Branding Places and Building Stories: Q+A with Sarah Barr
Sarah Barr, Principal and Director of Hickok Cole Creative, has worked at Hickok Cole for nearly 20 years and has truly seen the firm evolve to what it is today. She is a champion of forward-thinking design and practice. We sat down for a Q+A about her time at Hickok Cole and what makes it so special.
“Standout projects are the really special opportunities – when clients with vision give you the opportunities and trust in your big ideas – it’s the working relationships, the banter, the ideas, and getting to something real and right.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Q: What trends and new research should clients be aware of?
A: There are several ways to approach a project. We’ve seen shrinking budgets and tightened timelines. The answer should never be “no,” but rather “what can we do with what we have to work with?” Let’s be strategic and creative in how to meet and exceed goals and bring lasting value.
Art in place. It is so important to have a budget for cultural infrastructure in every project. Everyone talks about creating an “authentic sense of place.” It’s not just buzzwords. With the decreases in funding, it is now more important than ever to look for ways to bring artists into projects to create those experiences. DC has so many artists, and they are an essential part of the community. This includes not just murals, sculptures, or art collections, but also studios and live-work housing. We need art and artists in the places we want to be whole. This is the way.
The rise of AI. We’ve been exploring AI at Hickok Cole for some time. It can be a powerful collaborative tool. I have found it to be a solid sounding board and a way to find efficiency for tasks that would have taken longer. Real-world design doesn’t work that way. You can’t simply plug in a brief and select a solution. Like any design software, it’s a great tool to have, but it’s still just a tool. We continue to weigh the impacts on our environment, intellectual property, and our future because there must be a more sustainable way. AI does not change the rigor and thoughtfulness that goes into our strategy. You still need real people to create places for people to live, work, and play.
Q: What should someone hiring Hickok Cole Creative know?
A: Hickok Cole’s project teams are so collaborative. Historically, the branding team would come in at the end of a project just in time to tie the story together and prepare the marketing tools for lease-up. Now, Creative is coming to the table to help set the tone and create the vision in the early phases of projects. We are in the room collaborating with developers, architects, and designers from the very start of a project, finding intersections to create the experience and place that will make it truly special.
LOOKING BACK
Q: What is your favorite Hickok Cole memory?
A: Art Night has always been and continues to be close to my heart. It’s been fun to see its growth since 2004. While so much has changed over the years, Art Night remains a constant part of Hickok Cole culture. We have a great relationship with Washington Project for the Arts (WPA), and working alongside them over the years has been a wonderfully positive experience. I have really enjoyed being part of the team that brings Art Night to life year after year, not only supporting WPA and local artists, but also benefiting everyone who participates and attends.
Q: What are your favorite projects you’ve been involved in, and why?
A: Standout projects are the really special opportunities – when clients with vision give you the opportunities and trust in your big ideas – it’s the working relationships, the banter, the ideas, and getting to something real and right.
The National Geographic Museum of Exploration is on everyone’s list of favorite projects at Hickok Cole. For years, we have been providing experiential graphic design for many of our projects, but this one will be front and center, and baby, it’s complicated.
Not all standout projects are large and complicated in scale. The Nicholson Project, which is an artist residency program with Align Development in Anacostia, DC, was a wonderful project that gave us the opportunity to work with an arts organization that brought so much value to the community around it.
The multifaceted masterplan project called Libbie Mill-Midtown, which includes Wellsmith Apartments and Harp’s Landing, has to be one of the most fun, especially because the client was willing to get into the weeds with us. We worked closely with Gumenick Properties to develop the brand strategy for their mixed-use project in Richmond, VA. For years, it was like a playground, inventing a theme and naming strategy for multiple buildings, creating the brands, designing the buildings, the interiors, the marketing, the signage, and working with artists for murals and artwork in the building. It’s been incredible to see it become the thriving place it is today.
The Hepburn was one of our earliest and, to this day, most complex branding and marketing projects. We worked with the skilled photographer Steven Biver on an unbelievable lifestyle shoot on green screen at a studio during a snowstorm. The photographs were then edited into shots taken from views of the building while still under construction. We created an expectation and a real feeling about what the resident experience would be. It was magic!
I think about transformational projects such as the Innovation District Pump Station, which allowed us to create an interactive exhibit that is both memorable and engaging for different audiences. It could have been just a pump station, but our architects and designers built a beautiful structure, the landscape designers planned a park and playground, and the Hickok Cole Creative team got to create an interactive bilingual outdoor exhibit for people to enjoy.
And then there are the conversions! To walk into a worn-out, decrepit office building and watch it transform into a luxury multifamily building – there is nothing quite like being a part of that. We recently worked with American Real Estate Partners (AREP) on CityHouse Old Town in Alexandria, VA. From a design perspective, the transformation is extraordinary. But the real magic happens when you meet the people who live and work in these communities. Seeing posts from property managers and the pride of place that they feel when they are living the brand, to being part of the team that helps to create all of that, is an experience in itself.
Q: What was your path to this position?
A: My path to Hickok Cole was windy, but looking back, I see all the connections. Coming from a family of artists, art was always all around me. I even married an artist! In high school, I was the editor of the yearbook. In college at the University of Mary Washington, I studied studio art and made posters for bands coming to perform at the college. I created a series of individual studies and received a grant to design a website for a catalogue of artwork that was donated to UMW’s collection. Even then, I was looking for collaboration in the art and digital world. Post-college, I went on to work for a company designing covers for books and videos for college students, and after that, I took a role in a consultancy that worked with large corporations, associations, and universities to develop brands. In 2004, I arrived at Hickok Cole and felt I had found my fit. I’ve always loved art, architecture, and most importantly, the people here.
Q: How did Hickok Cole Creative come to be?
A: I remember when I first interviewed with Yolanda Cole and Mike Hickok in 2004; it had always been their vision to incorporate branding into our projects. “If we can design the buildings and design the spaces, why can’t we also lead with a brand vision for these projects?” I loved this idea. However, I was originally hired as a member of the marketing team. These were the days of printed proposals, presentation boards, printed outreach, and countless invitations and mailers. It was tough to find time for anything beyond internal efforts.
In hindsight, it took me leaving the firm for a short period, which ultimately led me back to Hickok Cole to launch the Creative studio focused on external client work. This is what we affectionately call the “boomerang effect.”
The Hickok Cole Creative studio was born in 2013 with Yolanda’s and Mike’s strong support. Early on, Yolanda was deeply involved in projects, sitting in on the visioning and naming of projects like The Hepburn. Hickok Cole Creative has become a thriving arm of Hickok Cole, focused on brand strategy and experiential design. Increasingly, we participate in cross-firm opportunities with a comprehensive approach – working alongside our designers, architects, and partners to frame a differentiating strategy. No one really does it quite like us!
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
A: Hands down, my two sons are my pride and joy, but if we are talking professionally, I look back and am so proud of Hickok Cole Creative’s success and the role that it plays within the firm. It’s such a joy to have the opportunity to develop beautiful, valuable strategic solutions for clients of all typologies at a national scale with an outrageously talented team. From DC to Richmond, VA, to Tyler, TX, to Miami, FL, I am so lucky to do this work every day.
Q: What has being a leader taught you?
A: Flexibility. Patience. Perspective. Listen, listen, listen! You don’t need a like-minded group – you need the difference of opinion. Keep in touch with colleagues and clients once they have moved on. Foster good relationships. It’s a small world, and you will work together again.
Q: What is one thing you wish someone had told you early on in your career journey?
A: I wish I had joined and participated in Urban Land Institute (ULI) sooner. It’s something that I did on the fringes and only decided to immerse myself in it further with Yolanda Cole’s support. I’ve met so many people from many different backgrounds and interests, toured and learned about lots of complex projects, and heard many inspirational people speak. Participating in the ULI MarCom group on the national level has given me a network of other marketing professionals with fabulous ideas and insights. Locally, there is so much opportunity to participate with a community of individuals who all want to have an impact on planning and development. It influences how we can add value to our own projects.