Atelier Vosloo All work

Architects shouldn’t compromise. Custom made fast.

Agency

VCCP

Sector

Corporate

Scope

Brand identity Strategy Visual language Collateral

Awards

Marcom Platinum Award — Brand Identity 2024

Live

9wood.com

Architects face pressure on all fronts when selecting materials, and don’t want to compromise. They rely on personal support from suppliers and partners. Competitors in the wood manufacturing space are promoting full custom products or speed and standardisation, while missing the passion and personal touch. 9Wood has a heritage and dedication to delivering customisation on spec and at speed through a people centred approach. 9Wood approached us to create a refreshed brand identity, brand narrative and brand world to own the “Custom Fast” category to create a holistic service ethos.

Building on the equity of the heritage 9Wood brand, we created a modern identity fit for purpose both on and offline. The refreshed brand identity included redefining the brand narrative, messaging house, visual identify and the creation of a bespoke hero visual.

9Wood’s name is inspired by architectural specification terminology, and we maintained this association through our redesign of the number 9 logo. The logo is paired with a lowercase, sans serif typeface with humanist characteristics. The warmth of wood is represented by our orange brand colour - the orange symbolising warm wooden tones, affected by light and shadow. We further reinforced the number nine and custom specifications with an adaptable logo that showcased the variety and choice offered by 9Wood.

We elevated 9Wood’s purpose so that it better captures their mission to create a world where more spaces and lives are enhanced by custom wood ceilings that architects can depend on. We also evolved their positioning line and brand essence of “custom made fast”. The new brand was rolled out across multiple assets both on and offline.

WHY A WOODEN ROCKET?

The new brand included a visual hammer, a rocket, to emphasise the “Custom Fast’ offering even further. Rockets are visually striking and instantly recognizable symbols, helping 9Wood instantly stand out from competitors and make a lasting impression on customers.

Rockets are associated with speed, excitement and efficiency, making them a perfect symbol for delivering custom-made ceilings quickly. Rockets also represent cutting-edge technology and innovation. 9Wood use advanced techniques and processes to create and deliver custom-made ceilings efficiently and effectively.

Orange statement card in Marselis Pro: 9Wood are an award-winning custom wooden ceiling manufacturer, a dedicated partner who works with you every step of the way to bring your design vision to life, on spec and at speed, every time
Orange statement card in Marselis Pro: 9Wood are an award-winning custom wooden ceiling manufacturer, a dedicated partner who works with you every step of the way to bring your design vision to life, on spec and at speed, every time
Strategy board titled The big idea and Graphic expression: three renders showing a solid wood cube, the cube broken into separate blocks, and the blocks reassembled into a nine-part grid, with the line Thousands of custom configurations, manufactured on spec and at speed, every time. We call this custom made fast. Below, five orange marks labelled Wood, Planks, Planks, Poles and Wood palette form a graphic language that emphasises the nine architectural standard
Strategy board titled The big idea and Graphic expression: three renders showing a solid wood cube, the cube broken into separate blocks, and the blocks reassembled into a nine-part grid, with the line Thousands of custom configurations, manufactured on spec and at speed, every time. We call this custom made fast. Below, five orange marks labelled Wood, Planks, Planks, Poles and Wood palette form a graphic language that emphasises the nine architectural standard
Before and after comparison: the old 9Wood mark, a red boxed 9 beside W O O D split by pattern swatches over the line Division 9 engineered-to-order wood ceilings, next to the new rounded-square orange 9 with the WOOD wordmark beneath
Before and after comparison: the old 9Wood mark, a red boxed 9 beside W O O D split by pattern swatches over the line Division 9 engineered-to-order wood ceilings, next to the new rounded-square orange 9 with the WOOD wordmark beneath
The new 9Wood logo, a white rounded square holding the orange 9 with WOOD set beneath, on a full orange field
The new 9Wood logo, a white rounded square holding the orange 9 with WOOD set beneath, on a full orange field
Logo construction and lockups: the stacked and horizontal marks drawn on a grid with clear-space defined by repeated 9 icons, minimum sizes given as 30px on screen, 10mm in print and a favicon, and the primary stacked, primary horizontal and wordmark-only versions reversed in white on orange
Logo construction and lockups: the stacked and horizontal marks drawn on a grid with clear-space defined by repeated 9 icons, minimum sizes given as 30px on screen, 10mm in print and a favicon, and the primary stacked, primary horizontal and wordmark-only versions reversed in white on orange
Photography and logo application grid: a craftsman leaning against live-edge slabs with the planks mark reversed in white, a close-up of a slatted ceiling carrying the 9 icon, workshop staff nailing panels, an angled fluted ceiling with the nine-square palette mark, stacked cedar beams with the stacked logo, and a detail of vertical oak battens
Photography and logo application grid: a craftsman leaning against live-edge slabs with the planks mark reversed in white, a close-up of a slatted ceiling carrying the 9 icon, workshop staff nailing panels, an angled fluted ceiling with the nine-square palette mark, stacked cedar beams with the stacked logo, and a detail of vertical oak battens
Factory window graphics on a corrugated steel building: five poster panels showing wooden ceiling installations, a workshop craftsman in safety glasses, an auditorium ceiling, and the wooden rocket with the line Custom made fast
Factory window graphics on a corrugated steel building: five poster panels showing wooden ceiling installations, a workshop craftsman in safety glasses, an auditorium ceiling, and the wooden rocket with the line Custom made fast
Poster campaign in two rows of four: the nine-square logo on grey, a craftsman sanding in a cloud of dust, the walnut cube, a tattooed staff portrait on orange, a craftsman against live-edge slabs overlaid with a golden-ratio grid and the line Making wood work for you, a typographic poster reading Making wood work for you with the line Choose from thousands of custom wood ceiling configurations, manufactured on spec and at speed, a laughing portrait in a flat cap, and the orange planks mark above WOOD
Poster campaign in two rows of four: the nine-square logo on grey, a craftsman sanding in a cloud of dust, the walnut cube, a tattooed staff portrait on orange, a craftsman against live-edge slabs overlaid with a golden-ratio grid and the line Making wood work for you, a typographic poster reading Making wood work for you with the line Choose from thousands of custom wood ceiling configurations, manufactured on spec and at speed, a laughing portrait in a flat cap, and the orange planks mark above WOOD
Cream notebook with the wooden rocket and a green elastic band, reading 9WOOD Custom made fast, on an orange ground
Cream notebook with the wooden rocket and a green elastic band, reading 9WOOD Custom made fast, on an orange ground
9Wood business cards: orange reverse with the 9 logo and contact details, white face with the wooden rocket and Custom made fast set on a curve
9Wood business cards: orange reverse with the 9 logo and contact details, white face with the wooden rocket and Custom made fast set on a curve
Business cards laid out in a tiled grid over end-grain and stained timber: white faces with the orange 9 logo and Andrew Coury’s contact details, orange reverses with the logo in white, and Custom made fast set across the wood-print backs
Business cards laid out in a tiled grid over end-grain and stained timber: white faces with the orange 9 logo and Andrew Coury’s contact details, orange reverses with the logo in white, and Custom made fast set across the wood-print backs
Workshop portrait: a bearded staff member in glasses and a 9Wood trucker cap laughing with a colleague on the shop floor
Workshop portrait: a bearded staff member in glasses and a 9Wood trucker cap laughing with a colleague on the shop floor
Grid system board: eight case-study layouts built on a golden-ratio spiral and a nine-part grid, showing the logo and headline panel placed in different cells in orange, green and navy over wood ceiling photography
Grid system board: eight case-study layouts built on a golden-ratio spiral and a nine-part grid, showing the logo and headline panel placed in different cells in orange, green and navy over wood ceiling photography
Three social media layouts pairing wooden ceiling photography with orange text panels reading Devoted to delivering your vision and Your vision manufactured on spec and at speed
Three social media layouts pairing wooden ceiling photography with orange text panels reading Devoted to delivering your vision and Your vision manufactured on spec and at speed
State Farm Arena case study brochure: cover reading Living room for the city with the arena wood ceiling, and an inside spread with project credits for HOK and Anning-Johnson and the pull quote We had no time to do a punch list
State Farm Arena case study brochure: cover reading Living room for the city with the arena wood ceiling, and an inside spread with project credits for HOK and Anning-Johnson and the pull quote We had no time to do a punch list
9Wood brand summary board: the rounded-square 9 logo in white on orange, the palette of orange, black, peach, teal, aqua and burgundy, Marselis Pro typography in light, regular and bold, workshop portraits, a walnut cube, the website homepage with the wooden rocket and the figures 4100, 264,350 and 1600, and a Custom made fast poster
9Wood brand summary board: the rounded-square 9 logo in white on orange, the palette of orange, black, peach, teal, aqua and burgundy, Marselis Pro typography in light, regular and bold, workshop portraits, a walnut cube, the website homepage with the wooden rocket and the figures 4100, 264,350 and 1600, and a Custom made fast poster