The Linden Residences

Project Vision

The Linden is a 28-story, contemporary residential tower slated for Downtown Austin. The name comes from the linden tree and Linden Street, the historical designation of what we now call 17th Street. The building was designed by the award-winning architecture firm Rhode Partners.

Our studio, Frank & Victor Design, was tasked with creating the brand from the ground up. Deliverables included: Comprehensive identity system, custom website, bespoke marketing booklet, prospect-focused floor plans, sales center design support, custom signage, digital and print advertising, custom puzzle, and more.

Opportunities & Challenges

1. Stakeholders - There were many stakeholders with varying interests and motivations. Finding areas of mutual benefit and learning the communication styles of each stakeholder was imperative.

2. Timeline - The project oscillated from periods of intense deadlines to stretches of silence. This occasionally made it difficult to find our rhythm. In the calm moments, we found an opportunity to iterate, research, and prepare for future project deliverables.

3. Alignment - The architectural vision and the developer’s tastes and motivations needed to be coaxed into a harmonious visual and narrative brand package.

Kickoff

There were many factors to consider from the start: How will the identity be used? What does the brand need to communicate? Who is our target demographic? The list goes on.

A major first step was to interview the developers, architect, real estate partners, and other key stakeholders to understand their goals and reach a mutually beneficial solution together.

It all came down to future Linden residents. What do they expect from a property like this? Can we meet them where they are and show them how they can grow with The Linden? To start answering these questions, we looked to the Austin skyline and did a deep dive into comparable offerings.

Competitive Analysis

To create an impactful, unique brand presence, we had to understand the competitive landscape. With the help of DEN Property Group, the exclusive real estate partner for The Linden, we identified three major competitors in the space: The Independent, 70 Rainey, and Austin Proper. We noted features of luxury properties that prospects would find desirable. These ranged from a private concierge and residents’ pool to custom finishes and onsite dining.

We combed through our competitors’ marketing materials to understand how they communicated about their amenities. This helped us understand how to position The Linden Residences.

Tim & Mary's daughter, Kim, will soon be leaving San Diego to attend the University of Texas at Austin for her freshman year. After conducting a lot of research on the Austin real estate market, Tim & Mary have decided that purchasing a condo in Austin will be a sound investment. This will also give them the freedom to visit Kim whenever they want (without being overbearing).

Sasha is a real estate agent in Austin, TX. In this bustling market, she has several clients eager to live close to the action Downtown. Sasha moves fast and needs to relay information to her clients even faster. Having access to in-depth property details and thoroughly understanding a property’s offerings and amenities is key for Sasha to guide her clients towards their dream homes.

Customer Journey Map

Chris Visit, Principal at Frank & Victor, lead a customer journey map exercise so we could better empathize with The Linden prospects and understand the luxury home buying experience. We took a close look at our primary users, Tim and Mary. The Journey Map was an important tool that helped us surface opportunities to connect with prospects and understand the peaks and valleys of their purchasing experience. Our design team was able to collaborate and refine our thinking. View the Customer Journey Map PDF here.

Digital Wireframes

After a thorough discovery phase and brand development, we set out to create The Linden website. Before high-fidelity prototyping, we wanted to get a sense of the flow of content on the site. In the wireframing stage, we could make changes rapidly and validate the structure of the site, saving valuable time in the long run.

High-Fidelity, Interactive Prototype

At this stage, we fully fleshed out the website prototype. We created a clickable prototype in Adobe XD so that all of the project stakeholders could understand our design intent. The prototype was also a valuable communication tool where everyone could leave comments on specific UI elements. Once approved, we collected all assets and documentation for our development team. The Linden website was custom-built, powered by WordPress.

Conclusion

This project was an incredible learning experience. It was an opportunity to create on a large scale alongside so many talented people.

We developed a strong foundation for The Linden in its seedling stage, pre-construction. These marketing tools and the passion with which our project partners wielded them were more effective than we could have imagined. Over 40% of the residences sold before The Linden even broke ground.

I look forward to seeing how the brand grows without my tending to it. I’m confident that the tools our studio created will serve The Linden well as it takes its place in the Austin canopy.

Valuable Lessons

1. Baby Steps - This project was massive in scope, but I just had to tackle the small tasks in front of me. If you worry too much about the project as a whole, it can be paralyzing. Find joy in conquering the daily to-do list.

2. One Size Doesn’t Fit All - Each stakeholder has their working and communication style, and we learned how to get the most out of each interaction. We had to experiment with ways to elicit feedback and request content on a person-by-person basis.

3. Embrace the Unknown - Sometimes, nobody has the answers you’re searching for. That’s okay. Just create something and use that as a jumping-off point.

4. Working in a Pandemic - Most of us experienced a radical change in our work lives in 2020. Being out of the studio meant having to learn new methods to connect with my coworkers and clients in meaningful ways. The learning curve was steep, but it showed me that people are adaptable.