The Ask
Put an Identity to the Name
Franciscan Square is a mixed-use development located in Ohio and owned by the Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS). Strategically positioned near the university, the Square serves as a gathering space for students, families, local residents and out-of-town visitors.
We were brought in to help evolve the Franciscan Square brand. Already popular in the community for its annual ice skating rink, the Square wanted to show how it’s growing across dining, living and entertainment.
Our team gave Franciscan Square the tools to better communicate and connect its offerings across diverse audiences. We started by gathering insights through in-depth research, then we translated those into a refreshed brand identity, a new website and a comprehensive strategic communications plan.
What We Did:
- Research & Discovery
- Brand Platform
- Verbal Identity
- Visual Identity
- SEO Strategy
- Website Design & Development
Approach
Research & Discovery
To build a brand, we need to know the ins and outs. We began by setting specific, measurable goals and identifying the key questions our research needed to answer when interviewing Franciscan Square’s leadership. What we discovered was a deep sense of community pride rooted in the Square—one that’s forward-looking, family-centered and full of potential.
Competitive Benchmarking
We conducted a competitive audit of similar developments near Steubenville, analyzing websites, messaging and design to uncover gaps and opportunities. Our audit extended to social media as well, evaluating content strategies, platform choice, audience engagement and overall brand presence. This allowed us to make data-driven recommendations for enhancing visibility and encouraging a stronger community.
Brand Development
Bringing Joy to Everyone Who Visits
Verbal Identity
How a brand looks is equally important to how the brand speaks about itself. Taking our insight from the discovery phase, we created a verbal identity that captured the Square’s energy and sense of belonging. This included defining the brand’s purpose, positioning and messaging pillars, along with five brand tones mapped across four primary audience groups. We found that coming to the Square is a treat for everyone, and it should be reflected in the brand’s voice.
Visual Identity
While the logo was already established, we built upon it with a comprehensive visual identity guide. We established primary and alternate color palettes, curated photography guidelines (action, detail and architectural) and developed visual patterns to reinforce the brand experience.
Branding Applications
To bring the brand to life, we showcased how the verbal and visual identity would apply across real-world touchpoints, from web landing pages and social ads to banner signage and a leasing one-sheeter.
Website & SEO Strategy
Fully Branded, Ready to Be Seen
A website is one huge culmination of brand development, with a mixture of digital strategy. Initially, we recognized a major SEO opportunity. Competitor keyword saturation was low, leaving the door open for Franciscan Square to rise in the ranks.
We conducted a full SWOT analysis and used it to guide our website build, from structure and content strategy to SEO-focused design and branding integration.
The result: a website that not only looked the part, but performed like it too.
