As a designer, I become most excited about projects when they involve rebranding an existing business. Not only am I able to create a new look for them, but their brand will become much more recognizable as well. Brands are more than just a logo, they’re the overall identity of that particular company. Rebranding introduces even more challenges due to the existing identity. If the new brand is too different it may not retain the reputation that was previously established. However, this can be a wise option if the current reputation of the business is poor. Alternatively, if it is too similar to what was previously in place it may fall short of its full potential of what that brand could become. Luckily for me, Pinecrest Apartments have a solid reputation, but just wanted a new, fresh look.
The Challenge
Each project has its own unique challenges, and Pinecrest was no different. Although there are pine trees on the Pinecrest property, it doesn’t have the feeling that is often associated with pine trees. There are no mountains nearby, and although there is a stream across the road, it is a very busy eight lane road. This made creating an icon for the property much more challenging since it needs to not only compliment the name Pinecrest, but the property itself.
I decided to take a step back and think more about the qualities of the complex. Pinecrest is a great apartment option for nearly anyone. They have apartments of all sizes, making it a perfect spot for families or single adults. There’s also a pool and playground, and they are pet friendly, which creates a friendly, positive atmosphere to the apartments. Taking these aspects into consideration opened up a lot more possibilities for their new brand that I felt weren’t properly conveyed in their existing one.
The Final Product
After a lot of experimentation, we created a brand that communicates the fun and friendly atmosphere present at Pinecrest Apartments. The fancy script font from their previous brand was ditched in favor of a slightly rounded and much more clean sans serif typeface. The rounded corners in the letters pair very well with their new pine tree icon. Rather than going to a standard pine tree shape, we created a stylized pine, made up of three segments. The irregular shapes and different colors of each part of the pine not only create a playful feeling, but are also representative of the different types of people that live here together. The pine tree icon is also partially enclosed in a circle. This not only gives it a strong shape overall, but is also a tie to the previous brand’s sun in the logo. Little details, such as the circle, are great ways to achieve a sense a familiarity when rebranding, but still create something totally new and unique.
I really look forward to seeing how their brand comes to life as they make changes and grow!
