American Ace | Launch
Company: American Ace
Location: Washington, DC
Project Type: Brand and Digital Presence Launch
Creatives: Anniston Fees & Kellianne Taylor H.
Overview
American Ace, a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) specializing in government contracting, partnered with us to build their brand and digital presence from the ground up. The project was structured into four key phases: Research and Brand Audit, Design, Implementation and Creation, and Refinement. Each phase was carefully planned to reflect American Ace’s values of patriotism, dependability, and professionalism, resulting in a cohesive and impactful brand identity, website, and LinkedIn presence.
Phase 1: Research and Brand Audit
Objective:
Establish a clear understanding of the government contracting landscape and create a strategic foundation for the brand.
Process:
Conducted market research to identify trends, competitors, and key differentiators in the government contracting industry.
Collaborated with the client to define their mission, core values, and unique positioning as a WOSB.
Developed a comprehensive brand audit to guide the design and messaging strategy.
Findings:
A strong patriotic identity was essential to connect with the government contracting audience.
Emphasizing professionalism, resourcefulness, and trustworthiness would help establish credibility and stand out in the market.
Results:
The research phase provided a clear roadmap for the brand’s visual and verbal identity, ensuring alignment with industry expectations and client goals.
Phase 2: Design
Objective:
Build a functional and visually appealing website and LinkedIn presence to bring the brand to life.
Website Development:
Structure and Content:
Created a responsive website with intuitive navigation and clearly defined sections for services, values, and contact information.
Wrote concise, impactful copy to explain American Ace’s expertise and offerings.
Visual Design:
Integrated the brand’s colors, logo, and typography for consistency.
Featured professional imagery and clean layouts to enhance user engagement.
Functionality:
Added a user-friendly contact form and basic SEO optimization to increase visibility and accessibility.
LinkedIn Development:
Profile Creation:
Designed a fully branded LinkedIn profile with a compelling company description.
Uploaded a custom LinkedIn banner and logo for consistency.
Content Launch:
Developed five engaging posts introducing American Ace, highlighting services, and showcasing the brand’s values.
Results:
The implementation phase brought the brand to life, providing American Ace with a functional website and professional LinkedIn presence to connect with potential clients and partners.
Phase 3: Implementation
Objective:
Translate the brand strategy into a cohesive and professional visual identity.
Process:
Logo Design:
Created a bold and patriotic logo featuring a modern top hat motif, symbolizing leadership, trust, and strategy.
Used a stencil-inspired typeface to reference military and government precision.
Color Palette:
Chose a red, white, and blue color scheme to evoke patriotism, paired with neutral tones for professionalism.
Typography and Messaging:
Developed clean, modern typography and a tagline, “Strong Solutions for a Strong America,” to reinforce the brand’s values.
Stationery Suite:
Designed branded materials, including business cards and letterheads, to ensure consistency across all communications.
Results:
The design phase successfully created a polished and professional identity that reflects American Ace’s mission and values.
Phase 4: Refine
Objective:
Ensure all deliverables meet the highest standards of usability, functionality, and client satisfaction through iterative improvements and usability testing.
Process:
Feedback Collaboration: Worked closely with the client to gather detailed feedback on the website, LinkedIn page, and branding materials. Adjustments were made based on their priorities and preferences.
Guerrilla Usability Testing:
Conducted informal usability testing by presenting the website and LinkedIn page to a small group of users representative of the target audience.
Observed how users navigated the site, interacted with the contact form, and interpreted the brand messaging.
Collected feedback on navigation flow, readability, and overall visual appeal.
Refinements:
Adjusted website layouts to improve navigation and streamline the user journey based on usability testing findings.
Enhanced the LinkedIn content strategy, ensuring posts were engaging, informative, and aligned with the audience’s expectations.
Optimized website functionality, including SEO and mobile responsiveness, to ensure a seamless experience across devices.
Results:
The refinement phase incorporated real-world usability insights to create a polished and user-friendly digital experience. By addressing client feedback and implementing guerrilla usability testing, we ensured that the final deliverables not only met industry standards but also effectively engaged the target audience.
Conclusion
Through a structured approach of Research and Brand Audit, Design, Implementation, and Refinement, we transformed American Ace from a concept into a fully realized brand with a professional digital presence. By blending patriotism, dependability, and professionalism, we created a cohesive identity, website, and LinkedIn presence that position American Ace as a trusted leader in government contracting. This project demonstrates the power of thoughtful strategy and design in building impactful brands.
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In Depth Overview & Analysis: Website Design
Project Context
The website for American Ace serves as a pivotal component of their digital presence, showcasing their professionalism and values as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) in the government contracting industry. Designed to exude trust, dependability, and patriotism, the site establishes American Ace as a reliable partner while engaging visitors with a modern and polished user experience. Simple yet effective animations subtly enhance the website, adding a layer of sophistication and interactivity without overwhelming the audience
Website Goals
Establish Credibility: Position American Ace as a dependable and trustworthy partner for government contracting through clean design and clear messaging.
Communicate Core Values: Highlight the company’s dedication to dependability, patriotism, excellence, and integrity.
Encourage Engagement: Provide easy navigation and interactive elements to guide visitors toward learning about the company, its mission, and how to get in touch.
Key Features
Animations and Interactivity
The site incorporates subtle animations such as fade-ins, scrolling effects, and hover transitions. These elements:
Add depth and professionalism to the design.
Guide user attention to key areas without overwhelming the content.
Improve user engagement by creating a modern, dynamic experience.
Responsive Design
The site is fully optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile users, ensuring a consistent and seamless experience across devices.
Font sizes, layouts, and interactive elements adapt smoothly to various screen sizes, maintaining usability and visual appeal.
SEO Optimization
Basic search engine optimization was implemented, ensuring better visibility for American Ace in relevant search results.
Optimized meta descriptions and alt tags for images enhance the site’s accessibility and searchability.
Design Overview
The design process for American Ace focused on crafting a cohesive and impactful visual identity that embodied professionalism, patriotism, and dependability. Our approach began with in-depth research and discovery to understand the client’s values, target audience, and industry standards. From there, we translated these insights into a bold and modern design language, incorporating a structured logo, a refined color palette of red, white, and blue, and clean typography that communicated trust and excellence. Every design decision, from the interactive website layout to the polished branding materials, was meticulously crafted to align with the client’s mission and resonate with their audience. Through collaboration, thoughtful iteration, and a commitment to excellence, we delivered a design that serves as a foundation for American Ace’s growth and success.
Landing Page
Hero Section:
The hero banner features a stunning video overview of Washington, D.C., emphasizing patriotism and the company’s alignment with national service.
The election for the video background implies the professional, cutting edge, and fresh take that American Ace brings to Government Contracting.
The tagline, “Strong Solutions for a Strong America,” underscores the company’s commitment to impactful results.
Footer Details:
Clear, accessible contact information, including email and phone links, ensures usability across devices.
Our Values Section
Expandable Values:
The values section uses collapsible dropdowns, allowing users to dive deeper into each value (e.g., Dependability, Resourcefulness, Patriotism) while keeping the page clean and uncluttered.
This interactive element engages the audience and communicates American Ace’s core principles in an accessible manner.
Contact Us
Interactive Form:
A modern contact form allows potential clients and partners to reach out with ease, ensuring a seamless communication pathway.
The form design is simple, responsive, and functional, optimized for both desktop and mobile users.
Meet the Founder
Founder Bio and Imagery:
A dedicated section highlights the expertise and leadership of founder Kelly Fees, incorporating professional photography to establish credibility and relatability.
Subtle animations (fade-ins and hover effects) enhance the storytelling, adding polish to the presentation.
Refinement Through User Feedback
To ensure the website met user expectations:
Conducted guerrilla usability testing with a small sample of target users.
Observed how users navigated the site and interacted with key elements like the values section, contact form, and animations.
Identified opportunities to improve flow and clarity, such as tweaking button placements and refining dropdown transitions.
Incorporated feedback into the final design, improving navigation and ensuring the animations added value without detracting from the content.
Results
The American Ace website achieves a balance of professionalism, functionality, and patriotism. Key outcomes include:
Enhanced Credibility: The polished design and strategic content establish American Ace as a trustworthy and dependable partner for government contracting.
Improved Engagement: Subtle animations, clear calls-to-action, and interactive elements encourage users to explore the site and connect with the company.
Seamless User Experience: The responsive design and optimized functionality ensure a smooth experience for all visitors, regardless of device.
Project Conclusion:
Building the Foundation for American Ace’s Success
The American Ace project stands as a testament to the power of strategic branding and design in shaping a company’s identity and presence. By starting with a foundation of thorough research and collaboration, we were able to craft a cohesive visual identity, an engaging digital presence, and a professional platform for connecting with clients and partners.
From defining their patriotic and professional brand identity to building an interactive website and a LinkedIn presence, every phase of the project reflected American Ace’s core values of dependability, excellence, and service. The design process captured their mission while positioning them as a trustworthy and standout WOSB in the competitive government contracting industry.
Through a blend of strategy, artistry, and refinement, we created a brand and digital presence that is not only visually impactful but also functional and future-proof. American Ace is now equipped with the tools and platforms to build strong partnerships, grow their business, and make a meaningful impact in their field. This project highlights our ability to transform ideas into enduring brands, ensuring success for years to come.