Designing for specification: a future-ready website and library for architects

Standard Patent Glazing (SPG) has more than a century of expertise behind its patented glazing systems. But the way architects and construction professionals research, specify and download technical information has changed fast. When SPG approached us, they had already introduced a new logo and were ready to modernise the rest of the experience around it.

Their goal was clear: create a new website & brochure design system that make specification easier. Not just more beautiful, but genuinely more useful. A place where time-poor specifiers can quickly find the right system, understand constraints, access drawings and documentation, and move confidently towards technical support or quotation.

Architects and construction professionals don’t browse for fun. They’re usually under pressure, trying to solve a problem and make a decision. SPG’s old user experience made that harder than it needed to be. Technical information existed, but it wasn’t always easy to locate, compare or retrieve, and the site didn’t reflect the precision and authority SPG is known for.

At the same time, SPG needed to balance two truths. They are a heritage brand with real credibility, but they also need to feel contemporary and engineered for modern buildings. The work had to succeed in two very different contexts:

• Online, where users want fast answers, clear routes and instant access to drawings.
• In print, where the materials needed to sit in studio libraries, be passed between teams and still feel useful weeks or months later.

The solution had to unite everything into a single system. Website, guidelines, downloads, brochures and corporate communications, all speaking with one voice.

We treated SPG’s transformation as one integrated design system, expressed across every touchpoint. The website and printed pack were designed as complementary tools for the same audience, each doing a slightly different job.

Rather than building a site that prioritised brand storytelling, we structured the experience around the tasks architects and construction professionals actually come to SPG to complete:

• Find the right system
• Understand performance and suitability
• Review design considerations
• Access drawings and technical downloads
• Validate with case studies and precedent
• Know the right next step, whether that’s support, quotation or contact

We created clear entry points for key audiences and built dedicated hubs for the content specifiers rely on most. Technical downloads, design considerations, guidance and case studies are organised so users can move from overview to detail without losing context.

A cornerstone of the site is the drawings and downloads experience. We designed a filter-led library that helps users locate relevant resources quickly, supported by a basket-style selection flow so teams can compile what they need in one go. For architects, it turns what is often a frustrating scavenger hunt into a purposeful online tool and a practical extension of SPG’s technical team.

To ensure everything felt coherent, we established a design system defined by strong typographic hierarchy, disciplined spacing and a clear messaging framework that speaks directly to specifier priorities. The visual language is calm and premium, designed to make technical information feel organised rather than overwhelming.

We created rules that scale across formats. From web pages and technical guidance to corporate documentation and printed brochures, the system keeps SPG recognisable wherever the brand appears. Headline, subhead, body copy, captions and technical call-outs all work together so content can be scanned quickly, while still rewarding deeper reading.

Alongside the website, we created a printed ‘library’ of SPG’s offering, designed to live in architects’ studios and materials libraries. Presented as a set of nine brochures in a slip case, the pack gives SPG a lasting physical presence at the point of specification.

Built on the same grid and typographic principles as the digital system, the layouts are minimal and highly legible. Generous white space and disciplined alignment give the content room to breathe, helping technical information feel clear, premium and authoritative.

Craft was essential to the printed experience. Each brochure uses a distinct metallic ink paired with a black overprint to create depth, contrast and a sense of quality that mirrors SPG’s product precision. Metallic colour is used with intent as a system cue across the set, helping readers recognise ranges quickly. The black overprint keeps typography crisp and adds weight and authority.

Together, the slip-case set becomes more than marketing collateral. It becomes a practical tool, designed to be referenced, shared and returned to throughout a project lifecycle.

Pre-launch, the website recorded minimal measurable conversion activity. Since relaunch, the site has generated 3,000+ high-intent interactions, showing that architects and construction professionals are finding and using the resources the platform was built to deliver, including:

• 696 PDF downloads (technical and product documentation)
• 1,399 specification downloads
• 43 brochure downloads

The new experience gives specifiers clearer paths to what they need, with less friction and fewer dead ends. In print, SPG now has a premium physical toolkit that’s designed to stay in practices, support conversations and build confidence over time.

A future-ready platform for a heritage brand

This project wasn’t about making SPG look different for the sake of it. It was about making SPG easier to specify. A joined-up ecosystem where digital and print work together, presenting deep technical knowledge with clarity, craft and authority.