Homepro Pest Control
Rebrand & Website
Completed from April to August 2021 during my internship at ARTICLE.
— Paul Rand
Homepro Pest Control is a pest control company operating in the Greater Toronto Area that came to us requesting a rebrand and website redesign.
They service numerous commercial and multi-residential buildings and is highly regarded among their customers with over 375 5-star reviews. Throughout this project, we worked intimately with Homepro to ensure they had input into what would later become their site and brand.
This project was completed during my design internship in the summer of 2021 at ARTICLE. I learned a lot from my time there, as I was the lead on this project. Fortunately, I was able to see first-hand how client interviews were properly conducted, as well as being able to establish a frequent feedback routine with my senior designer. With those assets available, I was able to improve my branding, communication, and web design skills.
Tasks
- Extensively researched the market including top competitors.
- Consulted and strategized with a team to deliver a product that was engaging with the goal of generating leads through CTAs.
- Designed a completely new brand identity that intentionally stood out from the rest of their competitors.
- Consolidated their past website architecture. Created a fresh website that was simple and straight-forward for users.
- Designed a site that was compatible on desktop and mobile.
They wanted something new with the goal of catering towards the residential demographic, as they saw potential for growth there.
Design goal
Grow the residential demographic by maximizing user CTA clicks and generating leads.
Branding for a new audience
The branding process was quite straightforward for the most part. Thanks to successful client discussions, we had a clear idea of how Homepro wanted to be portrayed with this new brand. Their target were the residential neighbourhoods.
Families. Children. The suburbs. Trust. Safety.
What we ended up selecting evoked a sense of life and growth. This symbolized what the services of Homepro offer to their clients. To add, a photograph-based visual language was chosen to better directly connect with clients. Families enjoy seeing other photos of families, especially if they’re happy. We believed a cartoonish illustrative style wouldn’t have brought out the same emotions.
Say goodbye to bed bugs, raccoons, rats, skunks or other unwanted pests.
And say hello to peace of mind.
Planning and designing a new website from scratch
After the new brand identity was established, it was time to create the website. From the start, we knew keeping it simple to avoid bloating was the best course of action. In order to ensure CTA clicks, having a site structure that only told what was necessary was vital.
After deliberation with Homepro, notes were adjusted to meet their needs.
MUST HAVES:
1. An intro that describes what type of company Homepro is. What services they offer. What they stand for, as well as their goal.
2. A review and testimonials section is incredibly important because without reviews from clients, the website may feel too one-sided; a lot of us telling them, we should add the clients’ testimonials in to hear from their perspectives.
COULD HAVES:
1. Including Homepro’s own 5 step certified expert evaluation; essentially their process of ensuring all pests are exterminated from a client’s home.
2. Double-guarantee assurance as a reflection of their confidence. Customer/client portal to allow easy-use for customers.
3. An About Us section of the site that gives backstory to the company.
SHOULD NOT HAVES:
1. Pest Identification Page — not needed.
2. Residential Page — useful but not needed.
3. Commercial Page — useful but not needed.
PAGES CLIENT WANTS TO KEEP:
1. About Us
2. Contact
3. Residential Page
4. Commercial Page
Valuable lessons learned
1. IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING & RESEARCH
Designers love to dive straight into things, but it’s important to discuss with the client about what they want the project to do for them. Intimate conversations had with Homepro about their vision, their hopes, and goals with the company helped shape our strategy for the website and brand identity.
2. VARIATIONS
When you’re unsure of which direction you should go. I learned that it’s vital to experiment with all sorts of combinations, ideas, and designs in order to find out what the client wants during feedback sessions.
3. COMMUNICATION & DAILY FEEDBACK
Since this internship was my first professional design job and this project was my first one to lead, I found it extremely helpful to request daily feedback sessions with my senior designer to help me in the correct direction.
