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

A smarter way to run water.

Sloan Connect

We focused on creating a solid logotype and a fresh logo. These marks stand on their own or work together to create a brand that works everywhere, from store windows to the web and other digital products.

We knew when we met the founders of Foxtrot that their business was a game-changer. The convenience store was tired and was not keeping up with the taste of the modern consumer. Thanks to the team at Foxtrot, that was about to change. They created an evolution of the corner store filled with a mix of daily essentials and thoughtful local products. All of this ordered via their app and delivered via bike messenger.

The concept was spot-on, and they needed a brand experience to match. That's where we came in. We obsessed over every touchpoint of the brand - the positioning, the symbol, digital experience, packaging, and more. We created moments of surprise and delight around every corner.

WHQ defines the Foxtrot positioning and brand look and feel for a company that is on the hunt for unque and amazing.

On the hunt for unique and amazing.

Foxtrot

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.

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

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.

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

Foxtrot

Maple and Ash

Metria

Sloan Connect

Have a project for us?