Llewellyn

High Street Residential’s latest development brings a modern building to an evolving industrial neighborhood just north of Downtown Los Angeles that is enjoying new energy. Already home to a number of creative companies and superb food and drink establishments, this is a neighborhood that celebrates a convergence of cultures and integrates old and new. Offering 318 two-bedroom, one-bedroom and studio apartments, Llewellyn is across the street from the 32-acre LA State Historic Park and two blocks from the Chinatown Metro station. The building features two roof decks and three landscaped courtyards, a heated pool and spa with adjacent community room, fitness center, coworking space, acoustically isolated “jam” room, dog grooming room, and bike service room.

Altitude Design Office joined the project team early on and conducted research including stakeholder interviews, a review of the competitive landscape, neighborhood walking tours, and photo documentation, in order to dig deep into the project’s potential and to recommend a strategy that would position Llewellyn as a unique neighborhood hub and connector.

Llewellyn sits on the former site of the Llewellyn Iron Works, which produced the iron and steel that built much of early Los Angeles. Inspired by that history, Altitude developed branding with a modern ease and sophistication that references the past, paralleling the building’s architectural and interior design and the neighborhood’s evolution. Every touchpoint, from the stationery system and marketing one-sheets to the temporary Airstream trailer leasing office and website, feature the Altitude-designed logotype, logo mark, colors, fonts, and approach to photography.

A palette of dark steel blue and copper reflects Llewellyn’s industrial roots, while the primary logotype and double-L logomark establish the look of a brand that is high-end without being pretentious, and approachable without being overly casual. The primary and secondary fonts are similarly chosen not only for legibility and versatility, but also to showcase modern elegance mixed with warm friendliness. The approach to photography—for both a selection of stock imagery and a neighborhood photo shoot shot by Altitude—sets a similar tone, with an emphasis on natural light versus the oversaturated, overly retouched images common in real estate marketing. Clothing and styling evoke fashion-forward Los Angeles, and the photography incorporates the brand palette, including the use of green through plant life and images of the park.

Not only did the Altitude team deliver great design, they considered the whole project strategically, and provided exceptional project management from start to finish. They are easy to work with and take care of everything.”
—Alex Valente, Senior Vice President, Trammell Crow Company

Some of the earliest Altitude-designed touchpoints included a one-page teaser website launched in May 2020 to build an email interest list, resulting in 350 sign-ups before pre-leasing began in October 2020. Altitude also developed all content and copy for the full Llewellyn website, which went live at the start of pre-leasing with branded floor plans and a gallery that includes images from the Altitude neighborhood photo shoot.

Concurrent with the teaser website, Altitude launched Llewellyn’s social media presence on Instagram and Facebook, managing both accounts and establishing the tone of voice, visual vernacular, and hashtag strategy before transitioning management to a dedicated social media team. During the period of Altitude’s social media management, relying only on organic growth strategies, account metrics such as engagement, reach and followers typically grew by double- and triple-digit percentages every month.

2021 Westside Urban Forum Design Awards

Extending the brand to inform and enhance the building experience, Altitude designed Llewellyn’s architectural graphics, including the entry canopy and exterior identity signage. Altitude also designed temporary marketing banners that were installed on the building scaffolding—and later, on the building itself, as construction wound down. Inside, residents and guests will be guided by Altitude’s graphics and signage from the parking garage to the corridors, and from amenity spaces to their front doors. Additional environmental and directional graphics are located throughout Llewellyn’s public spaces and amenities, including the fitness center and coworking space, as well as a mural in the garage that serves as a wayfinding element leading to the lobby.

To ensure that the design intent was maintained during the fabrication and installation process, Altitude led the architectural graphics through the construction administration phase. Likewise, Altitude’s Llewellyn brand positioning and identity guidelines serve as the roadmap and reference for Trammell Crow Company, High Street Residential, and all project consultants, ensuring on-brand communication at every touchpoint.

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Client: High Street Residential (subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company) Leasing/Property Management: Greystar Signage Contractor: Reprohaus Architect: KFA Interior Designer: CDC Designs Photography: David Guettler, Jim Simmons, Greg Nelson