Dashwood House

Building a brand to keep Land Securities’ latest City of London office development ahead of the pack was the challenge for two consultancies, 300million and All of Us. Tasked with turning an architectural revamp of an office building into a hot new seller, technology was deemed the most effective design tool to market Dashwood House to the City’s property hunters.

300million acted as a brand consultant, creating the identity, tone of voice and typographic look for the project, and designing the print material. All of Us integrated this branding into a range of digital interiors and products for the marketing suite.

 ‘We used technology through all aspects of the project, from the print brochure with its integral iPod, to the interactive table in the marketing suite by All of Us,’ says 300million partner, Matt Baxter. ‘It all stemmed from a desire to challenge the norm in this industry.’

300million’s brochure uses photography and audio to convey the flavour of the building and its surroundings. A photostory of the neighbouring streetscapes by Richard Learoyd is presented in the brochure alongside an iPod, which sits in a mount designed by Mark Delaney. Prospective buyers can look at the brochure as they listen to the audio commentary. This multidisciplinary approach chimes with All of Us’s use of technology to push the marketing suite, which opens soon, out in front of the industry standard.

‘There was a feeling from Land Securities that its competitors are nipping at its toes, and so it has to keep pushing forward. Technology seemed the obvious way,’ says Baxter. ‘It feels as though the project is integrated, rather than a gimmick.’ Technology also lets the building speak for itself, rather than creating an image for it, something that was suggested in Land Securities’ brief from Mike Hussey, managing director of the London portfolio.

‘From what was once a stodgy industry in graphics terms, things have really moved on, and clients are now willing to take risks,’ says Baxter. For property marketing, bigger design budgets are now being seen, coupled with a willingness to inject wit into what was once a dry subject.

Land Securities’ Creative Strategic Council consists of the senior marketing team at Land Securities; All of Us; Esterson Associates; GBH Design; Hat Trick Design; NB Studio; Williams Murray Hamm; and Land Securities’ PR agency Blue Rubicon. dashwood house