Case Study
Helping home owners sell or let their homes online
Urban.co.uk offered homeowners a better way to sell or let a property, charging less and delivering more than a high street agent. By 2016 it had been doing that online for over a decade, and the rest of the market had caught up. Urban asked me to rebrand the business before it went to investors.
At a glance
- A brand that gave Urban something premium to take to investors
- The business secured investment
- The founders went on to exit, twice
The problem
- Ahead of the curve. Urban had been selling and letting homes online for over a decade, back when most people assumed you needed a high street shop window to sell a house.
- Followed by the crowd. By 2016, new online agents were springing up to copy the model, each promising to charge less than the high street.
- Too many hands. The website had passed through a succession of designers and agencies, growing a bit at a time. It wasn't built on a solid design foundation, so it couldn't scale quickly enough.
- Under scrutiny. Pre-seed investment was coming, and investors would look closely. The EU referendum had the country holding its breath, and the property market with it.
Urban needed a brand that would stand up to that scrutiny and give the business something solid to grow on.
The solution
1. Standing apart
Being early only counts if people can tell you from everyone who followed. The brand had to feel confident and modern, more tech startup than estate agent.
2. Bold on purpose
Estate agency branding plays it safe, so I went the other way. I chose bold colours and Omnes, a friendly rounded typeface that works as well on a website as on a For Sale board.
3. A device that stands on its own
The logo device works without the wordmark beside it.
4. An illustration style instead of stock photos
The illustrations explain a confusing process without a stock photo of a handshake in sight.
Outcomes
The new brand gave Urban something premium to take to investors, and it started a long working relationship.
The business secured investment, which eventually led the founders to an exit. Twice, in fact: first through a merger with Emoov and Tepilo in 2018, then, after buying the business back, through a sale to Howsy in 2019.
Jon was passionate about doing good work and delivering a superior product. He challenged our thinking and got us think about different options/ideas. We have never had this from anyone we have worked with before.
Very pleased with the outcome and Jon goes way beyond expectations.
Oliver Atkinson CEO, Urban.co.uk
