Blackbriar

Naming, Branding, Messaging, Website Design & Development, Social Media Marketing, Videography

“We need an exclusive identity worthy of our luxury portfolio.”

Colour Outside executed a complete rebrand and custom website for a Los Angeles-based luxury development firm in need of a sophisticated new identity. We pulled inspiration from the company’s portfolio of multi-million dollar homes, L.A.’s reputation for exclusivity, and the owner’s English roots to rename the firm to Blackbriar Development.

Blackbriar was born from the idea of a thorn or briar—nature’s barrier to entry—paired with the deep charcoal tones of a tuxedo or raven (a traditionally British symbol). The sprawling homes Blackbriar builds are set apart on mountainsides in L.A., sensually taunting people below, and their owners belong to an exclusive club of individuals who exude confidence yet prize confidentiality. Think English secret society meets James Bond’s devastating charm.

Brand Identity: Bold is a luxury

Our team built Blackbriar’s brand around its thorny logo shape, sophisticated color palette, stunning visuals, and bold messaging, detailed in an extensive brand guideline document—an essential tool for scaling any brand without diluting it.

Channeling 007’s wardrobe and direct but mysterious manner, we leaned into black, gold, and phrases like, “Bold is a luxury,” and “Tailored to your taste.” As a result, Blackbriar’s fully-formed identity is in sharp contrast to its average competitor, whose lackluster brand may appear cheap or untrustworthy to clients willing to drop $30M per project.

Custom Website: Tailored to your taste

Once our team established Blackbriar’s brand identity, we created website designs, ensuring the navigation and content hierarchy met both the company’s goals and the client’s needs. We equally prioritize the aesthetics and usability of a website, so one doesn’t eclipse the other. Every element on the page—whether shape, color, animation, photo, message, or button—works in tandem to accomplish our client’s goal of converting customers and establishing brand loyalty. Finally, our development team brought the custom website to life with compatibility for mobile and desktop, tailoring the experience to whatever device people are using. Customer conversion never looked so good.

Lookbook: Unbridled luxury

A visual feast for the eyes, Blackbriar’s high-end lookbook is a coffee table volume featuring the most impressive examples of the company’s work. This stunning book is a clever marketing tool incognito—the most compelling display of Blackbriar’s abilities.

Looking sharp

Messaging & Social: The Untamed Gentleman

For Blackbriar’s brand persona, we crafted a character called “The Untamed Gentleman”— radically independent and charmingly mysterious, yet exceedingly trustworthy. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the husky remarks this gentleman might make to someone at a swanky bar while gently stirring his martini: “This may be a little forward, but …” or “Whatever suits you, my dear.” Our team built Blackbriar’s entire creative and social messaging around this intriguing personality, so people will experience cohesive expression no matter on what platform they encounter the brand.

Apparel: Looking sharp

Our team created a small apparel line to promote the Blackbriar brand, focusing on simple shapes and clean lines. Inspired by Blackbriar’s English roots, we took inspiration from football uniforms to create a sophisticated top worthy of a gentleman.

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