Fifth Wall

Fifth Wall is a brand with a bigger story to tell — one that requires metaphor, imagery, and even drama. From their concept of the Built World to the name of the company itself, the site uses imagery, copy, and design to reinforce their role. The concept of a virtual “fifth wall” that complements the traditional four walls in any structure introduces a digital world where the tangible merges with the intangible and often invisible power of technology. The site dramatizes the connective tissue between these worlds and Fifth Wall’s position at the center of a new space altogether.

A theme emerges on the homepage, where images of high energy movement — timelapse freeways from above, high speed escalators, a shipyard buzzing with containers — set a tone for the site and the brand. The intent was to convey cutting edge, dynamic transformation in progress without resorting to cliché or overt statements. A modern look and feel, copy, and video synchronization reinforce the impression. Imagery, typography, and ample white space create a sophisticated impression of a brand with forward-looking ideas poised to reshape an industry and own the space between the built and virtual worlds.

Understated design allows big vision to shine. For a company reframing the real and virtual worlds, simplicity leaves room for contrasting, almost brash elements: dark and light colors, brief and bold messaging, large type and small design details. Team bio and partner detail pages appear as modals, full-page takeovers use simple, digestible content. The website evokes that feeling of continually seeing your environment in dramatic new ways, creating unexpected new possibilities.

The dynamism of home page video continues with animations that cleverly tie brand elements and pillars into design. Fifth Wall’s “flame” color highlights brand activations in the homepage’s changing hero area, a color appearing again on hover and in the navigation. Some animations and site physics are more subtle, like a shifting hamburger icon and page load throughout the site. Others are more discernable, like the brand logo carefully animated to build itself on load-in, like its own manifestation of ideas that transform.

Built upon FINE’s open source, flexible Fae content management system, the technology behind the FIfth Wall site is a fitting analogy for the seamless tech in which the firm invests. The site sizes responsively to any browser or screen, retaining its visual drama and minimal feel. It’s an immediate proof point as a company, with an understanding of how the details of technology add up to the big drivers of experience, online and off.