For Douglas Design, a leading Canadian provider of interior design services, we crafted a unique brand expression – one that compliments the studio’s diverse portfolio without upstaging it.
Douglas Design Studio’s output traverses three distinct stylistic genres – contemporary, transitional and traditional spaces. To accurately capture the spirit of the organization and it’s work, we needed to find a common thread, a singular voice. With this in place, we would be able to confidently support the studio’s output within a single, cohesive framework.
We designed and engineered an understated and elegant space with a simple, linear navigational construct – an environment that compliments and supports the studio’s imagery but never overpowers. Our solution focuses on the details that we feel yield a minimal but impactful and uniquely branded result – a disciplined typography, a concise graphic vocabulary, a subtle pinstripe and a rich, sophisticated colour palette.
Our greatest challenge was in identifying a persistent palette that complimented each portfolio image. Representing three varied stylistic genres, the portfolio photography conveys a significant range in colour. Our palette is sensitive to that range, neutral but not without warmth and character.
Another challenge stems from the source imagery – photo aspect ratios also vary from one portfolio segment to the next. Our solution – employing a unique display engine, the site auto-adjusts it’s text display to compliment each photo image. This open architecture offers greater control over display format and the ability to consistently supplement imagery with text.
Winner of the IMA’s 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award for Architecture and Interior Design Web sites.
