Creating a brand voice that connects
BRICS
Giving a design-led developer a brand voice that connects with the communities it creates.
Client
BRICS
Services
Strategy
Brand
Creative
The challenge
BRICS is a design-led residential developer creating high-quality, sustainable homes across the South of England.
Sitting between volume housebuilders and ultra-premium bespoke developers, the business has earned a trusted reputation for creating uniquely designed homes that offer long-term value and a genuine sense of connection to community and place.
But as the business matured from a growing SME into an established regional developer, a disconnect emerged: its current brand positioning relied on word of mouth – held back by a brand identity that wasn’t visible or bold enough to do the ‘heavy lifting’ BRICS now needed. As a result, BRICS’ unique offering wasn’t being understood or communicated clearly enough, which made it difficult for potential customers understand what set the business apart from mainstream developers.
Our job was to create a unified brand platform that aligned messaging across the business, built credibility with potential buyers and clearly articulated BRICS’ unique position in a highly competitive market.
The solution
Before defining BRICS’ brand voice, we first worked to establish what the business stands for. Competitor analysis, positioning workshops and in-depth audience research revealed the business occupies a distinctive place in the market.
We discovered BRICS isn’t in the business of building homes for scale’s sake. Instead, the brand occupies a more meaningful space. A space defined by where homes are built, not just how they’re built. The new positioning captured this, helping affluent down-sizers see BRICS as a developer that creates a genuine connection to place, community and the lifestyle they want to lead.
These insights culminated in a single brand statement:
Designed for the life you want to lead.
More than a tagline, this became the organising principle for the entire brand. It captures BRICS’ belief that premium and personal design can co-exist. That exceptional and sustainable architecture should enrich everyday life. And every decision, from location and materials to layout and placemaking, is made to help people feel truly at home where they live and how they want to live their lives.
From this central idea, we developed a complete verbal identity, including:
- A refreshed brand purpose centred on authentic connection to place, community and people.
- A clear positioning statement that differentiates BRICS from both volume housebuilders and ultra-premium developers.
- A defined brand personality built around authenticity, connection and calm authority.
- A comprehensive tone of voice framework that enables every piece of communication to reflect the same considered, knowledgeable and approachable character.
- Brand language principles, messaging pillars and practical copy guidance for consistent communication across every customer touchpoint.
To bring the brand to life visually, we developed an emblem deeply rooted in the region’s identity: the Hampshire Rose.
Long associated with the county’s civic heraldry and traditional architecture, the rose connects BRICS to the heritage and continuity of the places it builds. The mark also takes inspiration from the geometric mosaics of the iconic Fishbourne Roman Palace – one of the region’s most significant archaeological sites.
We simplified the traditional heraldic form into a clean, five-petal shape, keeping it both modern and scalable without losing its heritage. The structured, tile-like framing around the rose nods to the long local history of pattern-making and craftsmanship, which adds a layer of regional storytelling to the design.
Taken together, the Hampshire Rose and mosaic structure create a symbol that feels rooted and refined. The new emblem also achieves a blend of heritage and contemporary design that reflects how BRICS builds: with respect for place, pride in craft and a commitment to homes that belong to their surroundings.
In summary, the updated brand platform provides BRICS with a distinctive voice. One that clearly expresses what sets the business apart from its competitors. After all, our research highlighted BRICS is not a mainstream housebuilder. It’s a creator of individuality, building homes to suit the most discerning of customers and their lifestyle aspirations.
Now BRICS has a unified brand voice that reflects this unique offering, as well as one that connects with its affluent audience, celebrates its storied heritage and delivers on its purpose of designing premium homes that live seamlessly within their surroundings.
