geoff matheson studio

Project: Website Design & Development
Client: Woodin + Associates
Art Director: Geoff Matheson

www.woodinassociates.com

Woodin + Associates, a land developing and engineering firm in Middletown, Delaware, launched their new website this past week! The new site was part of a rebranding project, which included a redesigned logo, website design & development, vehicle graphics and stationery, postcard & business card design & production. This was an excellent project, as the company had very low quality branding and an awful website. It was a chance to entirely rebrand the company from the ground up, and provide them with a functional, high-end website that will effectively meet their objectives. This new site presents them in a professional manner, will open up new opportunities and help land targeted projects, all of which will drastically effect their bottom line.

Woodin + Associates old logo

Woodin + Associates new logo

Philadelphia Rod Target Vernier Device

The logo was redesigned from their original mark, which was dated and uncomfortably geometrically challenged. Using a land-surveying device, called a Philadelphia Rod Target Vernier device, I drew inspiration and developed several logo concepts that would suit their company and provide them with a contemporary look for the 21st century.

The website was designed to portray W+A as a contemporary, 21st century business – a strong update to their previously dated logo and website. Many of the elements of the new logo and brand are similar to the old one, as the company wanted to maintain a sense of recognition, as their current brand had served them well and has been in use for over a decade. These new elements are used strategically, such as the arrow-like swooshes in the logo which are used throughout the designs, and the original blue and gray colors are complimented with new brand colors. The new brand uses a bright, orange to red swoosh – attention grabbing colors, synonymous with construction work – which works to compliment the original blue and gray. It is these elements which make the new website stand strong as a custom, branded site. And it is with this type of work that our studio really shines. This new design successfully announces W+A and it’s services and communicates this message to the intended audience, which is primarily professionals within these industries. It is through these branded graphics that we have created a memorable, professional design.

The Projects section of the website uses WordPress posts to display each job. This allows W+A to present past jobs in a portfolio, providing new clients and contractors with a case study of specific projects. Presenting these projects allows W+A to showcase the many services they offer, and how each department works together for a larger job.

Aside from the communication and function achieved through the Woodin + Associates brand and website, the basic aesthetics of this design are exceptionally well planned. In the logo design, the “+” was strategically placed to represent the crosshairs of the symbolic device. Because the “+” was placed directly in the center of the oval, it creates a geometrically sound shape which makes it appear solid and stable. If you look at the old logo, the “+” is placed to the right, because of the sizes of the “W” and “A,” this is where it fit. This makes the mark appear unstable and wonky at best. By creating typographic forms that are consistent in size, and placing the “+” in the center, is drastically changed the appearance and feeling of the logo mark. It is through basic geometry that excellent logos are created.

The aesthetic value of the branded elements, such as the orange to red swoosh, create movement on the page, moving your eye from the top left of the page – where the logo is placed – through the slideshow and directly into the content of the site. The corresponding blue swoosh continues this movement back through the main navigation and back into the orange to red swoosh. The interior pages of the site use this same strategy, but a larger content area is created and a secondary navigation sits inside the secondary, blue swoosh.

This logo and website are excellent examples of Geoff Matheson’s best work. And our best work is done when a brand is created or redesigned, and all accompanying materials and the website is overseen and produced by the studio. If you have a similar project, and are interested in having your brand created or redesigned, along with a high-end website, please get in touch.