We began our engagement, as we often do, with research. We learned that Thiel & Team’s clients are exceptionally loyal and love working with them, driven in part by the firm’s friendly, personable style. The research also underscored just how exceedingly competitive the marketplace is, and the firm’s leaders wanted to communicate their sophistication and exceptional skills as designers in a meaningfully differentiated way. They needed a brand overhaul and a website built to impress—as well as a new marketing strategy to promote their differentiators–and their expertise.

A firm’s logo is a visual proxy for its brand. So the logo was an obvious place to start the process of refining and rethinking Thiel & Team’s visual identity. Their logo lacked the elegance and polish that defined the firm’s approach to design. Their all-lowercase type was both too playful and too bulky. The ampersand that served as their mark was nice, but needed something to make it more distinctive.

We selected a new, lighter typeface for the name and set it in generously spaced all caps. We made subtle changes to the ampersand mark, most notably the addition of a curve at the top of the diagonal bar and a new strip of color, to convey the firm’s attention to detail and make the mark pop. The refreshed logo is far more elegant while retaining the personality and most recognizable characteristics of the original.

Our research indicated that Thiel & Team’s website wasn’t accurately portraying the firm, emphasizing personality over sophistication. Its messaging wasn’t differentiated. And the site was missing key features to drive visibility and engagement over time. So we got to work.

As we redesigned the website, we began reconceiving the firm’s visual identity. Many of their clients are hospitality organizations, including country clubs, that serve high-net-worth individuals. So we had to align the firm’s look with the expectations of prospective clients and their audience. We used clean typography, professional project photography, a rich color palette, video and design details to build a site that is visually compelling. We developed new messaging to communicate the firm’s positioning and further engage new visitors. We also reorganized the site navigation to make the most important information easier to find. Finally, we built a new Insights section to feature thought leadership, deploying an offer strategy to convert new web visitors into leads.

Thiel & Team’s universe of prospects was limited by their geography and the size of their business development team. Hinge encouraged them to dream bigger. We helped them build a content marketing strategy that would reach a much larger audience without demanding face time to establish interest and trust. This strategy included writing blog posts that demonstrate their expertise, producing valuable, long-form guides and optimizing their content for SEO. A consistent email marketing program and paid LinkedIn advertising campaign puts new content in front of their audience and keeps the firm top of mind in a crowded marketplace. In addition, we developed a custom Visible Expert^® program to elevate the industry profiles of key firm experts.

On other fronts, Hinge provided messaging, design and tactical support to promote the firm’s annual vendor fair, Thielcon. Each month, we review performance metrics with the Thiel team and discuss any adjustments to the program they might want to consider. And we provide ongoing advisory as they encounter new opportunities or marketing challenges.

Our work with Thiel & Team is already delivering tangible results. For the first time, they are getting a steady flow of inbound leads, which have already more than paid for their rebranding investment. Within three months of their new website’s launch, traffic increased 50%. In the same period, SEO kicked in, delivering a 300% increase in Google impressions and clicks.

The response from Thiel & Team’s clients has been overwhelmingly positive. “What an upgrade! The new branding reflects your team’s talent and personality perfectly,” wrote one impressed client. The website positions them as an elite player in their niche, and as they establish a library of educational content, their reputation and credibility in Texas and beyond will continue to grow.