Village Properties
A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC.
Village Properties is a leading brokerage in Santa Barbara, California, with a solid reputation, a passion for place, and a boundless dedication to going above and beyond. After 25 years, it was time to rethink the brand and enable it to reflect externally what was unique and special inside the company’s core.
C R E D I T
Creative Agency: 1000watt | Creative Direction: Patrick Sanders | Design: India Myers & Lia Zhu | Writing: Jessica Swesey & Mike McCoy
Santa Barbara is one of those places of remarkable, yet effortless beauty and charm. Cities and communities like this don’t just happen by accident. They are places and destinations that take shape around the vision that community members have of “home.” As the largest independent brokerage serving this magical place, we uncovered the significant and special role Village Properties has played in developing, sharing, and celebrating Santa Barbara over the years.
Leading the visual strategy, I wanted to create an identity system that would be inspired by everything that makes Santa Barbara magical; a tapestry that illustrates how embedded Village Properties is within its environment and community. For this, I had to consider Santa Barbara in the macro and the micro.
The region’s Spanish influence is one of the most notable and striking features found throughout the development and architecture of Santa Barbara. One of the most prominent feature in Spanish architecture is the arch. I brought this influence into the logo of the brand by using an arched "A".
Windows
The architectural influence continued into the introduction of framing and windows. Capturing and creating magical vignettes that draw the audience into the beauty of the region; focusing the view and building narrative.
Color story
The color story, too, was drawn directly from the region. Zooming in for a micro view of the area, taking in the little details, resulting in a palette that celebrates both the natural and built environments that make this place so special. Neutral tones meet activated hues to create a family of colors that are as equally beautiful as they are evocative.
Aerial paintings
Zooming out to explore a macro view of the Santa Barbara region, we explored the graphic nature of the aerial landscape. From there we created custom digital paintings from actual aerial photography of the region to add vibrancy and texture to the Village Properties brand identity.
Spanish tile patterns
Pattern work for Village Properties was inspired by Spanish tile work in the area. To develop these patterns, I researched common motifs within Spanish tile work and deconstructed them to develop a set of delicate patterns with the goal of complementing the aerial paintings; allowing us to dial the volume up and down according to the medium and channel.
Tile icons
I derived base symbols or icons from these patterns that we leveraged as embellishments that would activate expressive copy.
Monogram
One of the more artistic moments of the brand identity is the monogram. Inspired by the region, along with the concept of a garden, the Village Properties monogram brings a whimsical yet elegant moment to both the mundane and the expressive marketing pieces. One color, multicolor and supergraphic alike carry forward an iconic look and feel that is uniquely Santa Barbara.
