There are many different goals throughout a development’s journey - from inception to completion. Everything from getting stakeholders to invest in a project, local authorities to approve planning, or commercial tenants to sign a long term lease. The way to achieve these is through storytelling.
Every building, every place has a story
We uncover a development’s story, bringing it to life in creative and unexpected ways. By simplifying complex ideas into tangible and memorable sentiments, we use visual stories to connect a place with the people it serves – to evoke emotions, share ideas and inspire.
Right story, right time, right way
One of our strengths is knowing which story to tell and at what point in the development lifecycle, dialling key messages up or down at different stages to land them with the target audience.
When it comes to the detailed design stages of a development, photorealistic CGIs that showcase intricate architectural details serve as highly persuasive marketing assets, ideal for attracting investment and as sales tools with potential buyers or tenants.
Early concept design, on the other hand, is all about exploring, refining and defining a range of diverse ideas - and requires a visual solution that embraces evolving ideas.
Placemaking over perfection
The impressionistic visual style of our illustrative images celebrates the possibilities of a place by emphasising placemaking through emotive storytelling.
Instead of hyper-realistic details, they focus on mood, atmosphere, and the bigger picture. The stuff that actually makes a place feel alive.
Breadth over depth
Inspired by the fashion photography approach, we explore a model as though through a street photographer’s lens, presenting our clients with a contact sheet of diverse concepts, each offering a unique perspective on the story.
Characterised by fresh compositions, dynamic moods, and eclectic people moments, this approach is designed to surprise and delight audiences.
By leaving room for interpretation, these visuals encourage broader thinking, taking the audience’s focus away from unresolved design details and inviting viewers to engage with a place more interactively. They also evoke a human story, creating an emotional connection before a place is built.
This not only sparks healthy design debates with our architect clients, but also helps developers build out their brand story.
Mayfield Manchester is a great example of this.
Initially commissioned to showcase shedkm’s design direction for planning review meetings with LandsecU+I, the images ultimately introduced the vision to a wider audience at public consultation. Features of the design proposal are captured through a street photography style exploration of the site, complimented by people-focused moments of intrigue. Grey skies, lush landscaping and nature add an injection of realism and authenticity to the Manchester development.
Possibility over precision
As input is given and the design is solidified, clients can then move towards more detailed renderings to fine-tune elements, present to clients, and finalise decisions – ultimately advancing these from concept to a photorealistic CGI, to showcase the completed design with all intended details and features.
Our illustrative images service aligns to the goals of architects and developers across the development timeline and as such, maximises value throughout.
By inviting creative exploration in the early stages of a project, the design process can remain open and dynamic throughout, ensuring a result that simultaneously ignites imagination and exhibits the broader vision of a space.