The Summit: A Crowning Achievement

The former Pentridge prison site in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg has gone through many changes in the past 20 years. It’s now a vibrant residential precinct complete with a shopping centre, public open space and prominent markers that celebrate the site’s rich history.

Having worked with developer Shayher Group on two previous residential developments within the precinct, we were incredibly excited to continue the relationship with the newest, and tallest, tower in the development, The Summit.

Artist impression of The Summit, Pentridge

The brief

As with the previous buildings we’ve branded within Pentridge, incorporating the heritage of the site was paramount. There was another attribute for this new project, however, that the client was keen for us to work with – height.

This building, located on a prominent corner of the precinct, would be the tallest tower within Pentridge and feature premium apartments, a first-class hotel with amenity accessible by residents, and most obviously, amazing views to the CBD.

After investigating a few different avenues and even pitching an alternate name, we landed on The Summit. It obviously alluded to the height of the building, but there were also subtle nods to elevated living and a premium, regal nature (influenced by the history of Her Majesty’s prison).

It was also really important that this new brand feel like a logical next step from the brands created before. We took cues from the previous designs, like fonts, insignias and tone of voice, to design a visual style that acknowledged the past, but also stood proud on its own.

The Summit brochure, sitting between brochures of the The Rook and Victoria Tower, Shayher Group’s other two developments within Pentridge. 

Smart efficiencies

Budget is a major concern for any client. Our innovations for The Summit centred around capitalising on the longstanding relationship we had with developer Shayher Group, to create efficiencies that saved them money.

When we began working on their Victoria Tower project at Pentridge, we knew they had a long pipeline of future developments within the precinct. Therefore, it was smart to design certain deliverables so they could be easily updated whenever a new project was released.

This concept is most evident in our approach to the display suite. It was created with a neutral colour palette and certain key collateral, like historical imagery, that would always be required in the space, no matter the building we were selling.

A-frame signage for The Summit display suite

We then designed areas that would hero the specific branding of each release using materials that were easily interchangeable, like frames and digital media, so that the base of the display could remain static and cosmetic updates could be implemented inexpensively (and quickly) to create a whole new aesthetic.

The story continues…

The biggest design challenge we faced with The Summit was continuing the narrative we had established with the previous two developments we had branded, while still allowing the design to feel unique and fresh. It was a fine line to walk as veering too far in either direction could compromise the outcome and mean that the brand wouldn’t connect with the target markets required.

Then there was the uncertainty around the appetite for off-the-plan apartments in Melbourne, as we were coming out of a pandemic, approaching an election and the cost of living was rising.

Life at Pentridge

To combat concerns around the pandemic, we really emphasised the fact that everything you needed for everyday life was readily available within the Pentridge precinct. We hoped that the strategy would combat the perception that apartment living would be confining after such lengthy lockdowns, while also showing that you could live a social, active lifestyle with relatively low risk.

Not much we could do about the election. Sorry.

The result

The Summit soft launched to market earlier this year and despite all the social and economic challenges that have presented themselves, has generated consistent enquiry from minimal advertising outlay.

There has been a deliberate desire to keep advertising costs low at the moment as the market settles into a new normal, but we expect to see a more aggressive campaign hit the market later in 2022 that will lead to further success for the project.