How it Started
For years, 1st Realty of Wayne, Nebraska maintained the same (or similar) handouts that every potential home buyer and home seller would receive. This is normally a good thing, as it kept continuity between marketing materials. But, as time passes, information inevitably changes: people’s businesses go bankrupt, new businesses pop up, people change their names, phone numbers, etc.
When White Farmhouse Realty, LLC was created, they decided to sit down and sift through the piles of handouts, brochures, and online references they had at their disposal to see if anything needed to be updated. Fortunately for them, they decided to take a chance at hiring an intern and decided that this was a great project for him (me!).
When White Farmhouse Realty, LLC was created, they decided to sit down and sift through the piles of handouts, brochures, and online references they had at their disposal to see if anything needed to be updated. Fortunately for them, they decided to take a chance at hiring an intern and decided that this was a great project for him (me!).
Sifting Through the Redundant
The process began with identifying what information would be kept, what needed to be altered, and what was simply unnecessary. Unfortunately, there was a lot of redundant information that needed to go. This part of the process was as lengthy as the creation of the booklet because of the large amount of paperwork that landed on my desk.
Just as important was editing for content. The previous company, 1st Realty, had some information sprinkled every few pages that directly used their name, instead of White Farmhouse Realty, LLC. Obviously, we needed to rid the content of that, so we had to go line by line, page by page in order to catch any errors.
Just as important was editing for content. The previous company, 1st Realty, had some information sprinkled every few pages that directly used their name, instead of White Farmhouse Realty, LLC. Obviously, we needed to rid the content of that, so we had to go line by line, page by page in order to catch any errors.
Design
We decided to keep the design pretty simple, mainly because of the mass of information that we were presenting to the public. If we made it too busy, they wouldn’t make it past page eight. If we made it too simple, we would most likely put them to sleep because it’s not like real estate is a favorite topic for everyone!
The different colors used for the stripes, borders, and text are all colors that adhere to White Farmhouse Realty’s brand standards. The only colors that are not directly associated with White Farmhouse Realty’s business are the colors in the infograph illustrating who is all included on a real estate transaction. I was asked to create this because the owner thought it was important to show people who is involved in almost every real estate transaction, and where people’s fees go.
We wanted the whole book to feel like a comprehensive how-to on all things real estate, and informative for both the buyer and the seller. I think we accomplished that task and created a guide that is both informative and not boring.
The different colors used for the stripes, borders, and text are all colors that adhere to White Farmhouse Realty’s brand standards. The only colors that are not directly associated with White Farmhouse Realty’s business are the colors in the infograph illustrating who is all included on a real estate transaction. I was asked to create this because the owner thought it was important to show people who is involved in almost every real estate transaction, and where people’s fees go.
We wanted the whole book to feel like a comprehensive how-to on all things real estate, and informative for both the buyer and the seller. I think we accomplished that task and created a guide that is both informative and not boring.
Why it Works
The in-depth pieces of real estate that the rest of us take for granted and pay a fee to have completed for us are the pieces that real estate agents are experts in and, hopefully, love. I set out to create a guide that shows how much interest White Farmhouse has for every part of real estate without following a cookie-cutter stencil of an informative brochure. I left out the boring, drab, easy-way-out stock photos of people signing papers with giant smiles. No one looks like that. Ever. It felt more natural to fill the space with interesting realtor tips about buying or selling a house. In turn, it made a more natural sounding, and looking, booklet.
