We create transformative brands, interfaces and experiences that move the world forward.

The steakhouse done right

Maple and Ash

The fastest-growing sport in America

Spikeball

Introducing a smarter way to run water.

Sloan Connect

Sloan introduced a new line of connected faucets and flushometers to reduce installation, service and maintenance time by 50%. Sloan tasked WHQ with developing an intuitive mobile app for maintenance and facility managers to monitor, update and manage their commercial restroom products with one tool… their phone.

Extensive user testing was essential to establishing the best possible experience. We quickly realized that to get the most useful feedback, we would need to wear the Metria IH1 for a seven-day period ourselves. This provided a valuable immersion into the data and allowed us to create a truly human-centered interface.

The Metria IH1 application needed to give users easy access to a range of data from their last wear period, including calories, burned, steps taken, sleep duration, and more. It was important that the interface be simple, despite the detail of the data that the device collects. At the same time, medical researchers and health professionals needed access to the full range of data points. We iterated through multiple interface options before reaching a solution that successfully accommodated both use cases.

Among the technical challenges of the Metria project was the connection between the device data and the application interface. We wrote a custom API to connect the two and established an OAuth 2 server for authenticating with the custom API. This allowed only authorized developers to use Metria data in their own applications.

Web development was a true collaboration: WHQ brought a modern front-end stack to the table, and Metria brought a solid backend infrastructure. The site is built in Laravel, one of two frameworks we prefer to work with. Laravel pulls in data to build a static, single-directory, serverless website that can be deployed to S3 or a CDN for optimal performance.

WHQ provided expertise in usability and workflow to improve the brand experience on our desktop and mobile app. Their deep understanding of architecture and design always impresses me.

Metria, a wearable sensor from Vancive Medical Technologies, collects health and fitness data with greater accuracy than any other device on the market. Applications in medical research, health insurance and day-to-day life, along with ease of use and disposability, make Metria IH1 an exciting next-generation lifestyle product. We partnered with the Vancive team to design and develop an application that visualizes the collected data, provides insightful lifestyle suggestions to users and measures up to the breakthrough nature of the product itself.

Designing a UI for a wearable sensor

Metria

Designing a brand that resonates with people in the same irreverent manner the actual sport does was our primary goal. We wanted a dynamic and round icon, with energy that captured the essence of the game. Movement, a sense of action were also essential to us. We aspired to have the logotype, and it’s mark fully connected, but would be equally impactful when they were separated and on their own. After some competitive research, we decided yellow and black were a color tandem that Spikeball could own because it wasn’t found in any other sports brand identity. After many iterations, our WHQ team is proud of the visual vocabulary the Spikeball brand possesses.

Dick's Sporting Goods confirmed they wanted to sell the Spikeball in its stores, REI called next, then Modell's and Big 5 Sporting Goods planned to stock Spikeball. In a welcome to the big-time moment, Spikeball realized it needed to update their point of purchase packaging. The task at hand was to create engaging packaging that would stand out on the shelves amongst the sea of sporting goods products at these stores. A photoshoot with professional Spikeball players (yes, it's a thing) helped show the game in action on the cover of the box. We agreed that including a well designed, iconic overview of rules of the game on the back would help educate potential buyers that aren't aware of the sport.

VP of Marketing & Recovering Corporate American

We've partnered with WHQ on everything from establishing our packaging architecture to designing a line of apparel. Their deep understanding of our brand and audience always shines through the thoughtful, impactful work.

Spikeball has taken over parks and beaches across the country. What started as a competitive lawn game has quickly grown into one of the most popular sports in America. To be taken seriously in any industry, a new company needs a brand that breaks the mold yet embodies an energy that makes a visceral connection with its newfound audience. Spikeball is no different and remains the perfect example of a company that’s achieved the near-impossible, an iconic brand that becomes widely known around the world.

Through several collaborative work sessions with the Maple & Ash team, we created an aesthetic that feels part classic steakhouse, part fashion brand. The mark is a monogram, reminiscent of a cattle brand, the very origin of the word brand, yet drawn with sophistication as if it exists on a finely tailored suit. The clean lines and sharp corners form a modern, geometric shape that is symmetrical yet deviant — a strong yet sexy base upon which to build the brand.

With menu items like baller seafood platters and the “I Don’t Give a F*@k” tasting menu that kicks off with caviar bumps and champagne shots, Maple & Ash celebrates classic conventions in unexpected and delightful ways, all in the name of creating celebratory and memorable moments for their guests. We strove to echo this in all aspects of the design, from refined art-deco inspired patterns to bold typographic combinations, to playful illustration and imagery.

Maple & Ash has been praised as the hottest restaurant in Chicago by Conde Nast and has received numerous other accolades from top national publications, including Wallpaper, Wall Street Journal, and Eater.

Maple & Ash, named for the two woods used to fire steaks, chops, and everything else Chef Danny Grant can think of, came to us for help developing the brand for their innovative steakhouse. After a competitive audit and in-depth conversations with the Maple & Ash team, we concluded that the spirit of the restaurant was authentic, celebratory, and bold. These guiding principles would inform every design decision as we set out to create a world-class brand.

We create transformative brands, interfaces and experiences that move the world forward.

Sloan Connect

Metria

Spikeball

Maple and Ash

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