2021
Building the Brand Identity for Herrainmäki LKV
A Local, premium real estate agency with timeless roots
Herrainmäki LKV is a real estate agency founded by two couples who wanted to establish a business rooted in heritage, professionalism, and timeless design.
Located in a historic building in central Tampere, the founders wanted the brand to reflect the character and timelessness of their surroundings. Together, we set out to build a visual identity that communicates trust, refinement, and local connection—a brand that would stand out through its elegant balance of heritage and contemporary design and remain relevant for years to come.
Scope
Brand Identity Design: Including logo design, typography, color palette, and visual guidelines.
Naming Support: Ideation and evaluation of potential company names in collaboration with the founders.
Sales & Marketing Materials: Design of the first customer-facing materials such as newspaper ads, sales brochures, and branded templates.
Support in the planning of the initial brand photoshoot, including moodboards
While an external agency produced the website, I was consulted to ensure consistency with the brand identity.
Deliverables
Full brand identity system (logo, colours, typography)
Print-ready templates for brochures and ads
Visual direction documentation
Constraints
The agency was in its early stages, with limited initial material.
Budget considerations required smart prioritization and reuse of design elements where possible.
Due to Covid restrictions all touchpoints from status meetings to workshops were online.
Establishing the Brand Direction
At the start of the project, the agency had no name or defined identity, only the decision to set up its office in a heritage building. To kick-start the process, I facilitated a brand identity workshop to determine the agency’s values, attributes, and positioning.
Due to location constraints and timing during COVID, the workshop was conducted remotely. Insights from this session were then synthesized into a set of brand mood boards, each exploring different visual directions based on the agreed-upon brand attributes.
After careful consideration, the team decided on Herrainmäki LKV. A name that pays homage to the history of the building and its surroundings. This decision set the foundation for the brand’s visual identity, leading to the conclusion that it should be a blend of modern and classic elements.
Herrainmäki LKV’s visual identity blends classic elegance with a modern, timeless sensibility.
At its core is a distinctive logo featuring an HM monogram, subtly echoing architectural forms and home blueprints. Paired with a bold, all-caps wordmark with refined serif detailing, the logo evokes a sense of heritage, quality, and professionalism.
The typographic system supports this tone, combining a sophisticated display typeface for headlines with a classic serif for body text to ensure character and readability across all materials.
The neutral colour palette, including beige, black, and warm browns, is reinforced by a subtle gold accent to convey a sense of luxury.
Together, these elements create a confident, rooted, and enduring visual language.
Bringing the brand to life across touchpoints
With the visual identity in place, I applied the brand across key materials including newspaper ads, sales brochures, stationery, and customer-facing tools, ensuring a consistent and polished look throughout.
At this stage, the company also organized a brand photoshoot, resulting in a strong library of original imagery that added depth and authenticity to the visual storytelling.
While I wasn’t involved in the website production directly, I provided consultation on visual direction to ensure alignment with the overall brand identity.
In addition to designing print and online advertisements, I also created a range of materials to support customer interactions and sales. These included brochures, handouts, and branded templates that helped ensure a consistent and professional experience
Snapshots from Herrainmäki’s Instagram feed highlight the brand identity in everyday use and real-world context
(All photos in this section are copyrighted by Herrainmäki LKV)
