Winners for the 35th Annual Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) "2012 Marketing Communications Awards" were announced at the annual conference awards gala in San Francisco, Calif. Union Studio took first place honors in the category of "corporate identity" for the firm's rebranding from Donald Powers Architects to Union Studio, which included a name change, new logo, and marketing collateral. Robert Troutman of Highland Standard was the graphic designer for the project. Emily Hall, director of marketing and business development at Union Studio accepted the award. Over 800 people were in attendance.
"We had three main goals at the start of this project" said Hall, "to graphically represent our firm's respect for the classical tradition, to reflect our core mission to work together improving communities & the civic realm, and to reinforce the meaning behind the name change to Union Studio, which includes collaboration, camaraderie, and a positive intersection of people & place. Our graphic designer, Bob Troutman, did a fantastic job representing these values through the new Union Studio identity."
Jurors commented that the rebrand was "intentional and well thought out" and that "attention was paid to every detail." They also noted that "the tying of the new brand to the perceived firm culture is palpable."
The SMPS is a national professional organization of over 6,000 marketers and business developers in the architectural, engineering, planning, interior design and construction industries throughout the U.S. and Canada.