Escala is one of downtown Seattle’s largest residential high-rises, with 269 luxury condominiums and penthouses. Nestled in the burgeoning Midtown neighborhood, it is steps away from high-end department stores, theaters, hotels, restaurants and bars. Inside, Escala boasts generous floor plans (1000-3000 sf, and penthouses up to 16,000 sf) with first-class finishes, a five-star concierge service, and amenities that include a subterranean wine room, private theater, and health club complete with a swimmer’s treadmill.
It is couture living, defined.
To develop a brand befitting the elegance and grandeur of the project, the developer, LEXAS Companies, turned to Phinney Bischoff. We were tasked with naming the project and developing a brand identity and sales collateral that would reinvent the perceptions of downtown living and drive interest in the first-class homes coming available.
We chose the name Escala, a Spanish word meaning “scale,” to communicate the grandeur of the building’s expansive living spaces, sweeping views of the mountains and Sound, and uncommon amenities. Taking inspiration from the building’s classic, ornamental architecture, we then developed an elegant logo that conveys refined luxury.
To help Escala stand out in the crowded and competitive marketplace, we developed a messaging strategy and compelling storytelling to highlight the building’s unique high-end experience. The visual and verbal identity was then extended to a full suite of communications–including sales and marketing collateral, website, advertisements, event materials, signage and design elements within the sales center. To unify the initial sales push, we developed a primary campaign tagline, “Once upon a place,” reinventing a familiar storytelling trope to evoke a sophisticated, couture fairy tale.
The brand and supporting sales campaign successfully delivered on goals. When the first ad launched, it drove four times the number of people to register on the website as compared to a similar sister property. Despite a very challenging economic climate when unit sales opened, LEXAS secured reservations for 90% of the released units.