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How One Digital Creative Agency Made Asphalt Sexy

Updated: May 26, 2022



AA Asphalting has built a name for itself in the pavement industry over the last four decades. Serving the Pacific Northwest, AA Asphalting had a strong reputation for quality work and excellent career advancement; however, the quality of their website felt a little dated, it wasn’t a reflection of the level of expertise and service they consistently provide.

Enter Digital Creative Agency, McMillan & Phillips.


Asphalting and hard surface restoration may not be the most glamorous industry, but by adhering to some tried-and-true web design and content marketing principles, we’ve been able to showcase what makes AA Asphalting an enviable leader in the Pacific Northwest. Keep reading to learn how we made asphalt look sexy.


The Role Of Typography

An informational website where customers and potential clients come to gather information, readability is key.


As such, the fonts McMillan & Phillips Digital Creative Agency selected for the redesign of AA Asphalting’s website are simple, with a heavy weight to represent the strength of a blue collar industry. The font we chose was a Google Font called Bebase Neue. It’s a sans serif font that exudes a modern, streamlined and approachable feel. Just because AA Asphalting has been in the industry for 40+ years doesn’t mean they aren’t using the latest technology and techniques to restore and install pavement.


The bold, sans serif look of the headers of AA Asphalting’s site also lean into the current times, while projecting strength and confidence to site visitors, clients and potential hires alike. All of these choices have a subtle psychological impact on the way potential clients perceive AA Asphalting as cutting-edge, professional and reliable.


The Importance Of Thoughtful & Responsive Design

It’s 2022 and smartphones are ubiquitous.


This means that nowadays, web designers are creating layouts and designs that must translate well between multiple devices and screen sizes. Even if you think that your target demographic skews older, and so a desktop-only web experience is defendable, you’d be wrong. In fact, over 90% of internet users use a mobile device for some of their web browsing.


As a digital creative agency, McMillan & Phillips has experience catering our website design to a vast array of devices and platforms—and the redesign of AA Asphalting was no different.


By including relevant contact information like an email address and phone number with easy-to-click icons on desktop and mobile devices, anyone navigating AA Asphalting’s site who is interested in a career can quickly get in touch with the right person.


The Role Of Color Palettes And Logos

Color psychology plays a big role in any company’s branding, and the web design of AA Asphalting definitely took color theory into account.


Our digital creative agency worked alongside AA Asphalting to determine company values and attributes before embarking on color palette decisions. We had back and forth discussions on whether or not to change up the color pallet that has represented AA Asphalting for so many years.


We ultimately decided to keep the red as is because it had brand recognition in the community which was critical for AA Asphalting as a company. We expanded the color palette by introducing an orange as a tertiary color with punches of gray and black to support the bold red.


In color psychology, red is often associated with action, as well as projecting overall feelings of strength and energy. Red helps to signal that AA Asphalting will get the job done well, leveraging the energy of their team and their strength in their industry to deliver exceptional results. The yellow in their logo also projects positive qualities such as joy and creativity.


Customers will be happy with the work AA Asphalting provides, and they’ll also be appreciative of the creative way AA Asphalting goes out of their way to serve their clients. It’s also worth noting that in the construction field, yellow is often used to signify areas where caution is necessary. This helps to underline how seriously AA Asphalting takes the safety of their team and your property when working on a job.


Photo Shoots Reign Supreme Over Stock Imagery

Any digital creative agency worth their salt knows that stock photos just don’t have the same impact that stylized, professional photo shoots do.


In order to further illustrate what sets AA Asphalting apart from the rest of the pack, we sent our photography team to multiple job sites in order to complete photo shoots that accurately capture the quality and expertise of the AA Asphalting team and their work. Thanks to this digital creative work, when you’re browsing their website, what you see is really what you get, which helps to build confidence.


Smart And Sexy

A slick, well-designed website is one thing, but it’s important to be equal parts smart and sexy! Our content team has planned strategic blog content that helps to answer common questions clients may have, increase AA Asphalting’s authority in the space and boost search engine optimization. All of these efforts are backed by well-thought out SEO and content marketing research that helps keep AA Asphalting ahead of the curve and at the top of local search results.


Asphalt, concrete and pavement might not be as flashy as some other industries but that doesn’t mean they can’t stand out from the crowd! Thanks to a thoughtful content strategy, curated design, careful color selection and the talents of our in-house photography team, we were able to help AA Asphalting put their best foot forward online, reinforcing the reputation that decades of experience in the industry has earned them.


Considering introducing Content Marketing to your business plan? Reach out to M&P for a free consultation.



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