The background
The brief
The leadership team at THI Investments had already given considerable thought to the kind of organisation they wanted to create. They had developed a set of internal cultural principles and built broad consensus around the positive impact they were aiming to effect internally, with the companies they invested in and within society as a whole. Our brief was to clarify and codify this brand thinking into a useful framework and then amplify the appropriate messages through a new website – while respecting the visual identity that they had already created.
What we did
Brand Foundation workshop
Historical research
Brand Foundation development
Information architecture and UX design
Copywriting
Responsive web page visual design
Art direction and image selection
Literature design
The background
Over 80 years, the Hagenmeyer family had built Getrag, their family business, into one of the foremost manufacturers of vehicle transmission systems in the world. After divesting Getrag to Magna International in 2015, THI Investments became fully operational as the investment office of the Hagenmeyer family.
They had commissioned a local agency to develop their logo and stationery and a simple two-page website announced their arrival online. Having just opened a second office in London, and to support future investment activities, the leadership team felt the time was right to develop a more comprehensive online presence.
The brief
The leadership team at THI Investments had already given considerable thought to the kind of organisation they wanted to create. They had developed a set of internal cultural principles and built broad consensus around the positive impact they were aiming to effect internally, with the companies they invested in and within society as a whole. Our brief was to clarify and codify this brand thinking into a useful framework and then amplify the appropriate messages through a new website – while respecting the visual identity that they had already created.
What we did
Brand Foundation workshop
Historical research
Brand Foundation development
Information architecture and UX design
Copywriting
Responsive web page visual design
Art direction and image selection
Literature design
Indifference obliterated
‘Thanks a lot to you and your team. I am really glad that you have taken us on a journey which peaked with today’s THI website launch. As a senior THI team member I really appreciate the result of your teamwork with us. You helped us very well, sharing the essence of who we are, what we are doing and where are we heading to with the interested world around us. Your work will empower us!’
Dr.-Ing. Ludger Laufenberg – Managing Director
THI Investments
Indifference obliterated
‘Thanks a lot to you and your team. I am really glad that you have taken us on a journey which peaked with today’s THI website launch. As a senior THI team member I really appreciate the result of your teamwork with us. You helped us very well, sharing the essence of who we are, what we are doing and where are we heading to with the interested world around us. Your work will empower us!’
Dr.-Ing. Ludger Laufenberg – Managing Director
THI Investments
Indifference obliterated
‘Thanks a lot to you and your team. I am really glad that you have taken us on a journey which peaked with today’s THI website launch. As a senior THI team member I really appreciate the result of your teamwork with us. You helped us very well, sharing the essence of who we are, what we are doing and where are we heading to with the interested world around us. Your work will empower us!’
Dr.-Ing. Ludger Laufenberg – Managing Director
THI Investments
Finding the corporate DNA
We conducted a Brand Foundation workshop at the THI Investment offices in Stuttgart with the aim of eliciting further information and building broad consensus around the core tenets of the brand. The history of the family company had been well documented, so we also read everything we could find. Happily, certain distinctive values and characteristics were delightfully consistent and helped to create a truly authentic Brand Foundation.
Finding the corporate DNA
We conducted a Brand Foundation workshop at the THI Investment offices in Stuttgart with the aim of eliciting further information and building broad consensus around the core tenets of the brand. The history of the family company had been well documented, so we also read everything we could find. Happily, certain distinctive values and characteristics were delightfully consistent and helped to create a truly authentic Brand Foundation.
Amplifying an identity
We took the circular theme from the logo and expended it to create headline impact and background interest. The restrained monochrome colour palette was broadened to include cool greys, adding a degree of flexibility without sacrificing precision. Refined, sans serif typography and the use of rectilinear forms pay contemporary graphic credit to early 20th century European Modernism.
Amplifying an identity
We took the circular theme from the logo and expended it to create headline impact and background interest. The restrained monochrome colour palette was broadened to include cool greys, adding a degree of flexibility without sacrificing precision. Refined, sans serif typography and the use of rectilinear forms pay contemporary graphic credit to early 20th century European Modernism.
Bringing the brand to life online
Below a headline that succinctly encapsulates the essence of the brand, the multiple narratives that make up the THI Investments story were woven together in a responsive website and with intuitive navigation and engaging functionality. Animated wayfinding points reiterate the brand’s desire to facilitate transformation.
Bringing the brand to life online
Below a headline that succinctly encapsulates the essence of the brand, the multiple narratives that make up the THI Investments story were woven together in a responsive website and with intuitive navigation and engaging functionality. Animated wayfinding points reiterate the brand’s desire to facilitate transformation.
Copy with character
The text content of the site is concise, straightforward and efficient – but this is not a faceless multi-national – so the organisation is confident enough to articulate its distinct point of view, to share what it holds dear and to hold itself to account in terms of expected behaviour. When talking about itself, it is never reticent of its status as a family office.
Copy with character
The text content of the site is concise, straightforward and efficient – but this is not a faceless multi-national – so the organisation is confident enough to articulate its distinct point of view, to share what it holds dear and to hold itself to account in terms of expected behaviour. When talking about itself, it is never reticent of its status as a family office.
