HowellsBEYOND BRICKS

Before buildings, there are great minds.

People precede architecture, laying the foundation for awe-inspiring creations. In an industry dominated by showcasing work and structures, the human aspect guiding the end result oftentimes gets overlooked. Parallely, websites within the architecture field can frequently feel impersonal or disconnected from this crucial personal element. With a mission to infuse the Glenn Howells Architects (GHA) brand identity with a human touch, BaseBRU worked hand-in-hand with the firm to unveil the faces behind their projects using TikTok-inspired clips, while bridging the gap between digital and print.

GHA has been building transformative places that enrich lives and create vibrant communities. With over 30 years of experience, the firm sought to modernize and reposition their brand to reflect their expertise as innovative thinkers and designers.

We began the project with a visit to GHA’s hometown of Birmingham. The firm’s influence on the city was evident, as the mark they’d made within their community could be seen on practically every street. Birmingham brick, a local legacy that literally built the city, glowed with its distinct orange hue; veritable emblems of the art of building.

Our Basers sat down with the team to better understand the culture and approach of the studio. The first step was to change their name to “Howells”, a contemporary and forward-facing name that still retained the brand equity and heritage of GHA all the while sharpening their vision. Such a pivot required that Howells adapt a narrative that mirror this philosophy. To tackle this ambition, we helped to create a new visual identity for the firm paired with a dual digital-print communication strategy.

Base’s approach was to showcase the individual talents who make Howells unique, rather than the buildings alone. Who better to recount the story of Howells than its own architects and urban planners? Our solution was to put forward the real people behind each Howells creation, the bare faces that imagined every structure – bringing full circle the firm’s name change, one that goes beyond its founder.

This blueprint acted as the guiding principle for their global communication strategy, including their digital touchpoints. Our team created a website that showcases Howells’s case studies and large breadth of work, while also incorporating an interactive layer that highlights their studio culture and their designers’ impacts on specific projects.

This was achieved with the introduction of a playful feature, where lo-fi TikTok-style videos pop into view as one scrolls down a page on the website. Different members of the Howells team share their story of each project, ranging from experienced partners to interns and young designers. A burst of Birmingham brick orange anchors each video, and can be found throughout the website experience. This creative collage-like approach accentuates Howells’s studio culture while educating website visitors on their projects.

This multifaceted framework becomes an integral part of their visual identity across all channels. Whether the medium be digital or print, projects are never shown as singular and static; instead, they are layered with the different processes involved in their creation, allowing the digital experience to carry over into print.

By infusing the website experience with human elements, Base has made the website more accessible and relatable. As stated by Andrew La Touche, Howells’s Creative Director, "I think it was vital [that the new brand identity was effectively communicated internally], especially with a group of visual people, to show how the identity, brand and digital strategy, and website all tied together in, I suppose, a Howells ecosystem. As soon as we announced it, there was a lot of excitement." Our immersive approach, visually demonstrating the interconnectedness of the branding within the Howells ecosystem, emphasizes the value of an integrated framework, reinforcing the significance of a cohesive identity that resonates with visitors on a personal level.