> case files / vallon
Case file 005 · Name + identity + website
VALLON
A construction company that builds like it owns the place, because it usually does.
LIVE
we own it.
01THE PROBLEM
The company was called Outlook Builds. Everyone heard “Outlook” and thought of email. The name also didn’t say anything about the work: self-performed restoration and rehab, done by crews on payroll, mostly on buildings the same people will own for years.
02THE NAME
Vallon is French for a small valley. It’s a nod to the Mon Valley, where much of the work happens, and to the French thread that already runs through the region’s town names. It’s short, sturdy and easy to say on a job site. It can also grow into a future homes line without changing a thing.
03THE MARK
A solid slab beside an angled wedge: something built and something being built. Charcoal and a warm sage-bone, with one shot of amber for anything you should press.
#1F1F1F
#D0CEB2
#EBB644
#F4F2EA
04THE WEBSITE
Written for property owners and managers, not homeowners. It leads with the fact that Vallon is on both sides of the table, then gets specific about services, timing and money.
- Start times, not adjectives. Each service lists how soon a crew can start.
- Who it’s for, and who it isn’t. The site says plainly when Vallon isn’t the right builder.
- No surprise invoices. Written not-to-exceed, work stops at 80% for a conversation, materials at cost plus a stated markup.
- Proof. Current work on the Carriage Lofts conversion, with the real numbers.
- One short form. Address, unit count and a note about the job.
05WHAT SWAMP KITTEN DID
- Naming: from Outlook Builds to Vallon
- Identity: the logo, color, type and the line “Built like we own it.”
- Website: strategy, writing, design and build
- Details: the inquiry form, social cards, sitemap and a new Instagram and YouTube handle