Project Overview

Ode. Timelessly Toorak.

Organisation

Fortis

 

Team

Head of Marketing - Kristina Granberg
Marketing Manager - Jess Garcia
Design Director - Sarah Magro
Copywriter - Sophie Noble
Render Artist - Large Arts
Photographer - Tim O'Connor, Mark Lobo
Signage - Signarama St Kilda

Project Brief

Founded on the past, created for tomorrow, Ode has been meticulously curated for enduring perfection in residence. Open and elegant. Calm and private. From the very foundations, these seven boutique, 3-bedroom residences are a living tribute to the area, and those who reside in it.

There’s an inviting warmth throughout: the timber flooring, soft neutral palette and quality materials add layers of texture and comfort. And with the future firmly in mind, solar panels power communal services, with provisions for electric-car charging in place. A singular address; a home for generations to come.

The Fortis creative team were asking to create the hoarding design, as an integrated part of the overall marketing campaign, looking at ways to effectively communicate the unique characteristics of the development, in a way that would connect with local Toorak residents.

Project Innovation/Need

Central to the development of Ode’s identity was the brand idea of ‘enduring time’ – a brand that would act as a visual ode to past, present and future. This idea is embodied in the logo as a wordmark featuring typography inspired by the building’s architectural language of strong, elegant forms. The play of light on these characters reveals a new perspective; shadows that simultaneously look backwards and forwards.

To accentuate the play of light, the hoarding signage included lit Ode letterforms. The signage was constructed using custom 3D stainless steel letters painted black on all faces, for installation on the hoarding, over the banner graphics. When lit, the illumination of the letters appears to cast a shadow, a nod to the passage of time.

Design Challenge

Fortis needed a campaign that could shift the perception of their company within the Toorak community, from being unknown, to being trusted and endorsed. A challenging feat for a (at the time) relatively new, Sydney-based, development company.

We used qualitative on-the-field research to get to the heart of what the community was truly passionate about. We learnt that although the second most affluent suburb in Australia, for fiercely loyal Toorak locals, the real measure of value is how long you’ve lived in the area, and the answer is usually in the decades.

Locals loved to tell their own story, and of how they fit into the history of the village. Our approach to the campaign’s design was a simple yet elegant way to show our understanding of the local mindset.

Effectiveness

The signage for Ode was successful in driving awareness by informing locals in the area about the project in line with the commencement of the sales campaign.

The sales agent RT Edgar saw an increase in engagement with 16 calls received in the first 2 weeks from pedestrians walking past.

Within the first month of signage install, we also saw an increase in CTR of 20% on the project website, linking back to enquirers initially seeing the signage on Toorak Road.