MCKINLEY STUDIOS

Background

McKinley Studios constitutes an ecosystem of six vertically integrated studios consisting of research, architecture, interiors, art, branding and furniture. Not only does the work out of McKinley Studios push the boundaries of design—under this unique structure, McKinley’s expertise expands far beyond the conventional.

CHALLENGE

McKinley Studios needed a new brand identity that would represent their unique business structure while doing justice to their world-class voice and style. Uncovering the brand style for a company that epitomizes contemporary design would be a thrilling, if challenging undertaking.

APPROACH & SOLUTION

Matter began by reimagining the word “McKinley” itself; first removing all the vowels, then flipping the “m”. Set against a new, bold, custom brand colour “Pomme Grenade”, the updated wordmark speaks to the unique, smart and concise way McKinley Studios conducts business, while making them unapologetically stand out.

Then, we created a fresh, new website that showcases McKinley Studio’s work in minimalistic, editorial form—heroizing the work on each page. A full suite of brand collateral in print including business cards, thank-you cards & envelopes, pitch documents, form templates, custom note pads and more were subsequently created to breathe life into the new brand.

Finally, Matter worked with Studio Dialog to produce a beautiful and compelling launch video as an introduction to the new brand.

RESULT

A refined, bold and unique identity that stands amongst the most recognizable consulting firms in the world.