Connecting lives by design.

TRADITIONS GROUP

Brand Identity

An inspired future built on a great foundation.

For generations, Traditions Group was known as Great Traditions – and known for building exceptional lifestyle communities in the Cincinnati area. With the name change, Traditions Group came to us for a brand refresh as memorable as the communities themselves.

IDEA: We created a look and feel that was rooted in their past but designed to shape a flourishing future.

STORY: Updating a brand after decades of widespread recognition throughout a market isn’t without risk. Especially when you’re Great Traditions. Since 1978, Great Traditions had been creating modern communities with an old soul – distinctively blending the “Great Traditions” of Cincinnati’s classic neighborhoods with innovative community planning concepts and home designs.

Twice named the #1 homebuilder in the country for Outstanding Customer Experience, and “Developer of the Year” five times, Great Traditions wasn’t merely “great” in name only.

So we set out to create a brand refresh that not only reflected their strong heritage, but also signaled that they were looking ahead with a consistent dedication to quality.

We started with the logo, giving it a more contemporary and clean illustrated style, detailed enough to appear realistic but not too whimsical. The tree’s thick trunk conveys the brand’s strength and stability. The deep, rich blue of the background and the subtly gold leaves reflect the brand’s classic, trustworthy and sophisticated nature, while the two fonts – one serif and one sans serif – further mirror the combination of classic and contemporary.

The brand website and sales materials were updated as well, with a voice and style more relevant and appealing to the modern home buyer. The new branding for Traditions Group extended to their individual communities, too, including The Retreat at Summit Park and the City Series.

The refreshed brand has accelerated Tradition’s Group momentum. Home sales, new construction and the development of new communities continue to climb. Life is good for our client, just as it is for all their homeowners.

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YAGOOT

Brand Identity | Campaign | Environmental Signage

A brand built around its unique cöre essence.

CHALLENGE: Yagööt is a brand as unique as its name. They took a forgotten recipe for tangy frozen yogurt developed in the 1970s and opened a small chain of retail locations. They had a great product that was truly different from the competition. All they needed was a brand.

IDEA: Creative Department defined a primary target (teen and young-adult females) and created a logo and visual equity that was as bright and refreshing as the yogurt itself. We touched every point of the brand, including equity, print, web, digital, store interior and uniform design.

STORY: In order to reach a nearly unreachable demographic, messaging is fun and simple. Because Yagööt wants to constantly remind customers of the healthy aspects of their product, communication is a balancing act of wit and education.

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Cobalt

Brand Identity | Launch Event | Environmental Signage

Creating a bluer planet.

CHALLENGE: Cohen Recycling needed a fresh identity and launch materials for their newly restructured division specializing in e-scrap recycling and data security management – formerly known as Cohen Electronics.

IDEA: Transform Cohen Electronics into Cobalt with a call for people to come together to create a “bluer” planet – one that’s made more secure, healthy and beautiful through Cobalt’s expertise.

STORY: E-scrap recycling is a big deal. And as technology continues to turn over at a breakneck pace, safe, secure and effective e-scrap recycling solutions are critical. E-waste accounts for 70% of the toxins entering landfills and it requires verifiable processing by certified recyclers to protect human health and the environment.

Already a leading name in scrap metal recycling and management, Cohen Electronics was perfectly positioned to become an industry leader in e-scrap recycling as well.

But how do you get people to understand the effects of e-waste on the world – not to mention the risk to private data – when it’s hard enough just to get them to go green?

You get them to go blue.

We were inspired by the Cohen brand color itself – cobalt, electric hue of blue. The name signifies energy and strength, while the “Co” in the name further aligns it with “Cohen”. And cobalt blue serves as the foundation for the new visual identity along with natural shades of green.

Visually, the green to blue gradient of the new logo conveys environmental responsibility. The shape of the logo was inspired by the hexagonal “C” in the existing Cohen logo, creating additional corporate symmetry. The lines in the logo suggest pathways on printed circuit boards (electronics), and the way they connect and flow resemble the traditional “recycling” symbol of three arrows flowing into one another.

Foundational messaging centered around creating a “bluer planet”, suggesting bluer skies, bluer waters, and Cobalt’s expertise.

Creative Department also developed launch party materials – the invitation, facility banners, posters, t-shirts, tumblers, and swag bags. The event was attended by community leaders, members of the press and Cohen/Cobalt employees and their families.

The new name and brand succeeded in re-energizing the division. Cobalt’s reach has spread nationwide as they continue to eliminate e-waste disposal risks and ensure that electronics reuse and recycling is done right, every time.

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THE RETREAT

Brand Identity | Campaign | Digital Design

Home shouldn’t be a retreat from life. But rather to it.

CHALLENGE: The Retreat at Summit Park is one of Traditions Group’s most captivating new residential communities. Our challenge was to create a brand as breezy, inviting and welcoming as the community itself.

IDEA: Develop an aspirational brand and voice, presenting a life characterized by simplicity and casual sophistication.

STORY: Winding walkways that lead to charming pocket parks. Nights spent around the fire pit, watching kids run barefoot across the grass. An evening stroll to nearby Summit Park for an outdoor concert. And thoughtfully designed courtyard homes built around what really matters: family, nature, neighbors.

That’s the Retreat at Summit Park. Traditions Group came to us to create a brand that captures the spirit of this new and unique community – where every day is far from the everyday.

The scope of work was a full branding campaign extending from brand voice and visual identity to print, collateral, website, and even sales center interior design.

For the logo, we drew on the iconic Adirondack chairs that anchor The Retreat’s many pocket parks. Classic, chic, and quaint, the Adirondack chair symbolizes the comfort, ease, and connection of The Retreat’s homes and community, evoking the simple joy of basking in the open air, communing with nature and friends.

The website, brochure, print ads and sales center follow suit and are breezy and welcoming, with messaging and imagery that gives readers an overall feel for the community’s values and vision.

The branding campaign continues to evoke joy in our clients, too. Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 lots have sold out quickly and the neighborhood has established itself as one of the most vibrant lifestyle communities in Cincinnati.