Rebranding: Step One
Before we could develop the new website, we explored the idea of a new brand…both for American Baling and their sister company American Steel. This update was evaluated in the context of the competitive environment, and the strength of the both brands against others in the market. Many designs and options were presented and discussed. The sales team was also involved.
Initial Logo Designs & Messaging
Going through the branding process for the related companies, a few key elements were explored, including: adjusting the possible icon to conform to a square and smaller orientation, making the name more legible, trending towards using the company abbreviation (ABP and ASC) rather than the complete name, updated color options, and leaning away from the existing tile iconography.
Additionally, graphics to celebrate the company milestones (a whopping 120 years for ASC) and the suggested supportive marketing tagline of “Wired for great customer service” were created and presented to visualize the elements coming together.
The variety of options was narrowed down to two options, with the decision to select an option that refreshed the existing brand as opposed to going in a different direction.
Custom line-art icons were created to highlight the key products and add some interest to the website. The decision to use line art to create the icons extends from the products being “wire” in construction and the ability to scale down to various sizes for any needs (print and trade show materials were discussed as an eventual need).
On-site Photography
On-site photography sessions were held to showcase the manufacturing and production location. The 4CDesignWorks design team was given a tour and provided spots to take as many shots as possible of the four primary products (bale ties, baling wire, box wire, and straight cut wire).
It was a key component of the website to show the various materials, machines, the warehouse space, and the people who work on the products.
WordPress Website Redesign & Rebuild
The website rebuilds to both ABP and ASC were originally the primary focus. It was overdue for an update as portions of the website had stopped functioning as expected, product descriptions were incomplete, and other information was missing or incorrect, so all the marks were present to determine a rebuild was necessary. Updating the website to be less commerce-focused and more educational, as their sales dictated, was also a factor in the rebuild.
The initial website home page designs were created as part of the first branding options presentation. This helps show the variety of options and highlight how each conceptual brand would flow into the website.
The final version of the website launched with more detailed Product pages, a page focusing on industries that are supported, and expanded “about” pages that outline the differences between ABP and other baling wire product carriers.
Client & Project Information
About American Baling Products
American Baling Products primarily manufactures baling wire and distributes related materials used for binding bales of materials, as well as for industrial applications like recycling and packaging. They have been operating out of Elwood City since 2001, with many of their employees tenured for many years and a growing sales staff that reaches out across the nation.
View their website at https://americanbaling.com/
Project Highlights:
- New Brand Identity (Corporate Identity & Logo Design)
- Corporate Branding Sheet, Typography, Logo, & Color Guide
- Website Design and Graphic Design Support
- On-site Photography
- Copywriting & Content Editing
- Supportive Custom Patterns & Icon Graphics
- Hosting Migration Support
- WordPress Content Management System Training
- Mobile Friendly & Responsive Display