Goals
Since American Precision Engineering is a new company being spun-off from another entity, they needed to make a clean break while making it clear that they were established. And this needed to be done in the midst of a move during the height of the pandemic.
Results
Since moving to their new workshop in Texas and employing the brand we built, APE has been networking and developing their customer base rapidly. With a large suite of brand assets at the ready, they have been able to put together necessary materials quickly and effectively.
Research
We started by interviewing stakeholders at American Precision Engineering to learn more about how they work and how they think. We find that understanding the motivations of our clients is equally as important as understanding their customers and industry. We also researched the industry in which APE operates, as well as industries they plan to enter.
In the end, our research led us to insights about their industry and customers, and this allowed us to better develop a brand which spoke to the values of APE’s stakeholders as well as their customers. We found companies in their industry which we used as benchmarks for creative and design, and this informed our process.
Crafting the Language
A brand doesn’t start with a logo. It starts with language. Early in a brand project, we develop a an initial Brand Lexicon which will develop during the course of the project, key words which evoke the feel of the company.
The lexicon we created at the outset would go on to inform future brand terminology and slogans. Specifically, we developed a certain tone and cadence early on as a result of this lexicon.
Color Palette
Fonts
Brand Photography
American Precision Engineering is at the intersection between tough and tech. Visually, we wanted to represent the brand through action-oriented imagery showing the tough part of what they do, but with a level of polish. We created standards for brand photography, as well as treatments for the photography in various use cases. These three examples show what light treatments, normal treatments, and dark treatments look, and below that, the Cover example shows everything coming together into one cohesive brand look.
Apparel + Merchandise
Environmental Assets
In its early incarnation, APE is running a smaller operation while they look for a facility to custom build. For now, we have kept environmental design limited to paint colors and small branded elements which can be added or removed to walls easily.
