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West Wind Consulting

Julia Reich Design recently conceived an updated logo and website for West Wind Consulting Strategies in Fund Raising LLC. This was a major marketing step in the growth of this central New York-based consultancy.

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West Wind Consulting is so named because the firm’s founder and president lives on the east side of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of central New York state, where a change in the weather almost always comes with a western breeze. She understands her clients hire her to bring, or navigate change. Like the weather, sometimes change is welcome, sometimes it feels difficult, but no matter what that change may be, it’s always better to see it coming and anticipate it rather than be caught off guard.

WWC had never done any marketing previously, and had enjoyed success purely from word-of-mouth. With the expansion of their office and core services, it was time for an online presence, and an overall re-vamping of their visual identity.

Since an electronic file of the old logo had been waylaid over the years, we had to create a new vector file, and then saved it for our client in all formats they would ever need, for print and online media.While we did not design the logo from scratch, we carefully considered a simplification of the logo by removing extraneous linework and changing the typeface, thereby improving its impact & visibility, and giving it a more contemporary look.

The completed website is a highly personal reflection of the owner, both in design and content. It feels welcoming, natural, soft-edged, and evocative of the breezes blowing off the lake.

Developed and customized in WordPress, it allows WWC’s staff control in managing content, quickly and easily.

View the website here.

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Following is an interview with Bob Steinkamp of Ithaca Public Relations, in which Julia Reich, Principal of Julia Reich Design discusses the importance of recognizing the individual needs of each client, and the process the firm used in the creation of West Wind Consulting’s new brand.

DID THE CLIENT GIVE YOU INSTRUCTIONS OR IDEAS BEFORE YOU BEGAN THE PROJECT?
JR: Yes. We met at the outset for a briefing session to determine exactly what they were looking for. The meeting helped us determine that we needed to retain West Wind’s existing identity, while at the same time making it more contemporary. West Wind Consulting (WWC) recently hired a new consultant with a strong background in annual fund management, which takes the company in a new direction that is unique to the industry, and they were looking to freshen up the existing brand to reflect this expanded line of services. Their existing visual identity was good in the sense that it had a strong concept, but the design needed to be streamlined and simplified, in order to reflect the warm, caring spirit of the company, while still conveying a sense of boldness and a willingness to step out in new directions.
WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE IN REDESIGNING WEST WIND’S IDENTITY?
JR: West Wind’s owner lives on the east side of Seneca Lake, where the weather blows in from the west, so in a sense, the name West Wind is a metaphor not only for the constantly changing weather, but for the change West Wind’s clients are seeking. Our goal was to maintain West Wind’s business image while creating a more personal and inviting feeling… one that says “let us take you on a journey.” More than anything else, we needed to make their visual identity representative of the firm’s warm and welcoming personality. But, we also needed to respect the owner’s preference for a certain color palette, and use of organic shapes, all while keeping it simple and dynamic to convey a sense of “the wind.” West Wind also wanted to project a sense of maturity, but without being too cute, gimmicky, or “corporate.”
When the time came to actually begin the design work, Patrick Moroney, our senior designer, felt the old version was too “busy” and difficult to read, and could communicate the same message with less line work. The typeface also needed to be updated. We came up with a number of designs that we felt would be outstanding choices, and went back and forth on the best choices, and had a number of conversations before deciding on what we wanted to recommend to the client.
The result is that West Wind’s visual identity now reflects a business that’s bold, has integrity, is rooted in the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes, and is intimate, thoughtful, and creative in the services it provides and the way it provides them. West Wind’s website and logo look different. Even the language used on the website is different than typical corporate “marketing speak” and that’s what makes it, and them, special.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO DESIGN THIS NEW IDENTITY?
JR: This project took five months, from the first idea sessions to the site going live, to the delivery of brand guidelines, which explains how to use the new logo and ensures consistency in its application across media. Although the first ideas for any project such as this one generally come quickly, you have to test them, visualize them, and criticize them in order to ensure that the core idea becomes an identity that will stand the test of time.
Once you’ve done that it’s important to spend plenty of time with the client answering their questions and concerns, and ensuring they understand why you’re making the recommendations you’ve made. If the client isn’t convinced, or doesn’t buy in to what you’re recommending, the visual identity will never become a “brand” in the true sense, and the client won’t achieve his or her full potential. That’s also why the brand guidelines are so important. Every organization needs to use its logos and other visual identifiers in a consistent manner in order to create instant recognition in the minds of people who see them. The brand guidelines give the client clear recommendations on how to do that.
HOW DID YOUR TEAM WORK TOGETHER ON THIS PROJECT?
JR: Everyone naturally did his or her part. I coordinated the overall design process/project management, initiated the first round of logo changes, and prepared and delivered each presentation, while the entire team refined the logo, letterheads, business cards, envelopes and website, and tackled the typographical work. There were a lot of ideas about how best to provide solutions to the challenge mentioned above… a lot of discussions and ideas bounced back and forth before we came up with our final recommendations.
WAS THE LOGO THE WHOLE PROJECT?
JR: No, not at all. That’s where the project began. WWC’s new logo was the starting point for branded corporate stationery and a new website. The firm had never before had a web presence -it did everything by word of mouth. But, that’s also what made this project so much fun to work on. It presented an opportunity for us to fully create something from the ground up that will help a great business better market itself to the world.
WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT WORKING ON THIS PROJECT?
JR: Sometimes, clients have very specific ideas about what they think they want… they know they want something different, but when you present unique concepts, they don’t want to change. Change can be a very scary thing in the business world, particularly when it involves the visual image you’re presenting to your clients and the public. The right visual image can help open many new doors, while the wrong one sends the opposite message and can close a lot of doors, as well. We understand that.
However, West Wind Consulting really was a breath of fresh air. They encouraged us to think of creative ideas and were open to them. They embraced them. They didn’t have any preconceived notions, and were open to exploring new possibilities and ideas, which made it easier for us because it gave us a lot room to explore, while still staying within the framework of the original project brief.

 

 

 

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