SAA|EVI
An identity and website for a new real estate development and investment firm
When real estate development firm SA&A and investment firm EVI were looking to combine their companies and rebrand into one cohesive identity, they came to Studio Simpatico for their visual identity, website, and print collateral.
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what we did together
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The Challenge: Creating a new identity for the long overdue union of two companies
David Alexander of SA&A and Ernst Valery of EVI have been working together for decades, doing business together as two separate entities. The nature of the relationship had been a partnership for years, but clients and colleagues were confused by the different entities. It was finally time for them to join as one name and brand. They came to us in early 2017 to create a new visual identity to represent the merged company, and a website to share information about the company and current/past projects. In addition to defining the brand and digital presence, they were looking for a partner to provide ongoing support for needed collateral (business cards, digital brochures, email templates, etc.)
The Solution: An identity to represent SAA|EVI’s commitment to affordable housing
During our discovery process, we learned about the principals’ shared commitment to affordable housing. For the creative team, this brought to mind an old fable of Aesop’s in which a man is, with no effort at all, able to break a single stick. However, when a collection of sticks are woven together, he is no longer able to break them. We used this story as a metaphor to guide the creation of a logo: a wreath glyph that represents that in unity, communities are stronger together.
A website design that tells the story of the company, and a CMS that makes updating content effortless
In 2017, we launched the new brand with a website that featured a news/editorial feel to the homepage to showcase the latest at SAA|EVI. However, after a couple of years, the principals wanted an approach that would do a more effective job of sharing the company’s unique mission and history. In 2023, we launched a newly designed, modern site featuring rich video and photography that successfully communicates the SAA|EVI story.
To give SAA|EVI an easy way to update the site, we built a custom theme for WordPress. The homepage uses a flexible page builder template that allows SAA|EVI to “design” their own layout and choose their own content via an intuitive interface that requires no technical know-how. Full CMS integration also gives SAA|EVI the ability to add new blog posts, developments, investments, team members, and company locations with no assistance from Simpatico.
