Case Study
Helping home owners sell or let their homes online
As the UK's first online estate agent, Urban.co.uk offered homeowners a better way to sell or let a property, charging less and delivering more than a traditional high street agent.
The Challenge
Ahead of the curve
Urban.co.uk had been selling and letting homes online for over a decade, back when most people assumed you needed a shop window on the high street to sell a house.
Followed by the crowd
By 2016, everyone else had caught on. Estate agency was ripe for a shake-up, and new online agents were springing up to copy the model, each promising to charge less than the high street.
Too many hands
Over the years, the website had passed through a succession of designers and agencies, growing a bit at a time. What was left looked tired, and the brand behind it had nowhere left to go.
Under scrutiny
Pre-seed investment was on the horizon, and investors would be looking closely. It was an uneasy time to be asking for money, too. The EU referendum had the whole country holding its breath, and the property market was no exception.
Urban needed a brand that could stand up to that scrutiny, and give the business something solid to grow on.
Rebranding a pioneer
Standing apart
Being early only counts if people can tell you apart from everyone who followed. The brand had to feel confident and modern, more tech startup than estate agent.
Bold on purpose
Estate agency branding tends to play it safe, so I went the other way. Bold colours and Omnes, a friendly rounded typeface that worked just as well on a website as it did on a For Sale board.
A device and an illustration style
A logo device that could stand on its own, and an illustration style that explained a baffling process without a stock photo of a handshake in sight.
The Result
The new brand gave Urban something premium to take to investors, and it was the start of a long working relationship.
The business went on to secure investment, which eventually led the founders to an exit.
Twice, in fact.
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
