Having done a great deal of work with LifeWare and the management team there, and having worked as a senior designer in the home automation industry I ended up getting something of a reputation for creating memorable brands and websites for home automation installers, and having a keen understanding of what is needed from a web presence for those businesses.
One such vendor, Exceptional Innovations, maker of the aforementioned LifeWare layer of home controls built on top of Windows Media Center regularly sends me installers that are just starting out and in need of a web presence and/or identity as was the case with HomeLife.
The Problem
With the home building boom came a parallel explosion in contracted services such as home automation. With the confluence of starting a new company and entering a crowded market with a smaller budget, the folks behind HomeLife came to me looking for a brand, some basic collateral, and a website. What megalomaniac designer could say no? ;)
The Process
It was great having a client come to me that had a clear vision of how they wanted to position and differentiate their business from their peers as opposed to just showcasing a straight list of services and products. Specifically, HomeLife was looking to pitch home automation as a foundation for massive energy savings, be it from controlled lighting, HVAC or A/V systems. That may not sound totally original to modern ears, but back in 2008 it was a rare tack.
And as I’ve mentioned previously, I enlisted the Hypersites.com platform I’ve used successfully for so many other projects… but they really are an awesome fit for projects that need a decent amount of technical sophistication but don’t have the budget for a dedicated developer. It was really my first choice for HomeLife right from the start and expedited the build enormously.
Working with the principals directly and having the identity set, I mapped the key notes from that process to the website and content organization, prioritizing the “green” message throughout.
The Results
The final product is an attractive, earthy website that reflects HomeLife’s diverse lineup of products all set on a modern and strictly organized and yet very organic and earthy feeling design, reflecting their environmental bent.
