Led by directors Kieron Gait and Wei Shun Lee, Kieron Gait Architects is a Brisbane practice known for thoughtful, climate-responsive houses deeply connected to landscape, place and dwelling. Over some fifteen years, the studio has built a widely published and awarded body of work, including many sensitive alterations to Queensland character houses, alongside community and workplace commissions and a growing interest in public and multi-residential projects.

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Office D.SHARP worked with the practice on a brand review, client research and a marketing strategy to support the next phase of its growth. The completed strategy went on to become the brief for a new brand identity and website by SPGD, and we continued to advise the practice as each part of the plan was put in place.

Kieron Gait approached Office D.SHARP wanting to take a more strategic approach to the direction and marketing of the practice, and our work together began in early 2024. Having earned the respect of its peers and a steady flow of new clients through recommendation, publications and awards, the studio had developed its marketing informally and had not previously reviewed it as a whole.

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His aim was to establish a clear position and a structured plan for the next phase of the practice. This included presenting the studio as one able to work across different scales and building types, in support of its ambitions beyond the private house.

We began by holding workshops with the directors to understand the practice's values, objectives, ideal clients and key strategic challenges. We then reviewed the studio's branding, website, imagery, social media and client-facing documents, comparing the practice with a group of well-regarded Brisbane peers.

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The review confirmed a strong foundation. The practice's project descriptions were nicely written, its website and team were presented with clarity and openness, and its record of publications and awards gave it real authority. Where the practice had more to gain was in its brand identity, the curation of its portfolio and the consistency of its imagery, which had not yet caught up with the maturity of the architecture.

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We also interviewed three past clients about how they had selected an architect and their impressions of the practice. They valued a studio that listens, respects the budget and takes an understated, long-term approach to design, and these insights fed directly into the positioning.

Drawing on the review and interviews, we worked with the team to develop four positioning concepts: thoughtful, responsible, rigorous and dignified. Thoughtful describes a considered body of work, rich in ideas, and responsible a deep respect for landscape, climate, heritage, brief and budget. Rigorous refers to an active engagement with the profession and its discourse, and dignified to a restrained architecture that evokes a sense of calm and quiet.

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We also set three measurable marketing objectives: to grow awareness of the practice in the wider architecture market, to increase consideration for public and multi-residential projects, and to elevate the practice's brand image and perception.

Once the positioning and objectives were agreed, we developed a detailed strategic plan for the practice. Our principal recommendation was a full refresh of the brand identity across the website, client documents and site signage, together with a more tightly curated portfolio supported by an archive and an index of talks, awards, publications and affiliations.

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Imagery and relationships also received particular attention. We provided creative direction for future project photography and recommended commissioning professional visualisations for significant unbuilt work. We also developed a media list and recommended a regular newsletter, a programme of project tours and talks, and a considered approach to keeping in touch with past clients and collaborators. For each recommendation, we suggested trusted creative suppliers, accompanied by a 12-month timeline.

The practice shared the strategy with graphic design studios as the brief for its new identity, and went on to appoint SPGD in Melbourne. We advised on the selection, attended the initial briefing and reviewed each stage of the design with Kieron, from the first wordmark options through to website pages, submission templates, drawing sheets and signage.

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The resulting identity is precise and typographic, with a split wordmark, generous white space and photographs shown uncropped, allowing the architecture to be seen in full. The new website went live in March 2025.

Since the launch, the practice has put several further parts of the plan in place. It now sends regular project newsletters, has opened a recent house to the public through Brisbane Open House, and has had recent projects published in Houses magazine.

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Kieron Gait Architects is a practice of real depth and conviction, whose quiet, carefully reasoned houses have long earned the respect of its peers. We are proud to have helped give that work a presentation of equal care, and a clear foundation as the practice extends to new scales and building types.

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Brand identity and website by SPGD. Images by Christopher Frederick Jones.