What Is a Brand Guide and What’s the Proper Way to Utilize It?

Your multifamily brand is more than just a logo or a product. It’s the identity that sets you apart from your competitors and creates a lasting impression on your target audience. But how do you ensure your apartment brand is consistently represented across all channels and touchpoints? 

That’s where a brand guide comes in. 

Well-crafted brand guidelines can help you maintain cohesive brand identity, streamline your communication efforts, and create a more memorable brand experience for your customers. But implementing a brand guide is not as simple as just creating one.

What is a brand guide?

So, what is a brand guide? A brand guide, also known as a brand book or style guide, is a document that outlines the visual and verbal elements that make up your brand. It serves as a reference for your team to ensure that your multifamily brand is consistently represented across all channels and touchpoints. A brand guide typically includes your brand’s mission, vision, and values and guidelines for your logo, typography, color palette, imagery, and messaging. By creating brand guidelines, you can ensure that your multifamily brand is presented cohesively and consistently, regardless of who creates the content.

Why is a brand guide important?

A brand guide is important because it helps you establish a consistent brand identity across all touchpoints. When your brand is consistent, your customers are more likely to recognize and remember your brand, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and trust. In addition, brand guidelines can help you streamline your communication efforts by providing clear guidelines for your team to follow. This can save time and resources by eliminating the need for constant revisions and approvals. Overall, a well-crafted brand guide is essential for any brand looking to establish a strong and memorable identity.

Common elements of a brand guide

A brand guide typically includes several key elements that help define your brand’s identity. These elements may include:

Brand mission, vision, and values

Your brand’s mission, vision, and values are the foundation of your brand’s identity. They define why your multifamily brand exists, what it stands for, and how it operates. Including these elements in your brand guide can help ensure your team is aligned with your brand’s purpose and values.

Logo guidelines

Your logo is the visual representation of your brand, and it should be consistent across all touchpoints. Logo guidelines should include information about the correct usage of your logo, including size, placement, and color.

Typography

Typography is crucial to your brand’s identity, as it can convey a specific tone or mood. Your brand guide should include guidelines for your font choices, including font families, sizes, and weights.

Color palette

Color is another key element of your multifamily brand’s identity, as it can evoke emotions and convey meaning. Your brand guidelines should include your color palette, primary and secondary colors, and any specific color combinations.

Imagery

Imagery can also play a role in your brand’s identity, whether it’s through photography, illustrations, or icons. Your brand guidelines should include the types of imagery that should be used and any specific styles or themes to be followed.

Messaging

Messaging is the verbal representation of your brand, and it should be consistent across all touchpoints. Your brand guidelines should include your brand voice and tone and specific messaging for different types of content.

Best practices for implementing a brand guide

Implementing a brand guide can be complex, but several best practices can help ensure success. These include:

Creating a brand messaging strategy

Before implementing your multifamily brand guide, developing a brand messaging strategy is important. This should include a clear understanding of your target audience and your brand’s unique value proposition. From there, you can develop messaging that speaks directly to your audience while staying true to your brand’s identity.

Tips for consistent brand messaging

Consistency is key when it comes to brand messaging. To ensure that your messaging is consistent across all touchpoints, consider creating templates and guidelines for different types of content. This can include email templates, social media posts, and advertising copy.

Using visual branding to reinforce your brand’s identity

Visual branding can help reinforce your brand’s identity and make it more memorable for your customers. Consider incorporating your brand’s colors, typography, and imagery into all of your marketing materials, including your website, social media profiles, and advertising.

The role of employee training in brand guide implementation

Your brand guide is only effective if your team understands and follows it. Consider providing training and resources to help your team understand the importance of your brand guidelines and how to use them effectively. This can include workshops, webinars, and training materials.

Measuring the success of your brand guide

Measuring the success of your multifamily brand guide can be challenging, but there are several metrics you can use to track its impact. These may include:

Brand recognition

Brand recognition measures how well your apartment brand is known among your target audience. By tracking your brand recognition over time, you can see how effective your brand guidelines are at creating a consistent and memorable identity.

Engagement

Engagement measures your audience’s interaction with your apartment brand across different touchpoints. You can see how well your brand guidelines resonate with your audience by tracking engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares.

Conversion rates

Conversion rates measure how well your marketing efforts are converting leads into customers. By tracking conversion rates over time, you can see how well your apartment brand guide is helping to create a more effective marketing strategy.

Elevate your multifamily brand to the next level

Implementing a brand guide is essential for any multifamily brand looking to establish a strong and memorable identity. By defining your brand’s mission, vision, and values and creating guidelines for your apartment logo, typography, color palette, imagery, and messaging, you can ensure that your brand is consistently represented across all touchpoints. It’s time to maximize the potential of your multifamily brand guide and elevate your brand identity to the next level.

How to Position Your Multifamily Brand to Transform More Leads Into Leases

Your brand is the foundation of your business and can greatly impact how potential residents view your property. With a strong brand identity, you can set yourself apart from other properties and transform more apartment leads into leases. 

On the surface, brand identity consists of the name, tagline, apartment logo, typeface, and color palette. But there is more to your brand than these physical traits.

In fact, all forms of messaging run central to your multifamily brand and should reflect the value and perception your company is trying to bring to the market. A brand needs to be carefully crafted to represent your business authentically.

A whopping 89% of consumers only consider purchasing from brands that show they understand and care about their customers — and this is no exception for multifamily. Today’s residents only want to lease from properties they like and trust.

Creating a strong multifamily brand can help you attract and retain residents and drive long-term profitability.

So, how do you position your brand for success?

1. Create a clear vision statement

To start positioning your multifamily branding for success, the first step is to create a clear vision statement that encapsulates your unique value proposition. This should be concise yet meaningful, setting out what makes you different from other properties in the industry while also providing insight into why someone would want to lease from you.

When property management company NE Management was at the beginning of the development phase for its luxury high-rise apartment complex LVL 29, the company needed a partner that could handle the project’s branding and design needs from the ground up.

Criterion.B stepped in to help, starting with initial brand development and helping establish a vision and missing statement for the property. Given LVL 29’s luxurious accommodations and sleek design, our agency focused the messaging on buzzwords like elegance, splendor, bold refinement, and indulgence. 

2. Develop a plan

Next, develop a well-thought-out plan of attack that focuses on creating a lasting impression and making your brand stand out. This could include using effective visuals to clever copywriting and investing in targeted digital campaigns.

When it comes to building your brand, consistency is key. Everything (colors, font style, etc.) should remain consistent across platforms, including your website and social media channels, so that renters can easily recognize you when interacting with your content online.

For LVL 29, creating a cohesive online and physical brand presence was important. From apartment brochures and rack cards to social media and the website, we wanted LVL 29 to be an easy and immediately recognizable brand that portrayed elegance and sophistication. 

3. Create an experience

Finally, ensure that every touchpoint creates an experience encouraging people to lease from you. From emails to advertising campaigns, each interaction should focus on providing value rather than pushing for a sale immediately. You could do this by promoting your current leasing special in an exit-intent pop-up on your website, offering insightful advice, or running promotions through social channels like Facebook or Twitter.

In fact, due to social media outreach efforts and LVL 29’s overall integration into the surrounding community, current residents are regularly invited to local shops and restaurant events. This has helped boost satisfaction and resident retention for the property.

4. Consult an expert

Here at Criterion.B multifamily marketing agency, we understand how important a strong brand is when leasing properties. And you don’t have to go through these challenges on your own. That’s why we offer our clients comprehensive solutions to help them succeed in the industry. 

Criterion.B delivered a full creative branding package for LVL 29, including a website, collateral, brand guide, apartment logo, and promotional materials that reflected the project’s essence and elevated public awareness. After that, digital marketing needs were the top priority. Criterion.B focused on driving consistent, targeted traffic to LVL 29’s website and helped build a substantial and influential social media presence through high-quality branded imagery and messaging.

Having a dedicated branding agency as an extension of your team can allow you to dive into new projects quickly and focus on project management. At the same time, we craft a brand that stands out from the competition and naturally attracts residents.

From strategy consulting to multifamily marketing services and more, we have everything you need to transform more apartment leads into leases and position your multifamily branding for success. Contact us today and let one of our experienced team members show you how we can help take your business to the next level.

Position Your Apartment Brand for Success

Following the above-mentioned steps, you can position your multifamily branding for success and transform more leads into leases. A strong apartment brand identity will help set your property apart from competitors, build trust with potential residents, and ultimately lead to greater success in the long run.

Is a Multifamily Rebrand the Best Option for Your Property?

When it comes to multifamily branding, rebranding and repositioning are two popular strategies that owners and developers often use. While they may sound similar at first glance, the two concepts have different implications in the multifamily industry. 

What Is a Multifamily Rebrand?

A multifamily rebrand is a strategy that changes a property’s public image and perception. It involves redefining the multifamily brand identity and updating visual elements like apartment logos, colors, fonts, and apartment website design. Rebranding can be used to give an outdated multifamily property a facelift or to appeal to new demographics.

While rebranding can breathe new life into a stale or outdated brand image, it’s a major undertaking. The costs are not only financial but also in terms of time and energy. You’ll need to reassess everything from your website to your marketing collateral to your signage on the property. However, this strategy might be necessary if your property’s current brand is misaligned with your target audience or has a tarnished reputation.

What Is Repositioning?

Repositioning is a strategy focused on changing the positioning of a property in the market. Repositioning typically involves changing the community’s target audience and positioning it against competitors. For example, a property may reposition itself as a luxury community after undergoing significant upgrades and renovations to attract a different demographic.

Repositioning helps tell a new story or emphasize a different aspect of your existing story. While it generally costs less than rebranding, ensuring that the new positioning aligns with reality is essential. Missteps here can lead to unmet expectations and dissatisfied residents.

Which Option Is Best for Your Multifamily Marketing Needs?

Rebranding and repositioning are both effective multifamily marketing strategies; however, owners and developers should consider the implications of each strategy before making a decision. Rebranding is often more expensive, time-consuming, and may be necessary when your properties need an entirely new visual identity. Conversely, repositioning involves less work and cost but may not be as effective if done incorrectly. 

So, how do you decide? Choosing the right multifamily marketing strategy is important, depending on your needs and goals. Start by evaluating your property’s current market position, resident feedback, and the goals you wish to achieve. Do you merely want to change the perception, or does your brand need a total overhaul? It’s also wise to consult with a multifamily branding agency. They can offer insights and guide your decision-making process.

Sometimes, you might even consider combining a multifamily rebrand and repositioning to maximize your reach and appeal. Ultimately, the choice between the two will depend on each property’s unique situation. You can boost your property’s visibility in the market with the right approach.

Creating a Cohesive Multifamily Branding Strategy

When multifamily owners are ready to rebrand and reposition their properties, it’s important to research current design trends and competitor strategies. As with any multifamily marketing effort, it is important to consider budget constraints, time frames, target audience, and other relevant factors before deciding which strategy to pursue. 

Also, owners should ensure that their multifamily brand is consistent across all platforms, including apartment websites, social media accounts, print materials, and other marketing materials. Finally, multifamily owners should consider working with a professional multifamily branding agency or consultant to help create a comprehensive strategy. 

Giving Your Property an Edge With a Fresh New Look

You can create a strong multifamily brand that stands out with a fresh new look and the right positioning. A multifamily rebrand or repositioning can help you increase occupancy rates, attract more apartment leads, and ultimately generate higher revenue when done correctly. 

Not all multifamily marketing campaigns require rebranding or repositioning, but understanding the differences between the two can help you make informed decisions about your marketing and branding needs! To learn more about a multifamily rebrand, contact us today. We can help you develop a multifamily marketing strategy tailored to your unique goals and needs.

Handle Your Apartment Branding Challenges With Ease Using These Tips

Your multifamily brand is one of your most important assets. It’s a way for residents to connect with your property and differentiate you from competitors. Your identity and residents’ perception of your brand are among the driving forces behind their decision to lease at your property.

In fact, 89% of consumers only consider purchasing from brands that show they understand and care about their customers. Today’s consumers only want to purchase products or services from businesses they like and trust.

Creating and maintaining a strong multifamily brand can help you attract new residents, increase occupancy rates, and drive long-term profitability.

So, how do you turn your brand into a high-performing asset with loyal customers?

Why Does Your Multifamily Brand Exist?

First, determine your purpose and examine how your identity affects your property — internally and externally. Your success hinges on consistency, hard work, and a long-term strategy.

Keeping your message aligned with your mission and core values helps your residents understand your property. This helps build trust, optimism, and clarity and is integral to long-term success. However, it’s important to understand why your property exists to keep your message authentic. Who is your target audience? What difference are you trying to make for them? A purpose-driven message should be the foundation upon which your brand is built.

Making money is an important goal for any property management company. Still, the companies that place more importance on service and community — rather than profitability — are the ones who foster the strongest resident experience.

For example, Chick-Fil-A emphasizes that the company is about more than its delicious breaded chicken sandwiches. The fast-food giant upholds strong family and Christian values and has a corporate commitment to putting the happiness of customers and employees before profits. In 1946, Founder Truett Cathy closed the restaurant on Sundays to allow employees to rest or worship if they choose — a practice Chick-Fil-A still upholds today.

Chick-Fil-A’s approach appeals to many customers because it demonstrates the business’ commitment to the communities it serves and to providing value beyond the point of sale.

1. Set your goals.

Before you can turn your multifamily brand into a high-performing asset, you must first set clearly defined business goals. They should be attainable, measurable, and focused on the big picture.

Do you want to position yourself as an innovative leader? Are you trying to attract more customers? These goals should give your multifamily brand direction for growth.

2. Define your brand.

Before you can start building your multifamily brand, you need to define what it is. What are your core values? What do you want your tenants to think of when they see your property? 

Answering these questions will help you develop a clear and consistent message that you can use across all your marketing channels.

3. Create a strong visual brand identity.

Your multifamily brand’s visual identity should be unique, memorable, and reflective of your property’s personality. Your apartment logo, website, and multifamily marketing materials should all be cohesive and on-brand. 

4. Build brand trust.

Brand trust is essential for multifamily properties. After all, your residents are entrusting you with their homes. A few key ways to build brand trust include being transparent, delivering on your promises, and providing excellent resident service.

Start by reading and responding to all resident reviews, especially the negative ones. It’s critical to respond to those reviews promptly, make changes, and bury the bad reviews with good ones through consistent and reliable customer service.

5. Promote your brand.

Once you’ve developed a strong multifamily brand, it’s time to start promoting it. There are several ways to do this, including content marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing.  

By promoting your brand consistently, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience of potential residents and build long-term relationships with them. A full-service multifamily branding agency can help you with this by providing campaigns, social media management, email workflows, and more.

Integrate Your Multifamily Brand Into Everything You Do

The key to any successful multifamily brand is internal and external consistency. In other words, you should integrate your messaging and vision into every aspect of the business. It should be visible and reflected in everything your customers and employees see, hear, or read.

If a customer walks into your headquarters, your apartment logo should be displayed, and your staff should interact with customers, clients, and vendors with your core values. On your company website, make sure to incorporate your unique voice, personality, and messaging into the content.

As your business grows, your target audience will change, and evolving in unison is important. Maintaining relevant, consistent messaging takes time, resources, and commitment. Your brand is an investment, and we’d love to help you maximize it.

Learn the Expert Secrets Behind Apartment Logo Design

Arguably the most important feature of any branding effort, apartment logo design is an oft-misunderstood art.

Logo design isn’t as simple as sketching at random and hoping for the best, nor is it simply waiting for inspiration to hit you out of the blue. Apartment logo design should be strategic, thoughtful, and yes, even aesthetically pleasing.

When branding for multifamily, logos can often become complex — the logo not being just the extension of the building or its amenities but also of the community, the culture, and the reputation. In short, branding a multifamily project is critical to its success.

There is no easy way to ensure your multifamily branding project will bring the success you desire; however, there are three simple steps you can take to ensure your logo design is as successful as possible:

1. Concepting Your Idea

Establish the “feel” first. What kind of organization are you designing for? Obviously, as a multifamily development, you may have different brand needs than a hip new restaurant, but dig even further than that. Know your property and which people need to be involved.

Things to think about include:

• What is the internal culture?
• What is the public-facing culture?
• What separates you from other similar properties?

A great way to answer all these questions is to start with word exercises; a mind map can help you make a connection you didn’t see at first. All of these elements need to be represented in some way with the brand as a whole. 

Every great design starts with knowing your demographic as well. You also need to ask yourself: who, what, where, when, and why.

• WHO: Who is your property? Who is your competition? Who is your target audience?
• WHAT: What differentiators does your property offer? What are you trying to achieve or what emotion are you trying to evoke?
• WHERE: Where is the property located? 
• WHEN: When will the property be ready for leasing?
• WHY: Why should residents rent here and not another property?

If you followed the multifamily inbound marketing strategy correctly, your teams all came together to identify your buyer persona. Doing this should have resulted in defining your lead lifecycle stage and identifying the answers to all the above questions.

If you have not done this, go back and do it now because this data is vital to your brand identity.

The apartment logo is one of the first aspects of your property that people see, and it shows on every piece of a multifamily brand. Be sure to make a good first impression.

2. Just Keep Sketching

Sketch, sketch, sketch. It’s highly unlikely that any great (or even good) apartment logo design has ever been developed start-to-finish on a screen. Pencil and paper are still the best free-form way to get ideas started.

Remove any ideas of “pixel perfection” or perfect lines and fully rendered visuals, as this allows you to think more fluidly and discover ideas that might have been missed if the first step were to fire up Illustrator.

Only after sketching, more sketching, pulling the interesting ideas out from the boring ones, and refining the sketches should you turn to your software tools. That apartment logo should be designed in the program of your choice that allows for fully scalable vector art. Designing something in pixels in Photoshop might be fine for now, but what happens when that apartment logo needs to be scaled? Always be conscious of future needs.

Think about applications. An apartment logo always looks great on a blank white page with nothing else competing. Consider the following:

• How is that mark going to be used?
• Does it look good in a one-color variant for black-and-white printing?
• What about reversed out over a dark background?
• How much clearspace does it require not to get lost in a busy application?
• What if it needs to be really large or really small?
• Does it scale well?

3. Presentation Is Everything

Presentation is key. Whether you are presenting the apartment logo to the property management team, owners, or other marketing team members, your logo should be presented without any ornamentation or competing elements — then show the applications. Black, white, and alternate brand colors — if providing a logo system.

Mockup major applications, like signs or collateral. The presentation needs to show the main applications in a way that allows everyone to really visualize how the new apartment logo fits into and helps the property’s brand position.

Building a Successful Multifamily Brand

Creative pursuits are fun and exciting because processes can vary from person to person. While this process is not the only way, it’s rather important to have some semblance of a process that brings you to the place where your creative output is best. Not only does your creative need to be strong, but you have to have a strategy in mind for what makes an apartment logo design work and why it will help your brand become successful.

Think about apartment logo design like a cross-country trip. If “creative” is the destination, that makes “strategy” the journey. You can’t arrive at your final destination without going on a journey first.

Properties that achieve great multifamily branding find great success. And you don’t have to start this brand journey on your own. Our multifamily marketing agency is here to help! We’re experts on multifamily branding and apartment logo design, so you can focus on building your property (and leases), while we build your brand.

Why You Should Invest in Professional Multifamily Branding Services

Multifamily branding is not just a “destination.” But it’s also not just a “journey.” 

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: multifamily branding involves way more than an apartment logo or flowery brochure. 

It’s about telling a brand story that resonates with your residents, building a brand identity that stands the test of time, and creating an honest brand from the inside out that your residents and prospects will trust.

If you want to be on the right side of multifamily branding, you need to invest in the services of a professional multifamily branding agency.

Hiring a top-tier multifamily branding agency can be stressful. We know from our clients that deciding to bring on an outside agency in the first place — let alone deciding which one to hire — is a big decision. 

First of all, it’s a marketing cost that you might not have included in the initial budget. Secondly, shifting work on something as integral to a property as its multifamily brand raises fear of losing control to a team that’s not in your property management office. 

Key to making a case for hiring a multifamily branding agency is recognizing that an agency with the right experience and creativity will help generate more apartment leads in the long run, and can be one of the most important investments you make.

Here are a few more reasons why hiring our multifamily branding agency to take you on this branding adventure (or “brand-venture,” if you will) could be the best decision you’ve ever made for your property:

1. We’re truly passionate about multifamily.

Criterion.B is a digital marketing and branding agency specializing in the multifamily industry. We got our name in 2017; however, our story began nine years earlier in 2008. Known as Canonball Creative at the time, we started as a digital agency serving ad agencies. Digital marketing was starting to take off, and the larger agencies needed help navigating the market. This provided us with invaluable experience as we were able to work on some of the world’s largest brands, including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Samsung, and Pepsi, to name a few.

We specialized in building out difficult online assets in a way that would stay true to the agencies’ rigid creative guidelines. By 2014, we had already worked with a few big names in the multifamily market, such as Amli and UDR, due to the relationships we made through our ad agency connections. Then, we decided to pivot into building our direct client base with a focus on multifamily.

Over the next few years, we invested heavily in the multifamily industry. We attended every conference we could find, joined associations, wrote for as many association publications as we could, interviewed key marketing professionals on the client side, and wrote hundreds of blogs focused on multifamily marketing.

In 2017, we made it official by changing our business name to Criterion.B and pivoting our focus entirely to serving the multifamily market. 

In short: We are rooted in creative branding and marketing and passionate about multifamily. It’s the perfect pairing that makes us the perfect partner for your property.

2. We’re backed by the best clients.

Whether you need marketing collateral designed and printed, new swag for your property, or a full brand development package, our multifamily branding agency is ready to serve as an extension of your team to ensure consistency and positive results. 

We don’t work for our clients; we work with them to create an honest, recognizable, and beautiful brand from the ground up. 

Take NE Development as one example. NE Development is a premier multifamily developer in the North Dallas area. Their high-rise project in Dallas’ exploding Legacy West area, LVL 29, offers luxury living like no other. Criterion.B has worked with NE Development from the early phases of the project to the high-rise coming on line in early 2019 — through to today.

Our multifamily branding agency was tasked with helping NE Development inspire elegance, splendor, and a touch of indulgence in all brand elements of LVL 29, from naming and brand development to website, collateral, social media management, and signage design.

Criterion.B has worked with the LVL 29 team from groundbreaking and development to lease-up and beyond. From building the brand elements to managing social media content, we continue to help LVL 29 grow to new heights — and it all started with building a bold brand.

3. We offer more than just one-off multifamily branding projects.

Looking for a jack of all trades agency that specializes in exactly what your property needs? You’ve come to the right place.

We know that a great brand and name is recognizable, unique, meaningful, and can stand the test of time; it goes beyond just the apartment logo stamped across promotional items. Through research and brand strategy, we help build a multifamily brand that connects with your customers.

At Criterion.B, we take your mission, vision, and goals and translate that into a design that will fuel the direction and growth of your new property. Investing the time into the development of your multifamily brand will not only align your internal and external audiences but will drive tangible results to your bottom line.

Here is a quick snapshot of the multifamily branding services we offer:

4. We bring 100 years of combined experience to the table.

Our multifamily marketing agency is backed by a passionate team of creative professionals. We specialize in multifamily branding new developments from the ground up. Ultimately, we believe in building your brand into one that residents can trust and love.

We’ve seen a thing or two as professional marketers with more than 100 years of combined experience. We know what makes your organization tick and the best branding elements to edge out the competition. We are passionate about creating a brand that exceeds your expectations (and ultimately your goals) because your success is our success.

Essentially, we’re experts on multifamily branding, so you can focus on building your property (and leases), while we build your brand. No muss, no fuss, no hassle!

5. We understand that branding is about the journey AND the destination.

At Criterion.B, we maximize the multifamily branding potential of your real estate portfolio — whether as a developer, investor, owner, or property management company. Our passion is to blend restless creativity with remarkable multifamily branding to drive awareness, and apartment leads to your property.

We’re here for you with anything you need — whether that be branding and marketing help, printing, or even just a friend to brainstorm ideas with. 

Because we know that building a multifamily brand is a journey that must be traveled (no matter how complex it may be) and we were built for this adventure.

How to Identify and Leverage Your Multifamily Brand Storytellers

What is a multifamily brand? 

A multifamily brand is a promise for all stakeholders and the inspiration that should drive you to do your best. It is essentially a filter for making business decisions.

As a marketing and multifamily branding agency, we conduct an unofficial survey on the perceptions of branding every time people ask us what we do.

Many things about a multifamily brand are visual. Design elements, fonts, and colors can evoke a property’s look and feel with just a first impression. And yet, this narrow thinking — or rather, misconception — about what a brand entails is why so many people in real estate are failing to connect with their audience and with a growing millennial and Gen Z demographic. 

More Than an Apartment Logo

Multifamily branding is more than a recognizable name and emblem. A brand’s value can be found within the associated perceptions and emotions that it conveys.

Let’s take the Nike swoosh, for example. On its own, Nike’s logo is quite simply a checkmark (that’s the extent of its complexity). And yet, we associate that “checkmark” with concepts and values far beyond itself.

Simply placing the Nike swoosh on a product represents a promise of quality. We associate the swoosh with images of athletes, perseverance, and passion. The final minutes of a championship. The strength and talent are only earned through hard work.

That’s a pretty powerful “checkmark.”

Take any other well-known logo — The Ritz Carlton, Whole Foods, BMW, etc. — and consider what kind of brand images and emotions it triggers. These perceptions, whether consciously or not, guide consumer purchase decisions.

Now apply the same principles of perception to multifamily branding — like a luxury high rise or a neighborhood community.

What brand images are associated with your property? What architectural vision or lifestyle is conveyed?

Creating an Honest Brand From the Inside Out

Our challenge as a multifamily branding agency is finding out how to create a brand experience that resonates with the consumers. We want the experience to be echoed back to the customer in the visuals. The best way to build brand loyalty is by creating an honest brand. Open lines of communication between designers and leaders of the company are essential to designing honestly.

Good brands start from the inside out. The leaders create the vision. The vision creates the visual language. And the visual language turns into a system that is unified enough to be recognized as a cohesive brand. In this way, every communication of the brand is unified, from the way the CEO talks about the company, to the visual language, to the customer service.

How to Better Control Your Multifamily Brand Story

As a multifamily branding agency, we are tasked daily with creating or furthering a story for the brands we represent. However, so often, that story is thought of as one to be consumed via TV, radio, print, outdoor, or the web. 

Sure, we all talk about mobile, building responsive websites, useful apps, etc., but it’s not often that we focus specifically on mobile storytelling.

As digital marketers, we pride ourselves so much on our ability to tell a brand’s story, but in reality, we have very, very little control over what that story is.

So, who are your brand storytellers? And how do you approach each of them?

1. Your brand → Your brand should always communicate the “why.” People don’t buy what you do, but rather why you do it.
2. Advocates → You have to recruit influencers, inspire them to keep advocating for your brand, and reward them for doing so.
3. Fans → Your fans like your brand, and hopefully, you’ve been able to build a community around them. But these people aren’t brand advocates just yet. Give these people props when they do talk about your brand, and hopefully, you can convert them into advocates.
4. Haters → Your haters will always be there, no matter the industry in which your brand exists. However, you really need to listen to these people and heed the things they are saying about your business, even if you don’t want to hear it. Engage with them, and make them like you.

In order to fulfill all of this, brands need to figure out how to tell the story from the middle.

Traditionally, stories have a beginning, middle, and end. But, with social media, your multifamily brand is constantly having to keep up. You should tell your story from the middle, in the “right now.” There is never an end.

Finally, brands need to know which kinds of stories to tell. Tell a story that is inspiring, entertaining, or trending. Tell stories of how your brand cares, and most importantly be human.

Real Estate’s Roadmap to Nike

We’ll let you in on the secret to Nike’s brand success: it was deliberate. In the early stages, the company sat down and asked themselves: 

• What is Nike? 
• Who are our customers? 
• If Nike was a person, what kind of personality traits and values would he or she internalize? 

Every great brand has a plan. And in a crowded market, a great brand can resonate and differentiate. 

Multifamily branding is more than an apartment logo — it’s an emotional experience, a taste of a lifestyle, and a framework through which to grow.

The first steps of multifamily branding may seem like silly introspection, but don’t be fooled. Building blocks can seem quite simple, until one day they’re a building.

In today’s technological world, people are inundated with content — digital, social, news, books, magazines — the list goes on. In fact, we create 140 million tweets, 1.5 billion pieces of content, and 2 million videos each day. This is why visual information such as infographics is becoming increasingly popular.

Infographics can be an incredibly powerful multifamily marketing tool for your business. According to HubSpot, “businesses that publish infographics grow their traffic an average of 12% more than those that don’t.”

Infographics provide significant value from a content-supporting standpoint. Companies are constantly generating content, but the bulk of it is often heavy and wordy. At our multifamily branding agency, we create content daily for our clients and focus on utilizing the visual aspect of infographics to break up the copywriting.

But the critical balance when designing an infographic is to create the right visual information and present it in the right way to capture your audience’s attention.

Below, we explore the role of infographics in multifamily marketing and five benefits of creating visuals for your audience that we learned as a multifamily branding agency:

1. Storytelling

Infographics can help capture the essence of your content in a very appealing way by telling your readers a story. With imagery and words, infographics allow readers to easily dissect a complex subject and help sustain the reader’s interest. Infographics that simply depict a list of unrelated statistics will lose the audience’s attention. Rather, the infographic should balance compelling text with relevant data to create an efficient and appealing visual.

For example, consider this infographic idea below that our multifamily branding agency created for ResMan. The content in this infographic could have been relayed in a blog post, but applying it to a timeline makes it easier to digest and more fun to read.

2. Readability

An infographic can translate heavy blog text into something that is digestible, scannable, and easier to understand. We are such a visually focused culture, and if we cannot scan through something quickly, or have visuals to help complete the thought, the text may not make as strong of an impact. The visual impact that design provides is important in the full understanding of the content itself.

People only see 20% of the text on a page on average during a website visit; infographics allow readers to skim the content quickly to decide if they want to find out more. Additionally, 90% of the information transmitted to your brain is visual. This is why many people would rather look at an infographic than read the text version.

3. Shareability Across Social

Infographics should not only be easy to consume, but easy to share. These visual assets are a great resource for our multifamily branding agency and our clients to download and share across all social platforms.

Blogs may not be a proper fit for sharing on certain social media sites, but infographics can be shared across all platforms to help drive engagement. Pinterest, for example, is geared toward image curation. Pinterest users interested in your business often miss out because you are feeding them the wrong kind of content.

Another great infographic idea is this visual our multifamily branding agency designed for Midlothian Economic Development. The topic is heavy, so translating this into a visual asset with key stats highlighted makes it a much more consumable piece of content — and much more shareable on social media.

4. Brand Awareness

Enhanced brand awareness is another benefit of commercial real estate infographics. Visual content is used as an asset to further promote your multifamily branding and make you an authority or subject-matter expert.

The most important aspect of an infographic is that it should represent and reflect your brand well. Visual content should serve as another consistent piece of multifamily marketing for your brand, and therefore consider design aspects like font, colors, iconography, callouts, etc.

5. SEO and Website Traffic

Commercial real estate infographics are also a great way to drive more traffic to your site to increase conversions and ROI. Think about the last several commercial real estate infographics you saw, and where you saw them. Infographics are prevalent in emails, blogs, advertisements, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. One of the biggest reasons companies have found these so useful from a multifamily marketing perspective is because of this versatility; they can make your multifamily branding much more visible.

Additionally, by adding alt text, a title, and a description of the visual asset using targeted keywords, you can boost your website’s ranking on Google. Other ways to boost apartment SEO go back to ensuring your infographic idea is shareable, which would encourage blogs, websites, and even influencers to share your asset and increase your chances of backlinks.

Take this infographic by the numbers below that our multifamily branding agency created for Rentlytics. We took a plethora of stats and data that are normally lost in the shuffle of reports and displayed them in an easy-to-read visual aid. We not only shared this in email newsletters for Rentlytics, but we also included an optimized landing page and links driving to this infographic from blogs. With descriptive alt text and meta details, our multifamily branding agency helped drive a significant amount of downloads and leads through this offer.

6. Less Is More

Sometimes companies try to communicate too much in an infographic, slowing down the reader and negating the benefits of having the graphic in the first place.

Some infographic ideas are over 10,000 pixels long and offer multiple sections and content to consume. Think through the content and story you want to communicate and then create it in a digestible framework.

Want more helpful tips like this from our multifamily branding agency? Download our free Multifamily Branding Guide below to get the inside scoop on how to make your brand a smashing success.

How to Elevate Your Multifamily Branding Without Overthinking Your Design

In yet another example of how branding is an inescapable reality that all businesses need to address, let’s take a look at multifamily branding. Not so long ago, simply smashing together a couple of aspirational-sounding words in a fancy script was enough. “The Hills at Forestwood” or something like that. 

Potential residents have become more brand-savvy over the years, and branding your development with a great name and multifamily logo has become an absolute necessity.

Some groups have done this better than others, of course, and in doing so have created a real brand that speaks to their residents.

Below, we highlighted five of the best multifamily logos we have seen and why they are so successful at conveying an apartment brand personality.

NOVEL

Developed by Crescent Communities, NOVEL is a suite of multifamily brands that includes NOVEL Tampa and NOVEL Deep Ellum (among more than a dozen other brands). The NOVEL logo finds a striking balance between being a modern abstract letterform and also two cropped-in corners of buildings on the top and bottom. The building corners featured in the logo symbolize the multifamily development aspect without being overly direct. 

The simple yet engaging multifamily logo also projects movement as the arrows give an allusion to moving up and down. The NOVEL multifamily logo is one of our Creative Director’s favorites as it boasts a sophisticated, elegant, and modern look while projecting a cool design concept.

The NOVEL logo is also a great example of how less can sometimes be more when it comes to your branding, and you do not always need a bunch of colors to make your properties stand out.

Waverly

For the Waverly, this is a mixed-use development plan with a focus on modern design and progressive building techniques to create a live-work-play environment for the hot Charlotte, N.C. area. 

The letters “W” and “V” featured in the logo are simple, elegant, and upscale. With the clean font and contrasting blue and green colors, this multifamily logo is memorable and stands out as being unique yet simply stunning.

Aven Apartments

Another of our design team’s favorite multifamily logos is that of Aven Apartments. This Los Angeles-based luxury apartment community prides itself on offering an electrifying and desirable residential neighborhood with uncompromised views and expansive amenity offerings.

This “electrifying and desirable” atmosphere is well presented in its iconically simple letterform logo. The “A” represented in its logo shows balance, angular direction, and modern design through simplicity. The angular direction of the logo pointing upward also alludes to the community’s high-rise, living-above-all-all-else undertone and messaging.

Logan Lofts

Logan Lofts, located in Philadelphia, features a plethora of historical nuances and elements throughout the building and its messaging. As such, these new, modern loft apartments utilize a multifamily logo that strikes a balance between referencing the “L” in the name “Logan” as well as the historical architectural design of the building’s windows. The logo icon is simplistic, balanced, and unique to the specific community.

The River District

The River District is a master-planned multifamily development located in Charlotte, N.C. The beauty of its multifamily logo is that it communicates a lot of elements while not being overly busy or complex, which any good graphic designer will tell you is no easy task!

The main letterform is actually a combination of a “D” and “R.” Furthermore, the directional arrow points to a star which signifies that “X” marks the spot. The elongated curve of the “R” also represents the geography of the river that runs through the development as a subtle but prominent feature.

Everything about The River District’s multifamily branding is inspiring and unique, down to its multifamily website and messaging that alludes to a “bountiful community” that is “breaking boundaries.” This multifamily logo is a creative representation of what the community stands for, and it portrays a sense of splendor, adventure, and excitement.

Add Value to Your Multifamily Branding

Logo design is not as simple as sketching at random and hoping for the best, nor is it simply waiting for inspiration to hit you out of the blue. An apartment logo design should be strategic, thoughtful, and yes, even aesthetically pleasing. As any good multifamily designer will tell you (and what our Creative Director tells us often) is that good design adds value faster than it adds costs.

Just some multifamily branding food for thought.

Interested in learning more about multifamily logos and what are the key steps to successful design? Check out our blog for 3 Steps to Successful Multifamily Logo Design.

“Creative office” has become a buzzword in today’s market, particularly regarding workspace design. What is used to describe the types of spaces occupied primarily by marketing and tech companies has become a popular trend across nearly all industries.

This demand is largely derived from an employer’s need to recruit and retain top talent. Most companies now consider their office spaces a recruiting tool to promote company culture and branding.

Let’s take a look at some of the top trends in workspace design:

Prioritizing Employee Happiness in Workspace Design

Employee happiness and wellness are much more prioritized now than in years past. Thus, many companies are looking at the price per square foot and whether their employees will be happy and productive in the location (given that personnel costs and training new employees are a bigger line item than real estate costs).

This means employers are placing a large emphasis on buildings with on-site amenities and services. Properties with fitness facilities, walkability to restaurants (or employees’ apartments), and other shared spaces are desired. Additionally, bright spaces with natural light, especially in interior spaces, are critical as happier and healthier employees are more productive.

Shared Workspace vs. Private Cubicles

Another shift in office workspace design is a greater emphasis on shared areas for employees to collaborate. Private offices, even in more traditional industries, are shrinking and the word “cubicle” makes most human resources directors cringe.

Instead, employers are attempting to give employees more flexibility with breakout rooms and common areas where they can take their laptops and work away from their desks. Additionally, employers are beginning to offer larger kitchens and break areas where employees can feel like they’re in a coffee shop or “hoteling” — where they can set down their laptops at a docking station and go. This is how many millennials want to work (and supposedly) do their best work.

What Are Some of the Benefits of Creative Workspace Design?

• Culture and Branding — A company’s culture can be promoted by designing their workspace. This creates cohesion within the organization.
• Recruiting — Not only can the culture create cohesion within the office, but employers can also use their office space design to create an atmosphere that tells the “story” of their company to prospective employees and other guests.
• Productivity — One’s environment shapes the way one feels, thinks, and works. A creative workspace design can inspire creativity as well as improve employee efficiency.
• Collaboration — Workspaces that encourage collaboration help build that sense of “team” which generally helps with employee retention. Collaboration can also get a company closer to that “big idea.”
• Wellness — Employee wellness is critical as personnel continues to be one of the largest expenditures on a company’s balance sheet. Gone are the days of entry-level employees in dark interior offices with no windows or cubicles. Instead, open layouts with modular furniture and lots of natural light are the norm.

Overall, if your employees enjoy their environment, they are more likely to want to spend time there (i.e., longer working hours without it feeling like “work”).

Take Creative Office Aspects Into Consideration

In Dallas, the most creative office is located near the Central Business District in several distinct pockets such as the West End, East Quarter, Deep Ellum, and The Cedars. Whether a company is considering a unique 100-year-old brick building or creating this office workspace design in a newer high-rise, business owners must consider these creative office aspects as the generational gap in the workplace widens.

This article was written by Jayson Montoya. He is an Executive Vice President with NAI Robert Lynn’s Office Division. He assists office space tenants and users with lease renewal negotiations, relocations, building purchases, and other real estate needs. You can reach him at 214-256-7136.