Repositioned for the Next 25 Years

After 25 years building a reputation for historical preservation — including major restorations of a Frank Lloyd Wright icon, the Kennedy Center Opera House and Nashville’s Parthenon — Quinn Evans Architects is repositioning itself for an even brighter future. With offices in Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington, DC, Quinn Evans has resolved to broaden its appeal and make room for the firm’s younger generation of architects. Moving forward, the firm wants to expand its contemporary architecture portfolio without sacrificing Quinn Evans’ distinguished historical preservation focus.

When the firm hired Hinge, they had already been designing contemporary architecture for many years, but they had had difficulty communicating this expertise within the confines of their heritage-focused brand. They also were very interested in communicating the firm’s environmental principles and collaborative style. Hinge helped Quinn Evans rethink their positioning strategy and articulate a vision in which they see a better world where architecture is beautiful, sensitive to historical context and sustainable.

This retooled positioning was informed by considerable research. And with this platform to build upon, we were ready to develop elements of the visual brand: a new logo inspired by the firm’s historical focus but modern enough to support their contemporary work; a 25th anniversary logo; stationery; and a completely redesigned and rewritten website that features Quinn Evans’ strongest projects presented within the context of their new messaging. In contrast to their previous website, the firm’s portfolio takes center stage and eloquently supports their positioning. An easy-to-use content management system allows the firm to refresh the website’s imagery and text on an regular basis.

To launch Quinn Evans’ new brand, Hinge has developed a comprehensive brand rollout plan including numerous prelaunch and post-launch activities. In addition, we have filmed a firm video to introduce Quinn Evans to prospective customers. The video features projects and interviews with key staff and clients that explain who Quinn Evans is, what they do and why customers choose them.