Crystal CG International. Website and international brand launch.
Crystal CG is one of the world’s leading digital media companies with unsurpassed experience in static and dynamic imagery, digital animation and interactive virtual reality.
Requirements
When the European Headquarters was established in London in 2009 a rebranding exercise was necessary to raise brand awareness in Europe.Crystal CG was founded in 1995 in China and has developed a strong reputation within China as a leading digital provider. Whilst there are positive connotations associated with China, Crystal CG wanted to become a serious international force in this diverse, fragmented, rapidly emerging and exciting market. To achieve this they needed to understand the international market place, develop an international brand identity, create a global messaging platform and design an international website to support the new messaging and brand identity. Crystal CG International went out to tender for this project. After a thorough evaluation process they chose to work with Marketing Options International.
Challenges
It was of vital importance that the new international brand was an evolution from the original Chinese branding and logo.The aim was to leverage the proud heritage of the parent company rather than start anew.
Multiple languages and cultures had to be researched to ensure that the brand would appeal to the global market place. Crystal CG’s products and services appeal to 5 distinct segments. These include: Property, Sport, Media, Public Sector and Corporate organisations. Whilst each of these sectors is vital to Crystal CG’s growth they are unrelated. It was fundamental that the new brand identity would appeal to each of these key sectors.
Due to the very nature of the Crystal CG’s services their web presence needed to showcase their extensive product range and to deliver the wow factor.
The design challenge was to create a website that was sufficiently visual for Media Art Directors, and Sports Organisations whilst at the same time being “Corporate” enough for the Public Sector and the Corporate audience.
Solution
Messaging and branding workshops were run with key Crystal CG stakeholders outside of China. These workshops involved a number of activities that would assist with articulating Crystal’s current and future brand personality, brand values and brand identity.The purpose was to understand how Crystal CG’s brand heritage could be maintained and elements of the brand enhanced in order to ensure that Crystal CG would appeal to an international audience. The key deliverables from the workshops were the development of Crystal CG’s brand guidelines and Crystal CG International Messaging Platform.
In-depth primary research was undertaken with 63 carefully selected organisations over a 12 week period. The participants for the survey were chosen by careful desk research. The research provided Crystal CG with a comprehensive understanding of the market, the current use and demand for 3D visualisation technology and the perception and level of awareness of suppliers within the market place.
Once the new brand had been defined, the messaging agreed and the research completed, the next project was to design, create and build a professional architected website that demonstrates Crystal CG’s full range of skills and experience and positions them as an international company.
The site was developed to be SEO friendly, cross-browser compatible and simple to maintain. It also offers visitors an engaging experience with quick and easy access to view or download content.
Built into the site design were large “hero” areas which contain Crystal CG’s showreels. These showreels (up to 5 minutes long) were a key part of the site and were quick to load so that they would not impair the user’s experience.
Carousels were also used on the site. This means that images can be added on an ongoing basis without requiring the page structure to change. This provides Crystal CG the freedom to update all areas of the site as frequently as they choose.
