Real Estate Developments require a developer to start construction without committed buyers. It is a speculative business, and the hope is: “if you build it, they will come.”
As the developer breaks ground, they are already marketing the new development to ensure a strong sales launch.
In my ten years in business, I have been lucky to work with many highly reputable developers that I am proud to call my clients. The work has taught me about real estate developments’ marketing processes and introduced me to fine, creative minds and designers such as Kelly Bagshaw.
Kelly Bagshaw Design (KBD) offers creative strategy and design, specialising in real estate development brands, including architectural and interior design details for discovery centres.
Last year, Kelly and I worked together on the now “sold-out” River + Pine in Surrey, an Isle Of Mann Property Group development with sales and marketing by MLA Canada.
Keep on talking!
Communication between the designer and the sign company is critical. Kelly involved FASTSIGNS® of Coquitlam, BC’s expertise early in the River + Pine design process.
It is our task at FASTSIGNS® of Coquitlam, BC to implement the designer’s vision. Early collaboration on a project allows us to make suggestions and problem-solve so that Kelly can present concepts to her client, confident of the execution and finished product.
The River + Pine property backs onto a designated undeveloped parkland and a river. The City of Surrey plans to create a parkway of nature walks and kayaking streams, making it a desirable location to live and recreate and appealing to active nature lovers.
The name, River + Pine reflects nature, and the graphics evoke the surrounding rolling hills. The name of the river –The Nicomekl– was deliberately illegible in the artwork to elicit intrigue.
Kelly’s creative vision was a brand narrative based on simplicity, beautiful colours and textures that reflected nature and the secret location’s hidden mystery. Location, location, location.
Real estate is a geographically rooted industry that makes it particularly conducive to outdoor advertising strategies. The corner location of King George Boulevard and Highway 99 screamed billboard, an effective way to create top of mind branding.
Typically, a billboard has about 10 seconds to make an impression on passing traffic and Kelly’s vision to embrace simplicity lent itself well to this small window of time.
FASTSIGNS® of Coquitlam, BC installed a 60 ft. long, high impact billboard. The hills were individually vinyl applied layers, adding texture to the surface. Kelly selected simple solid colours in blue hues, not too saturated, and slightly earthy in tone, reflective the natural surroundings.
The letters were cut from acrylic and pinned to the billboard. The pinned letters appeared to mysteriously float on the billboard, casting a shadow on its surface that changed as the sun moved across the sign.
We also took immense care to plug every nail hole so that the billboard’s surface was immaculate. The billboard was the calling card, inviting prospective buyers to visit the new development’s sales centre.
A winning sales centre.
The sales centre of a development property is an opportunity to differentiate from the competition and introduce the buyer to the community.
Kelly selected Shiplap–a wooden board used commonly as exterior siding for, barns, sheds, and outbuildings–for the walls, painted white to create a cosy, country feel.
She continued the theme of simplicity, using a white background to highlight her carefully selected colour palette of contemporary earthy colours that reflect the natural elements surrounding the community such as the river, and the golden hues of twilight sunsets.
Installations and visuals.
An immediate challenge for FASTSIGNS® of Coquitlam, BC was finding an elegant solution to hide an unsightly electrical box and hot water boiler while working in a converted garage with uneven floors. We installed large, smooth panels made from an aluminium composite that functioned as magnetic doors so that the electrical box and boiler remained hidden but accessible. We chose to work with the aluminium composite because it is a rigid but lightweight material. It is easy to cut on-site and adapt to the environment’s constraints and dimensions.
Logo Installation.
The featured logo replicates the location’s surrounding hills. The vinyl layers were 6 mm thick and gave the logo three-dimensional depth. Each piece was individually cut to precision, painted and overlaid during installation and can be viewed from any angle to maximum effect.
Chunky, blue and gold laser-cut and individually painted lettering added further texture to the final look.
A sold-out development.
Attention to detail, execution and finishing is important at FASTSIGNS® of Coquitlam, BC. Developers and designers like Kelly, spend months on a brand design. If it is not well finished, it doesn’t make the same impact, and people will notice the flaws before seeing the design.
We work with an appreciation and intellectual understanding of the design, and we do this by establishing collaborative relationships with our clients.
We are proud to announce that River + Pine sold out* and congratulate MLA Real Estate and the Isle Of Mann Property Group on another successful development. It is good to know that my collaboration with Kelly Bagshaw Design is part of that success story.
More than just a sign company, FASTSIGNS® of Coquitlam, BC, a Coquitlam based business, delivers marketing strategies, graphic expertise and helps you and your business to problem-solve your visual communications challenges.