The Quest Brand: Revisited

The last few weekly updates were a nice walk down memory lane, but the thing that started our little stroll was an opportunity to revisit the Quest brand. As we mentioned at the beginning of Part 1 we recently started working with a new client called the Quest Design Group. So for this week’s update you get to hear their story.

As the owner of a small engineering firm located outside of Chicago, Michael Janis is always looking for ways to grow his business. About a year ago he decided to acquire another firm, and after conducting a nationwide search he purchased Stewart Engineering Consultants, one of the largest and most respected engineering firms in Sarasota.

During the first year the businesses ran independently. They made a few attempts to update and integrate the company logo, but without a well-defined vision for the business their message was unclear. That’s when they turned to Milestone for help, and together we were able to articulate a strategic marketing plan for the Quest Design Group.

The primary challenge in this case, which is a common problem in mergers and acquisitions, is transferring the brand equity from the acquired business. Stewart Engineering Consultants has been doing business in Sarasota for 26 years, and the company has an excellent reputation in the community. So we helped our client face their first decision. Do you want to run one company or two?

Because the long-term vision for the Quest Design Group is to grow organically – by opening offices in larger, nearby markets – and by acquiring similar engineering firms in other markets, it was an easy decision to rebrand one company rather than two.

Acknowledging the difficulty of transferring Stewart’s brand equity to Quest, we explained how the process of reeducating the market takes time. We discussed several ways to communicate the transition, from small things like business cards to big things like a corporate event.

After we completed the strategic planning process we began working on their company logo. We presented a few ideas in round one – from a simple refresh of their current logo (which has an icon with the letter Q – sound familiar?) to a variety of new design directions when the rebranding project took an interesting turn. After reviewing round one, researching their competitors, and a lively discussion, we decided their new logo should be an abbreviation of their company name: QDG. The design process only took a few more rounds, and we finalized the new company logo and tagline.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.