Applethwaite Homes is a house builder based in the northwest of England, providing quality homes across Lancashire and Cumbria. They build beautiful homes, in considered locations for families looking for an idealistic and relaxed lifestyle.
In 2008, Applethwaite Homes became a part of the Eric Wright Group – a major player in the construction and property industry, leading to expansion and growth within their development portfolio. This growth has driven the need for stronger branding, which we at Absolute have helped to define.
After conducting a brand and competitor audit, we ran an Absolute Clarity Workshop with the team at Applethwaite Homes. It quickly became clear that the existing identity and marketing materials didn’t match the quality of the homes that Applethwaite’s built. We needed to strengthen Applethwaite’s position in the marketplace and define a clearer brand journey for their customers.
Once we’d established a positioning statement with the team, we looked at identifying key brand personality traits that were unique to Applethwaite. This was an important part of the workshop, as it informed the brand strategy and narrative.
Life is full of happy moments, especially during the house buying process, from when you’ve picked up the keys to your new home and beyond. This became the narrative thread for the brand to build around, communicating the moments throughout the customer journey.
The brand styling brought Applethwaite’s personality to life, from the primary typography with its elegant ligatures, through to the ornamental graphics that reflected the locations of the developments. Lifestyle photography communicated these happy moments, which were combined with property design feature images to showcase the quality of each home.
For each development we created a unique, ornate typographical identity. Although they’re individually designed, they’re still on brand to keep them looking cohesive. The primary colour palette of dark blue is always complimented by a softer secondary colour to give each development its own individual style. All the signage and wayfinding are purposely kept understated to sensitively brand the developments in more rural locations.
Overall, Applethwaite now have a robust branding system that is more fitting to the quality homes that they build.
