A new brand for IDS
When we were hired, our first action was to audit the current brand which was thirty years old. It soon became clear that nobody in the company had a definitive logo to hand. We found a plethora of similar versions of the logo on IDS Vans, letterhead paper, business cards, clothing etc. Most of these had been the result of staff members trying to recreate the existing lost logo in Word. Time for a change then, and happily the new management understood the importance of having a strong, coherent and consistent brand.
The previous owners had been resistant to change, and in their eyes for good reason. Their logic was that the logo had served them well enough to stay in business for 30 years. Fortunately the new management had a more realistic view of the situation. They knew that their existing client base would keep returning due to the quality of service offered, but that new clients would not consider them while their branding, website, vans, staff uniforms etc were not up to scratch.
Application of the Brand
Once the logo was signed off, the next step for us was to design a range of marketing materials for IDS. These included Business Cards, Clothing, Mugs and Pens, with more to follow.
A New Bespoke Website
IDS' existing website had been online for over 10 years and was tired, and in large parts, non-functional. What it definitely didn't do was to convey the qualities, experience and excellent service levels of this company, a situation made worse by all of their competition spending money on their sites over the last few years. As a result clients probably wouldn't have scrolled down the Google search results far enough to find IDS, and if they did get that far then one look at the site would send them running to one of their competitors. www.indoorserv.co.uk
Our Web Design Process
Once the branding had been signed off we started the work of developing a bespoke new website for IDS. There are many web developers out there who will just download a copy of WordPress (which is a terrible CMS) and then download someone else's design template, shoehorning the clients content in to fit — that's not the way we do things at Webber Design. We start with a blank sheet of paper, blocking out the layout and working on user experience first. The next step is for us to move to our digital software (usually Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop) where we develop a range of design solutions (usually 2 or 3) to present to the client. We call this design round 1, and following client feedback we then hone our designs in design round 2. Once this process of design > presentation > feedback > design is complete — and the client is happy to sign off on the design — we then start the process of building the actual website.
Bespoke Modules and CMS Training
As mentioned above, we like to do things bespoke. CMS solutions like WordPress have tonnes of third party modules for developers to plug in to WordPress, but these are always off-the-shelf solutions, and never exactly what the client requires. So we code our own bespoke modules having first discussed each requirement carefully with the client. We then deliver a module that does exactly what is required, rather than trying to fudge a generic one that was designed for someone else. For IDS we developed bespoke modules for 'Case Studies', 'Testimonials'. 'Clients' and 'Products', making the process of adding new Case Studies, Testimonials etc to the website easy and efficient.
When we've finished design, build, test and publish of the new website, the last step for us is to train the clients in how to update the site themselves. As with all clients, IDS got a bespoke training session complete with bespoke tutorial notes to keep. We also support our clients over the phone if they get stuck with their CMS updates.
Branding the Fleet
IDS had a fleet of vans, all with the old branding and a hodge-podge of individual vinyl stickers with wonky phone numbers, web addresses etc. Most clients first impression of the company is when their vans pull up at their locations, and first impressions count.
A plan was hatched to retire one old van every 3 months with the new vans to be vinyl wrapped with designs from Webber Design. Four vehicles have been done to date (3 long wheel base vans and one pickup), and each has the same core design, but with each on featuring different examples of IDS' work. As shown, our colleagues at popin graphics in Cardiff applied the wrap that we'd designed.
Now the boys at IDS rock up in a great looking van, all sharply dressed in new IDS clothing (and bump caps), carrying new business cards. You only get one chance to make a first impression and IDS now have the brand to expand [in fact they've already bought up a competitor to expand westwards]. Success!
Commercial Photography
Last but not least we setup a portable studio at IDS headquarters in order to shoot a range of their products.
