Rebuilding a Construction Company’s Brand with Impactful Visuals

CLIENT: Superior Construction is a fourth-generation family-owned and -operated heavy civil contractor specializing in complex infrastructure and transportation projects. Initially founded in Gary, Indiana, the company has since established a significant presence in Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Illinois.

In 2021, Reputation Ink became Superior’s full-service agency of record, handling all aspects of public relations, creative design and marketing services. Our team was tasked with updating the company’s imagery following its 2022 rebrand. With a new visual identity in place, Superior needed updated photography featuring the updated logo and branding.

CHALLENGE: Reputation Ink needed to capture high-resolution images that featured vibrant, saturated color and dynamic, interesting framing with the end goal of delivering high-caliber content that exemplified the company’s tagline, “This Is Superior Construction.” The client preferred to predominantly feature people over just projects or equipment, with a balanced mix of female and male employees. It was also essential that any photography portrayed safe operations and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition, the client wanted to capture more “work culture” content, including photographing yard parties, employee development programs and community events.

OUR SOLUTION: We worked closely with the client to pinpoint active projects across the company’s portfolio that afforded the best opportunities for impactful photography. The job sites selected were often significant projects of high value that featured a variety of employees and equipment. 

We set up initial calls with Superior’s division managers to discuss potential job sites based on the location, number of employees at the job site, significance of the project, and type of work being completed. These projects took place over the course of months and sometimes years, with key work performed at specific intervals, so it was imperative to schedule shoots during significant phases of the project in order to capture the most impactful photography. 

Once potential job sites were identified, scouting imagery and drone video were provided to Reputation Ink to give a better sense of the environment. The initial catalog of active projects provided was then narrowed down to a smaller, more manageable list of candidates for photography. We found a total of five active job sites across the company’s portfolio that were ideal candidates for photography.

Once the job sites were identified, we tapped Cultivate, a Chicago-based creative agency, to handle the photography/videography. Cultivate had previously partnered with Reputation Ink on Superior’s rebrand, helping create the company’s new visual identity. Based on that previous relationship and the Chicago-based agency’s familiarity with the brand, Cultivate would be the perfect vendor to work with on this project.

We then worked closely with both Superior and Cultivate to:

• Schedule shoot dates/times and set up pre-production calls
• Identify the type of work to be captured along with key points of contact at each job site
• Ensure that proper PPE was in place and that sites featured updated logo/branding on equipment, hardhats, job site signage and more
• Determine individual subjects (if any) to photograph and interview
• Make final selections from the provided contact sheets
• Make post-production edits to the final imagery
• Label, sort and create a compendium of updated images to be used across all of Superior’s marketing channels

THE RESULTS: 

Reputation Ink ultimately produced a total of 24 photo and video shoots during 2022-2023. The updated imagery featured high-caliber, impactful visuals showcasing Superior’s employees on location at a vast array of job sites across the country. These images also captured the updated logo on PPE gear, equipment and heavy machinery, reinforcing the company’s new brand. The new imagery quickly populated all Superior marketing channels, including the company’s website, social media platforms, promotional videos, print ads/materials and vendor-supplied content. 

These photographs helped create a unique and tailored story for Superior, one that truly encompasses its mission, vision and values. By showcasing the many types of projects and faces of its employees, Superior has developed a creative vision that focuses on culture, family, safety, and the company’s commitment to providing innovative infrastructure needs.   

CONCLUSION:

Reputation Ink has since established a streamlined process for scheduling additional Superior photo shoots to ensure fresh, updated imagery. Additionally, with a huge library of new photography, the agency can provide additional photographers with a collection of reference images and visual guidelines for successfully capturing the Superior brand. This creates instant access to a bank of location-based creative talent who can produce Superior-branded images at different job sites across the country simultaneously.