Rising above Main Street between 100 South and 200 South, the Kearns Building is a Salt Lake City gem built in 1911. As part of a large-scale renovation effort to modernize both the building and the amenities it offered their current and potential clientele, we helped them undertake a rebranding and marketing effort. The goal of this undertaking was simple; let potential tenants know there’s a new office building in town that has stood the test of time. This history, is arguably the Kearns Building’s most important trait.
Because the Kearns Building’s story of authentic history connects with a millennial target audience, we wanted to ensure that the branding spoke to the genuine history. We looked to art and architecture that was dominant during period, around 1911, to help lead the visual branding. This time period in the art world saw the intersection of art nouveau and art deco. We designed the building identity & color palette to use references to these art periods while at the same time utilizing the typography from the building’s original signage.
We built the rest of the building’s visual brand story utilizing a series of visual elements. An iconographic representation of the building was created from the window shapes of the outside facade and was used as a repeating element. Squares and circles some together to create a secondary visual element.
We shot new photography for the building to showcase the recreated and modern spaces living within this historic building’s shell. Finally, we pulled inspiration from a dominant feature of the art nouveau era; the heavenly halo.
Once construction on the new interior spaces began we started an email teaser campaign to get out the word within the Salt Lake community. Focused on bold headlines that played off our original “Majestic. Meet. Modern.” headline; the drip email campaign was both a teaser while expounding the individual benefits of the upgraded building.
Every modern building needs a modern website that tells its brand story. We designed and developed a forward-thinking website that functions as the centerpiece for the Kearns Building’s sales story. Giving details on availability, renderings, and history the website is a unique and fresh take on a public infrastructure website.