We’re based in San Diego, so we’ll bring some sunshine to our work together.
Our Short Story
100% Focus on A/E/C
By specializing in your industry, we understand your challenges. Having a narrow focus helps us see patterns and trends that we love sharing with our clients.
You won’t have to waste time teaching us about your industry because we’ve lived in it since 1995.
You’ll Work With an Elite Team
That’s because all we have is an elite team. There’s no bait-and-switch handoff to junior staff doing the work.
Staying small allows us to be selective and focused on a few projects at a time. Our proven alliances with senior consultants ensure top-notch, reliable creative work.
You’ll Enjoy the Process
We’re committed to making our work together fun. You’ll appreciate our efficiency and love of sharing best practices for project management. Clients tell us we communicate well—listening closely, while challenging long-held assumptions.
Services
Strategy
Discovery & Recommendations
Marketing Audit
Marketing Planning
Brand Strategy
Purpose / Vision / Values
Positioning
Branding
Brand Audit
Positioning
Messaging
Naming
Logo Design
Brand Touchpoints
Brand Management
Web & Digital
Website Design
Content Marketing
Email Marketing
Podcast Consulting
Social Media Strategy
Slide Deck Design
Print Design
Collateral
Books
Advertising
Direct Mail
SOQ Kits
Proposal Kits
Trade Show
Training & Speaking
Presenting w/ Slides
The Power of Story
Creative Superhero
Infographics
A/E/C Website Best Practices
A Longer Story
By David Lecours, Principal
When I launched LecoursDesign in 1995, the firm lacked a clearly defined brand positioning. As I soon discovered, that was a mistake.
In 1998, KAA Design, a prominent Los Angeles architecture firm, hired us to update its brand identity. Based on that success, we created nearly all of the firm’s marketing communications materials over the next five years. This included branding a new KAA division focused on brand experience. Unfortunately, because our firms now offered similar services, we were informed that our services were no longer needed.
As you probably know, losing a great client is hard. The work we created together was intellectually challenging, fun, creative and financially rewarding. The loss was even more painful because the leaders at KAA had also become my friends. But through the experience, I learned an important lesson: if my firm could so easily be replaced by a new in-house branding division, we were simply a commodity.
Over the next 10 years, I made a deliberate choice to deepen my expertise in the architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) industry. That included serving as a board member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and achieving my Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) professional designation. By writing and speaking about A/E/C branding and digital marketing, I got smarter. And through sharing my expertise, LecoursDesign now had a compelling brand positioning.
Receiving this phone call was so validating. When Grant and I worked together previously, my firm was unfocused and essentially a commodity. Now I’d positioned LecoursDesign as an expert, and had shared that expertise in an email that inspired him to call. This call led to a new consulting project where we were the only firm considered for the assignment.
In 2013, after not working together for a decade, I received an unexpected call from Grant Kirkpatrick, the CEO of KAA Design. He had just received one of our regular advice emails. “I get a lot of email newsletters from vendors, and I mostly unsubscribe because the content is all about them,” he said. “But I’ve read yours through the years because they are thoughtful, helpful and I like your voice. We’re going through some big changes here and I’d like to discuss using your voice to help us express ours.”
The Lessons of This Story
- Decide where to position your firm in a crowded market
- Continually build, share, and archive your expertise
- Create emotional connection through creativity, story and experiences
