BRAND EVOLUTION
Brand develops over time by virtue of growth, change, or budget concerns, rather than by a singular concerted effort.

The evolution process is inherent in any successful brand, but letting the brand develop over too long a period of time can water down the message. When the message is member service, you can’t afford to wait for that message to develop.

such as the use of river rock on the exterior, or the color blue that dominates the light and airy interior are more direct brand messages. But the flow and movement throughout the space are inviting and functional first, and relate to the natural movement of a river at a more subconscious level.

These direct and indirect elements and messages infused throughout the experience of River Valley Credit Union’s newest location continue the flow of ideas begun at their earlier buildings. The openness and movement through the space and the color and texture of materials join with the messages and images throughout the branch to strengthen and continue the evolution of the River Valley Brand.

K4 is a Total Solutions company that provides tremendous resources to commerce-driven projects challenged with rolling out multiple new locations in a short time frame. Our ability to assist in the management of roll-out programs provides a level of reporting and accountability that streamlines the process to your benefit. Our focus is Speed-to-Market. Delivering a strong quality project on time and on budget is the core of what we do.

K4 provides services through our Architecture, Interior Design, Site IQ (Investigations/ Qualifications) and Construction Divisions.

We provide all or some of these services depending upon your needs. Our strategy to deliver Branded Places is focused on providing an integrated service approach, combining the problem-solving creativity of a large Architectural and Design firm with the implemen-
tation ability of a strong Construction company. This effective service approach streamlines the time element to deliver a project and improves the communication and team effort to do multiple projects successfully.

Click here to read more about K4 and the services we provide.

River Valley Credit Union is an evolution story in the brand world. Having changed their name, message and identity to serve a larger, growing membership a few years ago, River Valley has been successful in bringing that new image to fruition in a relatively short timeframe.

Many credit unions begin with a charter to serve a union, municipality, or large corporation. River Valley was no different, having been formed initially to serve Monsanto workers in the Dayton, Ohio area. Now serving members through-out the Greater Miami Valley area in Southwestern Ohio, River Valley Credit Union has been successful in leveraging its brand to a continually growing membership that appreciates its service, openness, and financial steadfastness.

K4’s design team has been working with the Credit Union on their last couple of branch locations to help that evolution along. In short, K4’s strengths are two-fold: brand creation and brand roll-out. These major elements of K4’s Total Solutions delivery process have been instrumental in creating a “customer-driven branded place” that matches the expectations of the River Valley management team.

Brand means different things to different people. There are many stages to the brand throughout its life; as they relate to the built environment, there are four main stages where brand and building meet:

• Brand Creation - wherein the basic “seed” of the brand is germinated and brought to life within the context of the world of architecture. The ubiquitous creation of Building and Brand.
• Brand Conversion - the elemental steps required when one brand acquires another requiring modifications to the absorbed brand, both graphic and elemental.
  

• Brand Re-Creation/ Renewal – life breathed into a brand identity that has grown tired but still has merit in the marketplace.
• Brand Translation – impressing a previously developed “graphic” brand into the 3-dimensional world of the built environment. Experiential Branding.

Through these building-related brand stages, K4 most commonly provides clients with Brand Translation services; this is the case in the continuing relationship with River Valley.

Everyone has some notion as to what a brand is, but most people relate it to a logo, icon, or graphic that encapsulates the movement, feeling, and message of whatever the owner of that brand is trying to convey. Oftentimes the brand falls prey to being merely regarded as an appliqué to a building that was designed with little or no regard for the brand message. Although signage can be an integral part to a brand correctly translated into the 3-D environment, it is more often used as a quick-fix to solving the brand message problem with little effect. Ironically, the large capital expenditure outlaid by an owner with the single goal of maximizing the return from the brand oftentimes limits the designer’s time or creativity, which are essential pieces to truly maximize the return on investment of that very building.

Brand Translation goes beyond signage. Rather, it is impressing and infusing the brand throughout the detailing of the building. It may be the signature iconic element observed from the road, the rhythm and repetition of an elemental pattern like the chorus in popular music; or in River Valley’s case, the color, flow, and material choices arranged in a familiar, concerted effort that connects the uplifting feeling of the place to the outstanding service and message of the brand. Graphics and words are used to suggest brand ideas to their members, while the building frames and echoes these messages through the more abstract messaging of form, color, light, and texture. Some elements