SMART Sheet Metal Workers LU 49

SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 49 represents the sheet metal workers of New Mexico and West Texas. As the union behind the LU 49 JATC, it had related but distinct needs — a brand and website built not just for recruitment but for the members, contractors, and industry partners the union serves every day.

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The old website was minimal to the point of being unhelpful. Very little information, an outdated design, and no real functionality for the people who needed to use it most. Members could not easily find what they were looking for. Contractors had no clear path to connect with the union.

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Second Story Marketing Group coordinated the engagement and supported the photoshoot. Techurai handled website development, including two custom portals. Fairbuilt led design across the brand refresh, the website, and the photography.

The brand work was a cleanup and expansion. The existing logos were refined rather than replaced, and the brand system was expanded with new assets, updated color and typography, and a visual language flexible enough to carry across the full scope of the union's communications.

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The website design was the largest contribution to this project. Fairbuilt led the full site architecture, UX and UI design, and developed mockups for every page before the website moved into development. Fairbuilt also wrote the draft website copy before review by the union. The design prioritized making information genuinely easy to find for members, while giving contractors a clear and professional path to connect with the union. Techurai built a member portal and a contractor portal into the site, with design feedback and direction from Fairbuilt throughout development.

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The photography was a three-day shoot covering the training center, active job sites across New Mexico and West Texas, and the people doing the work. Fairbuilt shot, edited, and delivered the full photography library. SSMG was on site to coordinate and support throughout the shoot. The resulting images became the backbone of the new website and the program's ongoing social media presence.

The response from the client, the members, and the contractors who interact with the site has been consistently strong. The website is easier to navigate than what came before it, the portals have added real functional value for both members and contractors, and the photography gave the union a library of original imagery that reflects the real people and real work behind the organization.