Page 193 - Visual Marketing

Why It Works
“What made this so successful,”
says Dawn Hancock, creative
director at Firebelly Design,
“was that the client was hands
off and let us do what we do
best.” The JDL Development
firm was more familiar sell-
ing higher-end properties. “We
knew the neighborhood and
the history of printing and that
worked to our advantage,” says
Hancock. The design features
classic-type styles and embel-
lished illustrations that evoke the • The 350-unit development com-
early 1900s and combines this
with current photography, mak-
ing them current and culturally
relevant for modern lifestyles.
Firebelly created targeted sales
brochures for prospective
buyers dedicated to studios,
one-bedroom, and two-bedroom
units. Then they designed a
neighborhood guide that could
be used in combination with
any of the sales brochures.
The design team traced the
floor plans from the 1970s and
purposefully kept a hand-drawn
style that captured the charm
of the properties. The neighbor-
hood guide became the most
important tool in the market-
ing plan. People kept them and
even displayed them as coffee
table books.
Success Metrics
pletely sold out, with 80 percent
being sold within six weeks.
• A total of 400 people signed
up online for a VIP list that was
promoted with marketing mate-
rials and text messaging.
• The program won numer-
ous design awards, including
Newberry Library’s John M.
Wing Foundation on the History
of Printing collection, Chicago
Design Archive, American
Graphic Design Awards, and
Best of Brochure Design 9.
Takeaway Tip
When history and heritage play a role in
your offering, make sure you capture that to
emphasize your key selling points. Images
and design can uniquely capture that sales
advantage in a way that words alone cannot.
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