Smythe LLP

A person walking in Vancouver's financial district
Client Name
Smythe LLP
Website
www.smythecpa.com
Year
2021

Smythe LLC operates at the forefront of financial services in British Columbia, spanning accounting, tax, advisory, insolvency services, and more. Their legacy was well-established, having supplied businesses and individuals with trusted support since 1980. However, the industry titan found itself grappling with an oft-inevitable reality: their family of websites—smythecpa.com and smytheinsolvency.com—were no longer meeting the ever-evolving needs of modern users.

From the onset, Smythe was determined to provide an enhanced, effortless, and accessible experience for its website users within its existing brand guidelines. And that meant our partnership wasn’t about a “rebrand” or “redesign” in a traditional sense – rather, what Smythe needed was to deliberately evolve its existing digital presence without relinquishing the valuable brand equity it had built over 40+ years of service. 

This collaboration was a testament to the art of balance—melding the established essence of Smythe LLC with innovative digital strategies to elevate engagement, ensure brand consistency across digital touchpoints, and surpass accessibility standards.

Services

  • Brand Strategy
  • User Experience Design (UX)
  • Website Design
  • Website Development
  • Copywriting
A mockup of multiple pages from the Smythe website design and development project.
A screenshot of the Smythe LLP website's Company page.

Navigating Smythe’s Brand Evolution

In refining Smythe’s digital identity, our mission was clear: to create a cohesive and compelling digital branded universe aligned with the firm’s prestigious heritage and forward-looking aspirations. Our approach was rooted in strategic innovation, designed to propel both Smythe LLC and Smythe Insolvency into a new era of digital excellence.

Architecting Smythe’s Brand Universe
Central to our brand strategy was adopting a Branded House model, particularly for Smythe Insolvency, to ensure a coherent and potent brand presence. This model leverages the strong, positive brand equity accumulated since Smythe’s inception in 1980, allowing it to cascade across all subdivisions with clarity and impact.

For Smythe LLC, our task was to craft a digital realm where the multitude of services and the expertise of their professionals harmonized with precision. Meanwhile, with its unique audience and regulatory considerations, Smythe Insolvency demanded a bespoke digital cadence that complemented the overarching brand’s harmony yet stood distinctly on its own.


The Design Crescendo
Our design philosophy harmonized sophistication, approachability, and minimalism, setting the stage for a brand narrative built to resonate deeply with its core user bases. We revitalized and injected tangible energy into their existing visual identity by utilizing Smythe’s established corporate blues and introducing vibrant yellows for Smythe Insolvency. The “S” monogram, a subtle branded nod to Smythe’s legacy and innovative proclivity, became a visual emblem we parlayed across all branded touchpoints, symbolizing unity and forward momentum.

Redefining Smythe’s digital identity extended beyond aesthetics; it was a profoundly strategic endeavour aimed at embedding the core values of accessibility and user-centricity into every aspect of its online presence.

In this pursuit, our team adhered to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) AA 2.1, ensuring that every digital touchpoint met the highest accessibility benchmarks. This meant reevaluating and redesigning the user experience from the ground up – from intuitive navigation systems catering to diverse user needs to informative and easily digestible content for individuals with varying abilities.

Moreover, our approach was layered with the intention to mirror SMY’s longstanding dedication to inclusivity and excellence in the digital domain. We meticulously crafted features such as keyboard-friendly navigation for those unable to use a mouse, text alternatives for non-text content for users with visual impairments, and ensured compatibility with leading screen readers, making sure that SMY’s wealth of financial expertise was accessible to all.

In the end, Smythe’s digital identity encapsulated the essence of the firm’s commitment to serving and empowering its diverse clientele through innovation, empathy, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence.

Beyond Convention: Design Innovations

Innovation led the way in our design journey for Smythe LLC and Insolvency. We adopted a modular design system, ensuring brand consistency while offering the flexibility to cater to each entity’s unique needs. This approach streamlined backend management, significantly simplifying content updates and system maintenance.

The modular strategy also enhanced user engagement, creating an intuitive, inviting, and highly cohesive digital space. We crafted an experience that encouraged exploration and interaction, making Smythe’s online presence both highly informative and dynamically engaging. 

The storytelling component of this engagement unfolded through a series of deliberate and dynamic design choices, where every element served a purpose. We harnessed intentional misalignments, creating a visual rhythm that guided the user’s eye across the page in an engaging dance. The strategic use of drop shadows added depth and dimension to imagery and content, inviting users to delve deeper into the narrative we were weaving.

This design approach was augmented by a diverse array of visual tools and elements, carefully selected to enrich the user’s journey. From interactive infographics to engaging animations, each component was chosen to contribute to an ever-evolving story. These design innovations shattered the expectations of a typical corporate website, transforming SMY’s digital space into an interactive storybook filled with discovery and engagement.

By venturing beyond the conventional, we crafted a digital experience that was as informative as it was captivating. This approach set Smythe apart from its competitors and established a new standard for how corporate websites could connect with their audience, turning every visit into an opportunity for exploration and connection.

A website mockup of the Smythe LLPs website on mobile. A design showing what an article page looks like on the new Smythe website A mobile website design for Smythe
A design of Smythe's Values section on mobile. A design of the Smythe website's Company page on mobile.
A screenshot of the Smythe website's homepage for the website design project

A New Chapter in Professional Service Excellence

The reimagined Smythe LLC and Smythe Insolvency stand as symbols of innovation and professionalism in the digital age. This journey of rebranding and digital transformation showcases our ability to push the boundaries of design and strategy, ensuring that Smythe would stand out in a crowded market while setting new standards for the future of professional services.

Want to see Smythe’s new websites? Check them out: smythecpa.com + smytheinsolvency.com