Bovis
1971
To compete with giants
When Wolff Olins began work with Bovis in 1970, the company had grown rapidly. Everyone thought that Bovis was just a construction company. Actually it had interests that ranged from building management to real estate and banking. Bovis was big enough to compete with giants like Laing and Wimpey. But potential customers, investors and employees didn't see it as such.
The antithesis of construction
Asked to establish a new identity for Bovis, Wolff Olins created the hummingbird, which was launched in April 1971. The mark represented the values of the group: precision and industriousness. It was unique in an industry dominated by heavy impersonal identities, and its look, nimble and fast-moving, was the antithesis of a heavy construction company
Created a huge promotional edge
All the companies within Bovis adopted the Bovis name and mark. The identity fused the various parts of the firm and gave employees a sense of pride and belonging. It also gave the company a huge promotional edge by clearly differentiating it from its competitors. Over the last 30 years the hummingbird has become a graphic design classic. In 1999, Bovis became part of the Australian property management and investment company, Lend Lease Corporation Ltd.
