Leading local agent Imagine is unveiling a brand new image this week and we’ve been to see their owner, Mike Cole, to find out why a company already recognised for its strong branding would be updating at this time.

Question - Mike, the new logo looks great, how did you come up with design?

MC – I employ a brilliant marketing company and we work really closely bouncing ideas off each other. The remit was to stick with purple, but to find a more modern font. We also felt an additional bit of colour in the logo would give us extra angles to help us keep all our marketing material looking fresh in years to come. That’s why the pink element was added.

Question - What about the house badge?

MC – People always like the Imagine name but if you didn’t know what we did the name alone doesn’t tell you. Adding the logo immediately steers you in the right direction. It also acts as a ‘button’ on our website and a focal point on the new boards. We actually looked at dozens of possible shapes and designs of houses before settling on this one and then a subtle shadow through it, like Apple do with their logo, adds a touch of class.

Question - Why change at all though and why now?

MC – When we started it was just about Watford. Having since moved in to Bushey and coming soon St Albans we felt we needed something that wouldn’t alienate our existing client base, but that also held greater appeal to our new markets.

Question - How has the process developed?

MC – Well the logo came first, and then we started on concepts for websites, leaflets, boards, stationary etc. The website on its own was a huge project, it’s so key to the workings of agency this time we had to get it right. Then the tough bit is interlinking all these things so the consumer can see there is a coherent strategy in place and feel confident about the product. It has been a serious amount of work, but we think we have achieved something quite special. The staff, who have had sneak previews of everything, have been so excited about this launch because they believe it takes us in to another league and gives us a stand out product in this area. If clients are half as positive we’ll be doing very well.

Judge for yourselves by viewing this week's Watford Free to see the advert or visit www.imagine-group.co.uk