Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

80. A Condo Development Has Historical Charm: Incorporating Heritage into Marketing Visuals to Emphasize an Offering's Key Selling Points

Printers Square, one of the largest residential conversions in Chicago, is named for the legendary industry of the 1900s. When this 350-unit development converted from apartments to condos, a marketing kit created by Firebelly Design was created to appeal to first-time buyers and young professional seeking a touch of luxury at a reasonable price.

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 selling 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 embellished illustrations that evoke the early 1900s and combines this with current photography, making 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. ...