MD Helicopters Rebrand

MD Helicopters Rebrand

Project Overview.

MD Helicopters, a prominent helicopter manufacturer, underwent a substantial shift in leadership and corporate direction. To support their rebranding initiative and renewed commitments to their client base, they sought a new website that would reflect their updated values and brand identity. The project involved a comprehensive visual redesign and development using WordPress with Elementor.

Client
MD Helicoptors
Date
April 2023
Skills
UI, UX, Adobe XD, Wordpress, Elementor

User Research

MD Helicopters had a new brand, a new mission, and desperately needed a new marketing website. Their goals were to educate their users on their new company positioning and mission, establish their new brand presence, and of course, sell their products and services. I went into this research as if they were a brand new brand, I didn’t want to carry over anything from their old site. I conducted an audit of their current site and competitive comparison research to benchmark MD across their competitors.

This resulted in the discovery of a solid content strategy on their end but with poor execution, so their site did not meet the needs of the user’s journey. With the MD team’s help, I created a list of features and goals for their new site. One competitor stood above the rest, nailing similar user needs. Using Bell Flight as inspiration, my team created a new content strategy based on this research, thus leading to a solid foundation for wireframes and design.

Brand Identity

MD’s marketing team came to us with a robust brand identity and lots of large-scale print and marketing collateral as inspiration for their web design system. I was able to pull textures, shapes, and angles into the digital space to create a seamless print-to-digital brand experience.

A big piece of their branding was a 35-degree angle – while I knew this would be a challenge in development, I felt it was an important part of their identity. This angle was reflected in image masks, button shapes, and background elements. I created a bespoke icon library for their design system as their iconographic needs were specific to their industry.

Challenges & Solutions.

In supporting the company’s rebrand, we developed a website aligned with their updated guidelines and forward-thinking vision. Meeting high design expectations, we crafted a polished WordPress site using Elementor, seamlessly incorporating angled visuals and vibrant brand accents. Our solution effectively showcased their range of products, services, and training, offering comprehensive insight to visitors. Moreover, we optimized navigation by meticulously refining angled elements and introducing a smart sub-navigation system, enabling easy browsing through extensive content.

Results.

MD Helicopters’ website redesign successfully embraced its rebranding efforts and new corporate direction. The site’s design seamlessly adhered to the updated brand guidelines, incorporating the specified angled design elements and accentuating the brand’s primary color, orange, in animated elements. The showcase of products, support services, and training offerings offered a comprehensive overview to visitors.