Urbanist Architecture
01
The challenge
While Urbanist’s website performed well from an SEO perspective, it no longer reflected the ambition, quality, or value of the firm’s work. There was a clear mismatch between perception and reality: the visual design felt safe and understated, underselling the firm’s expertise and limiting its ability to attract higher-budget projects. The challenge was to reposition the brand visually—signaling professionalism, confidence, and premium quality without compromising the site’s strong informational foundation or SEO performance. The goal was to attract fewer but higher-quality enquiries from serious homeowners and developers.
02
My role & approach
As the sole designer, I led the project from strategy to launch, collaborating closely with the Director and a copywriter. Over three years, I had long-term ownership of the brand’s visual evolution across all touchpoints, including marketing materials, client presentations, social media, and the website. For this project, I:
Defined the visual and brand direction and refined typography, colour, and imagery to create a modern, confident identity.
Designed the website end-to-end, prioritising image-led storytelling, editorial restraint, and consistency across projects.
Guided information hierarchy and UX, advocating for clarity, accessibility, and long-term usability.
Led collaboration with developers, selecting the team and ensuring technical quality, performance, and SEO standards.
Throughout the process, I balanced ambition with usability, pushing back on overdesign while elevating the brand’s visual language.
03
Design decisions & solutions
The redesign focused on elevating perception without overcomplicating the user experience:
Refined typography & colours: modern, cohesive systems added depth and elegance while maintaining clarity.
Image-led: large, immersive visuals let projects speak for themselves, reinforcing quality.
White space: generous spacing and hierarchy created a sense of calm confidence, reflecting the firm’s architectural approach.
Consistency: established visual rules for renders, photography, and project presentation to strengthen brand recognition.
By creating a clear visual system and a polished, custom-built website, we ensured that the design communicated the firm’s premium positioning while remaining performant and scalable.
04
Results & impact
Following launch, the website attracted higher-quality enquiries from serious homeowners and developers, aligning with Urbanist’s goal of pursuing larger, higher-budget projects. Traffic remained strong due to SEO continuity, but the audience shifted to clients with more complex needs. Internally, the redesign was seen as a major step forward for the brand, better reflecting its ambition and positioning Urbanist as a premium practice within a competitive market.
For me, this project reinforced the power of visual design in shaping business outcomes, strengthened my ability to lead end-to-end projects, advocate for thoughtful design decisions, and align visual work with commercial goals. It remains a cornerstone of my portfolio as an example of true ownership and strategic design impact.
