Featured Project: .realtor™
- Services
- User Research
- Brand Positioning
- Messaging Strategy
- Identity
- Content Strategy
- E-commerce Design
- Front & Back End Development
- API Integrations
- Collateral Design
- Environmental Design
The National Association of REALTORS® came to One Design with a twofold request: Clarify the purpose of—and rekindle interest in—their .realtor™ product.
Adoptions and renewals for .realtor™, a top-level domain available to licensed members of the National Association of REALTORS®, had been rapidly declining, and we were thrilled to take on this brand expression and design challenge in the traditionally conservative real estate industry.
Doing our due diligence
First up: How to create a value proposition for a product aimed at REALTORS®? We started directly at the source.
We interviewed a variety of folks in the real estate industry, and discovered that REALTORS®' successes are built on relationships—and that many didn’t know what a top-level domain was. An industry audit confirmed our suspicions about a visually homogenous and conservative playing field. These insights would drive our strategy going forward.
High risk, high reward
Imagine typing a URL. All lowercase, quick and easy, zero pomp. That’s exactly what we advocated for doing with .realtor™. By shifting the client’s all-caps logo to lowercase, we increased legibility and mirrored natural URL-typing behavior.
Although there was some risk in moving away from the still all-caps REALTOR® style, we knew a more welcoming, friendly brand would not only resonate with users, but would set .realtor™ apart in a sea of traditional corporate identities. We then brought that friendliness to life with a bright color palette, bold icons, and a modern, sans-serif font.
The master(s) of their domain(s)
Our research taught us that REALTORS®’ successes are built on relationships. So we positioned .realtor™ as an entire toolkit of professional, easy-to-use services, not just a place to grab domains. Tools that would make their lives easier—and allow them to focus on nurturing those relationships.
The new site clearly explains those tools—from email to websites to GSuite to what on earth a top-level domain is—and enables REALTORS® to “master their domain.”
Not just a fresh coat of paint
The previous .realtor™ site was tech-forward, but the end result was cluttered and confusing. We moved to a more approachable, clean design. Through photography, we show REALTORS® interacting with their customers and the product, emphasizing how the tools allow them to focus on what's truly important. Concise descriptions of the tools and pricing round out the site—and clearly convey .realtor™’s value.
Movin’ on up...to a deluxe website
We put our favorite content management system to work for the .realtor™ team, creating a modular site with Craft CMS that allows them to move sections of pages at will. An integration with an internal Rails app lets them create and upload content with a tool already know. Easy peasy.
The big reveal
The big industry reveal for .realtor™ came at the National Association of REALTORS® 2017 Conference. We applied the new brand to banners, floor decals, charging stations, and booth materials, taking a "show, don't tell" approach. Interest in the new .realtor™ hit an all-time high with conference-goers, and the new brand's curb appeal is undeniable.
