding them back from making enough new connections with suitable clients outside of their network. Then there was the issue of their name.

With ‘C‘ and ‘D‘ no longer involved in the business, the company name was a source of frequent questions and didn’t carry enough heritage to make it worth preserving. If ever there was an opportunity to follow their instincts and turn a new leaf, the time was now. Changing the name was a big decision. Would people find them on Google? How would a new name go down with existing clients? Could they come up with anything better than CDMS anyway? We believed the answer was Yes, fine, and hell yes.

 

After a thorough research stage, we facilitated discovery workshops with both directors and the staff. Their input helped us to develop a new brand strategy and visual narrative, along with presenting a new name that drew on the surnames of both directors: MortonScarr. By the end of the first stage, we had all the guidelines in place to begin building the brand and putting the name out there.

 

Collaborating with Corin and Chris throughout the discovery process enabled us to deliver ideas that created nice surprises, rather than unpleasant shocks. By understanding their philosophies and the desired audience, we managed to create a brand that lived up to their excellence in all areas — from the website we designed and developed to the photographs we snapped of their team.

Internal confidence and belief are often overlooked or undervalued benefits of a rebrand. The process and subsequent results can reinvigorate, refocus and inspire company culture, rekindling the desire to pursue dream clients. Being an established practice, with a solid reputation and a first page Google ranking in a competitive field is an enviable position to be in. To follow your instincts and initiate a successful rebrand when all is going well takes a great deal of confidence. Confidence in your business. Confidence in yourself. And confidence in your design practice. MortonScarr had all three.