Property branding and website to support the planning process

Set within the panoramic Ocean Village area of Southampton, Maritime Walk is the progressive and socially conscious property development from the visionary MDL Group. They are committed to preventing urban sprawl and preserving green spaces (quite right too) by adopting a ‘build up’ instead of ‘out’ philosophy. As a trailblazer of the forward thinking ‘build to rent’ apartment scheme, Maritime Walk was built at a time when soaring demand for quality rental housing was emerging.

MDL sought out Valiant during the planning process to communicate their vision to residents, councillors and planners in a way that was engaging and informative; softening the blow of a sometimes drawn-out planning process. Their website and branding materials also needed to attract future investors, so the challenge for us was to balance multiple tones successfully.

Before beginning the creative process, we dived into the rich history of shipping and cruise liners in Southampton. Once we had submerged ourselves (ok that’s enough puns) thoroughly in this industry, we proposed three branding directions that offered distinct but pertinent takes on their visual identity. The route that MDL chose was heavily influenced by Southampton’s Art Deco heritage, blending the angular shapes of ocean liners with detailed patterns and confident, generously spaced typefaces.

The branding assets were rolled out across stationery, leaflets, posters, exhibition panels and banners for the public consultation process. And for their online presence, we built a flexible WordPress website, a conduit for their new branding and a breeze to update. We were mindful that MDL may have similar projects in the pipeline, so the core of the site was programmed in a way that makes it malleable enough to be recycled for other, similar projects.

We felt the website imagery had to capture the stunning qualities of the Ocean Village, so we sent a drone up at dawn and dusk to record the still and magical qualities of the mariner at those times. If we feel a project needs a little something extra to make it more impactful we’ll pursue that.

The Maritime Walk project has proved to be a success for MDL developments and enabled them to easily manage planning updates and communications. The branding and design has confidently positioned the business as a credible and considerate developer. With an online platform that allows for seamless reproduction, we’ve saved MDL time and money on future projects.

We made a special effort to put ourselves in the shoes of the end user of this project, designing, developing and thinking strategically about how best to serve this client. It was more than just how the end result looks, it was about the overall experience and how that enlivens people.