A portfolio website that lets the buildings do the talking
A refined identity and an image-led website for an award-winning architecture practice, built to help it win larger public commissions.
- Client
- Northfield Architects
- Industry
- Architecture
- Year
- 2023
- Timeline
- 10 weeks
- Services
The challenge
Northfield's buildings had won awards, but its website looked like it belonged to a much smaller practice. As the partners began bidding for public commissions, procurement teams struggled to find project details, team credentials and sustainability data. The practice wanted a site that felt as considered as its buildings and that the team could update without a developer.
Our approach
We simplified the identity to a refined wordmark and a strict grid taken from the practice's own drawing sheets. The website is built around projects: full-bleed photography, plans and a downloadable fact sheet for every building, ready for procurement teams in one click. Every page is editable from a simple content system, so a new project can be published in under an hour.
Visual system
The palette.
The core colours of the identity, carried across every touchpoint from the first sketch to the final launch.
- 01 Primary#E6E4DF
- 02 Secondary#1F2326
- 03 Accent#9AA58C
Results
What changed.
- public commission shortlists won
- 2 of 4
- average time spent on the site
- 3×
- to publish a new project
- 1 hour
The outcome
Within six months of launch, Northfield was shortlisted for four public commissions and won two of them, including a new city library. Time spent on the site tripled, and the team now publishes projects themselves the week they complete.
In their words
Our website finally looks like the work we do. Clients now arrive at the first meeting already knowing our projects.
