When Jeremy and Anna Smith approached us about the plan for revitalization of a historical building in downtown Albertville, they were seeking some ideas to share the work they were doing in a way that would have a positive impact on the community. We began meeting about the plans and purposes for the location, including a couple of walk throughs of the property to see the vision being developed. We discussed giving the building an identity through a brand that both recognized the past and established the vision for the future while also making it easy to locate for tenants and guests that would frequent the property.
After initial meetings with the client to discuss the project and view the property, our team embarked on a several-step process to define and develop a new brand for this historic space in downtown Albertville, Alabama.
Step 1: Research
A key part of establishing a good brand involves researching similar businesses, or properties in this case, and their brands. This allows our team to make sure that we don’t duplicate something already in existence, particularly in the same marketplace. For this project, we also researched a great deal of information about the history of naming buildings and the current trends for doing the same. We often find wonderful nuggets of information along this journey. On this project, we learned that a parador (Spanish pronunciation: [paɾaˈðoɾ]), in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, is a kind of luxury hotel, usually located in a converted historic building such as a monastery or castle, or in a modern building with a panoramic view of a historic and monumental city. Since we were naming a building that was once a hotel and now a key landmark in the middle of the city, parador became a word to consider in the naming process.
Step 2: Brainstorming
Step 3: Client Review
Step 4: Artistry of the Quill At Work
Step 5: Brand Design Reveal at a Client Meeting
Our team is now ready to unveil the options in a reveal meeting with the client. It is important to our team to start these meetings by walking the client through the process that we have been through as a team. We want them to know the kernels of wisdom we gleaned from our research. We want them to understand how we created the vision of the concepts we are about to show them. And most importantly, we want them to capture the vision of the story their new brand can tell with each design we present to them. These meetings are some of our team’s favorite events as we get to help birth a brand and set its story into motion.
Jeremy and Anna had a clear vision for the revitalization of this historic building, and we wanted to make sure the brand name, design, and slogan fully represented that vision. We had a blast presenting our concepts, and we were excited to see that Jeremy and Anna embraced the proposed main concept we pitched to launch their brand.
Paying tribute to the past, the slogan “Where comfort and community meet,” acknowledged the hub of activity that took place in the original hotel that existed in this building. With the current vision of revitalizing the existing apartments on the top two floors and updating the common areas of the commercial spaces available for lease on the bottom floor, the new slogan also exemplified the comfort of living spaces and the community of downtown retail merchants and their customers. All of this takes place on one of the busiest corners in downtown Albertville, a prime location for community engagement. The best way to give a nod to this busy spot while also helping people easily find this community-rich space came in launching this beautifully revitalized property as the new 75 AND MAIN building, located on the corner of Highway 75 and Main Street.
The whole process to launch the 75 AND MAIN brand took a few months, but the unveiling of the brand made it all worth the process. Establishing and unveiling a brand are just the start of the living and breathing story of the brand which will be played out and shared in the days and years ahead. Building a brand is a marathon, not a sprint, but it is a race that grows sweeter with time and more powerful as people connect with the story and the brand.
If you haven’t already, we hope you will visit 75 AND MAIN to experience the comfort and community offered in Albertville, Alabama.
