Edifice delivers storage sheds, tiny homes, and small structures with character to residents in New Mexico and the Great Southwest. Over a few months, we helped them establish a brand identity that felt familiar yet differentiated them from an ever-increasing field of competitors.
Unearthing Identity
Without an existing brand identity in place, we set out to unearth a meaningful story that would guide the project. Practically, our goals were to develop something that felt New Mexico in-nature, communicated uniqueness but familiarity, and was easily ownable by the team. We dove in, starting with the logo.
We designed 22 logo concepts in various styles and compositions. Initially, the team wanted to take a minimalist approach, but we quickly shifted directions after an initial round of audience feedback made it clear that the route felt too impersonal. We went back to the drawing board and spent a little more time uncovering their vision before a more contemporary concept clicked.
The thumbprint inside the house represents Edifice’s dedication to making more than structures. It represents their focus on people over profit and communities over conversions. In short, the thumbprint represents humanity in every aspect of their work. It’s a simple, versatile element that helps a simple house illustration permeate meaning into every aspect of their brand.
To cap off the logo, we delivered a set of guidelines to help the team stay consistent as they fully owned this brand and took Edifice to the streets. These Visual Identity Guidelines defined various elements of the brand:
Primary, secondary, and tertiary logo marks
Primary and secondary colors
Heading and body fonts
Usage guidelines
Creative Collateral
In essence, while there was a significant physical brand reputation, there In this project, the logo set the stage for essential business collateral. We delivered personalized business cards and a fully-optimized email signature for each of their team members.
We also designed a cast-iron badge that Edifice will nail to each of the structures they build, reinforcing the personal-touch that flows through everything they do.
Business Is Personal
Here at Structure, we align closely with Edifice’s approach to business and relationships. It’s a very human, personal approach. Our goal is to make everything about the client and use our skills to benefit them, first and foremost.
The relationship continues and we’re looking forward to partnering with Edifice to see their unique story unfold.
BeGOAT is an innovative energy drink company that figured out a way to use the trash from coffee fruit and turn it into treasure. We worked to bring their brand to life with a fully-optimized custom website that was interactive and filled with energy.
The Challenge
As a new company, BeGOAT needed a website that showcased its product and launched their brand. Our goal for this project was to enable BeGOAT’s core business goals: create demand, deliver distributor leads, and make it easy for current distributors to manage their account and order more product.
Working closely with RoadTrip, Structure expanded the new brand into a thoughtful digital experience that was appealing on the front end and easy-to-update on the back end.
DrinkBeGoat.com was fully built on WordPress using Elementor Pro, with custom coded animations that incorporated some advanced interactive elements.
The Solution
This simple tech stack enabled RoadTrip and BeGOAT to easily make updates to the website content themselves, without having to engage a professional for the small things. As a new company, this objective was really important.
As Structure, we were intrigued by the efficiency and sustainability of their product. Instead of using the coffee bean and discarding the coffee fruit, they harvested both and turned it into Cascara: a suite of caffeine, antioxidants, and micronutrients.
Strategy
UX Strategy Information Architecture Content Strategy
Design
UX / UI Design Creative Direction Visual Design Motion Design
People spend an estimated $1B in Central Oregon every year, with the majority of the money flowing through Bend.
America’s fastest-growing town boasts a booming local business scene that acts as the backbone to the prosperous economy. However, while there’s no problem getting what you want in Central Oregon, there is a problem with giving to those in need.
That’s exactly the problem that the founders of Supportist, Bend’s local coupon app, set out to solve.
They developed what they’d call a “win-win-win” model: Local supportists pay a small monthly fee to access discoverable deals by local businesses, meanwhile, local nonprofits get 20% off the top of each member’s fee. All this works to build a generous, giving local community.
The model relies heavily on local businesses to offer product and service discounts to members. And it’s the members who provide revenue by paying for a Supportist membership—even though 20% of the membership fee goes directly to a local nonprofit.
And while giving is great, nobody is complaining about awesome discounts to the local places they shop every day. Except, there was one problem: Bend already had well-established local leaders in the coupon-ing category.
Building a coupon app is one thing. Entering a crowded category with well-established market leaders is another.
Challenge
How could Supportist boldly enter a crowded category with established local market leaders—and take the lead?
The founders tried everything from coupon books to punchcards. They tried selling them door-to-door and through sports teams. But the idea wasn’t catching on.
The founders were determined to make a difference. There had to be a way.
Businesses were skeptical of investing in advertising in yet another local coupon book—and locals were already overwhelmed by the number of coupons they were already receiving in the mail. And without businesses or locals on-board, the model just didn’t work.
But the story doesn’t end there. Here’s how Structure helped Supportist find a big breakthrough.
Solution
When our founder first met Supportist over coffee at a local coffee shop, they’d already been through a couple of tough years of trial and error. To be frank, they were heading down a road of immanent startup death.
Supportist had a good idea . . . in fact, they had a great idea that solved a real problem for real people. But they felt stuck.
So, as we often do, we started seeking a deeper understanding of the challenge with branding research and in-person workshops. These revealed a few keen insights that helped Supportist think outside of the box.
Supportist Discount Framework
We then used the data points to develop a Brand Framework that helped them find a breakthrough in their thinking and launch into a new season of product development and business growth.
“Simon and his team are exceptional marketing guides—and are worth their weight in gold. They’re pleasant and easy to work with. They’re organized and available. They’re process-driven. And, best of all, results-oriented.”
Steve Swan, Founder of Supportist
Once we had built a strong framework for the business to build on, we set out building the product: an iPhone app.
Supportist Screens on Desktop, Mobile, and Tablet
Then we delivered a responsive website that was beautiful and stood out from the competition. We developed the site on Webflow so the client could easily update content and make copy changes without digging into code.
Left: Homepage Wireframe | Right: Homepage Final Website
We dug in deeply to be a true partner that synthesized nuanced brand and complex technical information to create an app that represents the best of Bend.
In other words, we helped Supportist build their app from scratch through every step of the product development process—from strategy to shipment.
But we didn’t just consult from a distance. We dove into the trenches and designed every button and wrote every word. And thanks to a great development partnership between our team and a local developer, we ended up with a tremendous product that’s simple, easy to use, and works like a charm.
Uniting a local team
The last major challenge was that Supportist wanted to assemble a team that could product take their product forward into startup success.
As a true partner, we jumped in and helped build a multi-disciplinary team with a range of expertise to be deeply involved and thoughtfully vocal in all project stages. We all collaborated at every step, through weekly work sessions, active copy discussions, and work-in-progress sharing and conversations.
The entire Supportist team was enthusiastic and willing to be open and introspective, which allowed us to push boundaries and add unexpected interactive magic—while keeping the experience simple and clear.
Business is personal
Just as New York City never sleeps, work still continues on Supportist. We’re in close contact with the founding team and are continually involved in Supportist’s ongoing development.
To be honest, even the act of typing Structure and Supportist in this case study feels strange as our collaboration feels more like a personal friendship than it does a business relationship.
But we’re not complaining. This is exactly the kind of approach we aim to achieve in every project. Care over cash. Wellness over work. People over profit.
