Rebranding a Construction Firm by Embracing its Seaside Charm
Design Spotlight: Ross Built Custom Homes
By Sean Tice, Creative Director
Founded in 2006, Ross Built is a Florida-based builder of high-end custom homes. This family-run business has a reputation for concierge-level client relations, meticulous attention to detail, and quality craftsmanship.
Ross Built engaged North Street to develop a new logo and visual identity that better reflects the high-quality work for which the company is known. Tonally, the builder wanted the brand to retain a small business feel that didn’t come across as too slick or buttoned up. The visual identity needed to seamlessly showcase both their coastal cottage projects and more modern homes.
We developed a mood board that drew inspiration from the organic forms and colors specific to the Florida coastline. Precise angles, geometric shapes, and contemporary typography served as a counterpoint to these naturally occurring elements.
The company challenged us to create a new logomark that ensured immediate brand recognition at a glance; this was particularly important as their fleet of branded trucks is their most significant marketing touchpoint.
Early logo exploration followed two distinct tracks — monogram-inspired marks and architecture-inspired marks. In all cases, the designs employ sharp, angular shapes to ensure legibility and recognition from a distance.
Additional design work focused on evolving and improving upon the existing mark; this included introducing symmetry to the palm tree, exploring various frond styles, and incorporating other elements like ocean waves and homes.
The final mark is part of a more extensive logo system that includes traditional logo configurations and a badge-style format. This allows Ross Built to employ different lockups depending on the application.
The visual identity utilizes geographically-inspired colors identified earlier in the mood board exploration. The colors are warm yet restrained, allowing exterior and interior photography to take the spotlight. Sales collateral employs minimal, editorial-style layouts that offer sophistication without coming across as too corporate.
While building a brand from scratch is always fun, we also enjoy refreshing an existing brand. The updated logo and visual identity are now in step with Ross Built’s beautiful work.
[North Street] took the time to get to know our company, our values, and what we wanted to communicate through our branding. The discovery phase…allowed us to arrive at a final product that truly represents us. Our new logo and brand guidelines are modern, polished, and accurately reflect our company’s vision and mission. – Andrew Ross, Ross Built Marketing Director
If you would like more information about the project, visit the Ross Built portfolio page.
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