Abstract is homegrown, locally owned, and filled with bright young leaders who are shaping Victoria to be more connected. But it was showing up as corporate and disconnected from the city it loves.

To capture the business and brand as it is today, we started by building internal alignment—interviewing members at every level of the organization and the local community to hear what’s good, true and what shortcomings still need to be addressed. Those insights allowed us to identify an ownable whitespace for Abstract in the market. It informed a new brand promise and a set of key messages crafted to break through a busy real estate market.

We learned that the new Abstract is making iconic architectural landmarks that capture the local landscape, raise the bar for quality and never settle for the status quo. They’re living and breathing the spirit of Victoria, making communities more walkable and raising the standard for excellence.

To capture a new culture that was growing, we established guiding principles: Never complacent, Room to grow, and In it for the long haul.

Then we landed on the double-duty purpose and tagline: Proud to live here.

Strategy work guided our vibrant new visual identity: centred on a bold A letterform that references the original Abstract logo, bridging a sophisticated but energetic palette, custom type and an upward chevron pattern that carries an optimism across all the assets.

New human-focused art direction brings it all to life, and we art-directed an original shoot in advance of the launch, in partnership with local photographer Brit Kwaseney. It truly came to life in Abstract’s new website—designed to expand with their growing project portfolio, and to capture the pride Abstract employees and homeowners feel in their city.

The new identity and messaging are now anchoring key touchpoints all over Victoria—starting with new signage for the Abstract Home Store, and extending to key development projects through the city. We applied the brand to a new pitchbook, team onboarding materials, stationery and merch.

In any growing organization change management is key. We partnered with Abstract to lead a series of town hall and board meetings to demonstrate how their early input shaped the brand, and how they can integrate the work into their daily work

Not only did it create an easy path for brand adoption—it also solidified our relationship with Abstract. We continue to work together on multiple project brands across Victoria.