Adchitects

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

CAPS Group is a group of companies with a presence in Poland, the U.K., Asia Pacific and the U.S. We work with customers from the retail, hospitality, interior and workshop industries, providing fixtures and fittings for retail spaces, hotels, restaurants, bars, offices, and workshops. I am the group marketing manager responsible for marketing strategy, implementation, campaigns, image, and brand, and the overall marketing and branding within the group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Adchitects?

I joined the company over a year ago. The website was basic, so I did a quick fix to add more content pages, but without any philosophy behind it. We then started to identify ourselves and build a brand foundation, and I asked Adchitects to support us with some ideas about our brand identity and image.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Adchitects came up with a “special forces” philosophy and key visuals which can be seen on the main page of our website. The visuals present us as experts who are tough and able to respond to customer challenges. We liked their idea so much that we asked them to come up with visuals for a whole range of materials. They also worked on advertisements, but the website was the key project.

They only had three and a half months to incorporate a new visual within the website pages and had to redesign each section and the navigation. Adchitects redesigned the website using the same text, but with different pictures and layouts, taking user experience into account. They used tools for choosing between different solutions. They also had to redesign our website in five language versions.

What is the team dynamic?

Our first contact was with Ela [Head of Creative, Adchitects]. We started talking about general branding, image and communication. Once we agreed on the “special forces” theme, she prepared a presentation about how to incorporate it into different marketing materials and channels.

Once we moved to the website project, we worked with Rafał [Head of Digital, Adchitects]. I know that he had a programmer and other members on the team, but he was the main contact, which was very useful. Everything we discussed was with him and only him, so there was no misinformation. He was competent, friendly, understanding and proactive.

How did you come to work with Adchitects?

I had worked with Ela before while we were both with different companies. She later left that company and began working with Adchitects. I knew I needed a creative resource so I decided to give her a call.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was between $10,000 and $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Adchitects in November 2016. The project was completed at the end of February. The go-live date was the first of March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The goal of the project was to make the website look like what we wanted it to look, incorporating the new brand approach, and make it visually more attractive. This was absolutely achieved. Both customers and our team have liked it. We’ve also received compliments from suppliers in the field.

Adchitects is a small but dynamic company, which I appreciated—with bigger companies, we sometimes had to wait for long periods and go through procedures, whereas here, they can do something quickly. They managed to finish the work according to the schedule we agreed on.

They offered us a competitive price, given the five language versions we had to create. I’m very happy and can recommend Adchitects to any company looking to have a more modern and user-friendly website.

How did Adchitects perform from a project management standpoint?

We made a detailed project plan and had weekly and daily reports from them on what had been done and what needed to be done on our side and theirs. The information was clear, and Adchitects kept to the schedule at all times. The process was smooth, given the time pressure.

We’re not experts in programming, so, if we didn’t understand an item, Adchitects would ask us what we wanted to achieve. They were trying to find solutions that would make our requirements possible and were proactive, open to our ideas, and positive every step of the way. It was a nice, fruitful collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re creative, and they listened to our briefs carefully and came up with good ideas. If someone is looking for a small but dynamic supplier, that’s Adchitects. They spend time on the project, think it over, and come up with good ideas. I would definitely recommend them for projects like ours. The implementation was also smooth. I know that Adchitects used some subcontractors for it, which was fine, as long as it was done properly, and financially more convenient for both sides.

If our customers grow and need help, we can change and grow with them in that direction. I felt that same responsiveness from the first meeting with Adchitects.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not within the project we worked on. I was impressed that they met the schedule. I was worried that the five language versions would not be there and actually suggested making only three to start with and then add the remaining two later. Adchitects offered to do all of them, which was great. I’m very happy with the outcome, and, if I ever have a similar project, I will do it with Adchitects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Proof and Sons is a consulting and marketing communications agency working for the spirits industry predominantly. We founded our agency in 2013. Some of our main clients are brands of the Campari portfolio, Jägermeister, for example. We also work in the US. We are a small company but we have a very high profile in creating marketing strategies and product launch strategies for our spirits brands. I’m the general manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Adchitects?

We don’t have graphic designers or product designers on our team. We work with a lot of external agencies or freelancers for that service. We have a very large network of different people that have different skillsets. Adchitects is one our latest partnerships when it comes to graphic design predominantly.

They are one of our preferred partners in a portfolio of six different agencies. We have people that are strong in brand development like BDI development. We have other people that are very strong in 3D animation. We have a lot of permanent partners. Adchitects takes probably 60% of the contracts we have.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are in contact with them every day. We talk to them about what we need and they invoice us afterwards because we have fixed deals with them. We have a fixed budget relationship which is easy to handle.

Since we work with Adchitects as our permanent graphic design partner, we don't have to brief them as much as we would have to with other people. Other agencies don't know how we like designs, what the syle of our agency is, and what our expectations are of the quality. With Adchitects, we train each other, making it much faster and more relaxed to work on projects together.

We talk to them on the phone and on larger projects, we write briefings and discuss them. What’s nice about Adchitects is every time we give feedback, they write notes about that and have us approve them. It’s a simple and fast way to always keep track of feedback and changes.

We’ve only used them for our clients. We are working on a project right now where they are a 90% partner for CI development of a brand.

We also have a very big project right now for a product design. They are a very strong partner and we work with them on 5-6 accounts permanently.

What is the team dynamic?

We need different skill sets for different projects. All the people working at Adchitects have been involved in our projects. I work with the general manager, Jakub [Partner, Adchitects], most of the time. He takes time to talk to me and we have a good relationship. He knows what I want and translates my wishes to the team. Most of our team members work directly with their team members. We don’t have one point of contact. It depends on the project we’re working on.

How did you come to work with Adchitects?

One of the owners of Adchitects is an uncle of my business partner. When they founded Adchitects three years ago, they asked us if we could work together. We gave them some small projects in the beginning and we were always happy with the work they did for us. Our partnership grew and now they are our biggest partner when it comes to design issues. It started as a family relationship and a professional relationship grew from that.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent 50,000-60,000 Euros over the course of our relationship. Poland has a very low level of wages and cost of life compared to the US. That amount would be twice or three times as much in the US. Poland is a cheap country when it comes to things like this.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016, and our work is ongoing and growing.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been very happy with their work 100% of the time. We’ve worked with graphic designers before and we're not always happy on the first day they send us things. But in the end, it’s always been a fast process. What I’m really happy about is the quality of Adchitects work and the work speed they have. It's difficult to find graphic designers that deliver quality in a very short time. This is something really valuable for us.

How did Adchitects perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good. We’ve also trained our relationship. When we started, everything took a little longer. Now as we know each other and the way we work, it’s really easy and fast. We don’t write a lot of briefings anymore. We use Slack or talk on the phone about what we need which is handy for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What we appreciate the most about Adchitects is the trust we have in the relationship. It's really important for us to have trustworthy partners when it comes to timing and quality of the graphic results. They take time to understand and investigate the meaning of the work they do for us. They will sometimes question our briefings and make better offers.

The price is also something that sets them apart. They are 150 kilometers from our office, but they cost half of what graphic designers in Berlin do. We can offer more graphic designs for the same price to our clients.

I like their personalities. They have a young and dedicated team. This is something I don’t like about other graphic designers we’ve worked with in the past because they don’t really care and aren’t curious anymore. They don’t put a lot of heart in the project anymore, but Adchitects puts a lot of heart in their projects. They have a great taste in design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not from the perspective that we’re working with them right now. Sometimes we would like them to do things that are different than what they normally do. For example, one time we asked them to do a 3D rendering in video. Adchitects doesn't do moving pictures, and it would be great to have them work on other projects, but I can respect if they don’t want to go into other disciplines. Sometimes we try to stretch their portfolio or they try to stretch it for us because we have a bigger contract with a client. Graphic design is also a very broad field between illustration and desktop publishing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Partnerships of SaneBox

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SaneBox is an email management tool that automatically filters and prioritizes your inbox by learning from your email habits to sort unimportant messages into separate folders while keeping important emails in your primary inbox.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adchitects to accomplish?

• Homepage redesign
• Feature page redesign
• Year In Review Campaign

SOLUTION

How did you find Adchitects?

Online Search

Why did you select Adchitects over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Adchitects were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We brought on Adchitects to redesign our homepage, feature page, partner/affiliate page, pricing pages, onboarding emails, and create our Year In Review campaign. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

conversation rate boost which Adchitects helped with

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes. Always on time. Never missed a deadline. 

What was your primary form of communication with Adchitects?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We value Adchitects as a partner largely because of their framework when it comes to design.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adchitects could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Marketing Director of Kynetec

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide data and analytics for Agriculture, Animal Health and Sustainability sectors globally

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adchitects to accomplish?

Design and build a new website

SOLUTION

How did you find Adchitects?

Referral

Why did you select Adchitects over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Adchitects were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Adchitects designed and built a new website for us. The majority of the website was in English, with one page as a multilingual page in 13 languages. Through design and framework workshops, Adchitects worked with us to develop a modern-looking website using the HubSpot platform. The website was built in a matter of a few months and in a cost-effective manner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

A great-looking website delivered within the agreed timeframe and budget.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Good project management. Weekly calls and regular communication/project management via "click up." The team was very responsive to requests and also provided their own ideas and advice.

What was your primary form of communication with Adchitects?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We were impressed with their responsiveness and expertise in website design and programming.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adchitects could have done differently?

I would have liked a time plan with milestones to track if the project was on schedule or not.