Attic Salt Branding

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

SmartScrubs is a technology solution for managing uniform programs for healthcare organizations. At the time of the project I was the Marketing Manager at SmartScrubs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AtticSalt Branding, and what were your goals?

SmartScrubs hired AtticSalt to help modernize our brand to better reflect our company as an innovative leader in technology/software solutions for uniform programs within health care organizations. Specifically, we wanted them to redesign our logo, tagline, website, custom group websites, program communication emails, and sales collateral.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found several companies online and through word of mouth and reviewed their portfolios online before scheduling a meeting with those whose style we found clean and modern. We received proposals after two of the four calls. We found Rani to be incredibly personable and knowledgeable, and AtticSalt's process to be thorough and detailed. Despite their proposal involving a higher cost, we selected AtticSalt because we felt most comfortable in their hands.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We started with a discovery call with the SmartScrubs and AtticSalt teams. Afterward we filled out AtticSalt's ThinkBook to help prepare for a 3-day workshop. When the deliverables were ready we reviewed them and provided feedback over the course of several meetings.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Four people from AtticSalt's team worked directly with us: Rani, Creative Director; Kathy, Writer(?); Lauren, Messaging Strategist; Troy, Creative Director

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Not available - WIP

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

AtticSalt was very timely with feedback and deliverables and used helpful and easy-to-use tools like Miro. 

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

What impressed me the most about AtticSalt was the thoroughness of their discovery process. You cannot truly get to know a company, its personality, its value to customers or its goals in one hour-long meeting as some agencies proposed. AtticSalt really makes an effort to immerse itself in your existing brand and to gain a deep understanding of what makes you unique in order to communicate that to the world.

In addition, we were drawn to Rani's personality, his passion and his expertise. Working with Rani was worth every penny.

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

None that I can think of!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Founder and CEO of a recently launched energy services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AtticSalt Branding?

We were looking for a branding agency that could help us distill the essence of our mission and values into a clear and concise brand experience from which we could grow, including visual appeal.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We sought out an agency that shared similar values (small but mighty), and after meeting Rani and the AtticSalt team, it was obvious that their attention to detail and quality with authentic branding was the perfect fit.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The AtticSalt team laid out a brand development process with a 4–6 week duration beginning with a soul-searching 'Brand Thinkbook' exercise and culminating in a week-long workshop to review and refine the branding essence and language, logo concepts, and web content. We were asked to prepare our perspective on the foundational branding elements (vision, mission, values, etc.). The AtticSalt team helped to navigate towards a resulting brand identity that resonated at a deep level with our team.

What was the team composition?

We worked hand-in-hand with the CEO / Creative Director, Messaging Strategist, and Designer throughout the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Although our business remains in the founding stage, we are receiving very positive feedback both on the brand essence and visual design elements (logo, etc.) resulting from the branding workshop.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were thrilled with the overall flow of the engagement, and we felt that there was a proper balance of 'homework' and iterative feedback to provide us with a well-thought out and enticing brand image.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

AtticSalt's commitment to quality and diligence throughout the process came through without a hitch. We maintain a high bar of expectations for those we work with and around, and we were thrilled that the AtticSalt team exceeded those expectations during the workshop and in the quality of the work they produced.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

It's challenging to pinpoint any area for improvement; we were originally uncertain of the electronic means by which the workshop would be administered, but ultimately the tools the AtticSalt team used and engaged presence showed how expertly the remote experience could be managed and delivered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Principal and creative director for Folklore Spaces

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AtticSalt Branding, and what were your goals?

After 15 years as a design director for other architecture and design studios, I decided to venture out and start my own company but I didn't want yet another run of mill brand with my last name on the door. We hired AtticSalt to come up name, help us with our messaging and design a brand and website that felt original to us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We consider ourselves visual storytellers when it comes to developing interior spaces for our clients. AtticSalt took the team to fully understand our story and our branding goals before we even agreed to moved forward. They listened intently and gave us a proposal that showed us they understood the assignment and had a process to help us what we needed. We also loved their "disruptive branding" philosophy as it perfectly aligned with the direction we wanted our brand to take.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We started with a weeklong workshop where we did exercises that helped us define our strategy, voice, ideal client personas, and the design direction of our new brand. After than we moved into a collaborative naming exercise that lead to a presentation of the top names and storytelling for each. All were really good but Folklore was a clear winner for us especially since it had historical and diverse meaning to it. After reviewing a moodboard presentation with messaging and art direction the created 2 complete design concepts. Once we chose the one we liked they refined it, sent us all the files with dropbox and then designed the website to match.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with the owner, copywriter, and a couple designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Everyone who sees our brand instantly falls in love with it. We've gotten so many compliments for our brand and website. As a designer, I had never been comfortable with sales and marketing, and this brand felt like it could sell itself. I've never felt so proud handing out business cards as I do now.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

In all the years I've been a designer, I've never seen a more streamlined process and communication...especially in a remote situation. We used Zoom for meetings and presentations, email for communication and a tool call Miro for workshops. Everything was organized, we always knew where we were in the process and they delivered on everything they promised. Being in construction I was skeptical because nothing ever goes according to plan, but they did it.

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

I'm a hard critic as a designer but the concepts they developed were very impressive. We instantly fell in love with the one we selected. Not only was it 100% different than all the other design firms I've seen but it was so authentic to who we are and the unique approach we take to interior design.

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

No. I'm really happy with everything

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a lifestyle events digital platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AtticSalt Branding?

We partnered with AtticSalt to re-imagine and design our new brand identity.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We chose AtticSalt because brand identity is their specific specialty and they have experience with both tech start ups and lifestyle brands.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The overall project was to develop the brand identity for our new brand. This included naming, crafting the voice and personality, developing the design and style, and ultimately designing the front-end marketing webpages.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We work directly with four members of their team including their founder, creative Director, copy writer, and lead designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The first phase was completing several creative sessions and exercises together to imagine and define the brand. Then the next stage was naming and landing on the name we have submitted to trademark. The next stage went into the creative and defining the style and branding guide. The final stage was putting it all together on the marketing web pages. To complete the project AtticSalt delivered a large file containing all of the assets created as part of the brand identity.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Highly effective. The team was very responsive over email and we had check-in’s over zoom to review key milestones.

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

I think most impressive was their creative process for learning everything we hoped and envision for the brand, then translating that into what the new identity could be. They have a clear step-by-step process that made this enjoyable and effective.

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

It would have been great to have line of sight to a more detailed timeline to track progress each week and understand where we were at relative to the overall scope of the project. This would have provided a better understanding of how long it would take before they would be able to deliver the final creative. This project took about 3 months longer than initially scoped.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive VP of business development at Renaissance Construction, a construction company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AtticSalt Branding?

We had just gone through a large transition. We are a family-owned construction company, and one of our founders had passed away unexpectedly, so his wife fully took over the company. We are now a woman-owned construction company. 

This, of course, caused major questions in our local industry about where the company was going. So the board and the executive team made the decision to move forward with rebranding our company to communicate the message that we're here to say as well as give the impression to our employees that we are continuing with this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired AtticSalt Branding to help us with our rebranding efforts. We started the engagement by providing them with our current branding, brand guidelines, and other branding materials that we had. After diving into the materials we provided, they discussed with us what works and what doesn’t. We were able to candidly speak about the difficulties of that brand, such as this one specific color that was very hard to keep consistent across different types of printing.

After that, we went into a discovery phase, where we spent a couple of days creating archetypes, doing competitive research, and going through exercises to figure out how we wanted to present our brand and what kind of specific words we needed to use to effectively communicate our story. I appreciated the in-person approach of breaking down our brand and getting to the root of our ideas of what the company is and what we stand for.

They then took a couple of weeks to work before presenting us with three mood boards. We met and gave our feedback on the three new mood boards. It basically came down to two moods that we resonated most with, and then they took that and came up with three design concepts.

That's when we got into a slight disagreement among the team within our company. There was not a 100% buy-in on any single concept, so we went through a rediscovery phase. AtticSalt Branding got to work again and came back with two more branding concepts. That's where we chose the one that absolutely blew everyone's minds out.

We took steps forward, where they broke down and presented us with a new brand voice and graphic standards. They also designed our business cards, letterhead, envelopes, email signatures, and brochures. 

After that, we then moved into the website development phase. We went through a couple of different website concepts and templates, and we also sent over a bunch of websites that we liked. The website is still under development right now, but we're planning on launching it soon.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Rani (Creative Director) and Lauren (Creative Strategist).

How did you come to work with AtticSalt Branding?

AtticSalt Branding was referred to us by a friend. We had interviewed a few others and just felt most comfortable with moving forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched the new brand yet, but we’re definitely expecting positive responses once we do.

How did AtticSalt Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

AtticSalt Branding has performed very well in terms of project management. They’re always in touch with us, and they’re really good at following up on feedback. They’re efficient in adjusting things based on our comments. Overall, I’d say our teams have worked pretty well together.

We primarily communicated through Zoom and Microsoft Outlook.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with AtticSalt Branding’s process of getting to know our company and our story. Their process really stood out and made us trust that they genuinely understood what our company stood for. I don't think we would've gotten to this point and be as happy with the results if AtticSalt Branding didn't have that process in it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no complaints. I just wish they continue to do their discovery process in person and not go fully digital on everything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to follow your gut in terms of the final designs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the content marketing manager for Twenty Ideas, a digital products company that serves a broad range of industries, including education, environmental, medical, and health technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AtticSalt Branding?

We needed a full digital agency to provide us with design, development, and consultation services, as we were looking to grow our presence in the medical and health tech space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We partnered with AtticSalt Branding for the sole purpose of refocusing our branding and public messaging, so we can better resonate with the health and medical tech space.

We started the partnership with a full brand, values, and services audit, and conducted a workshop with our leadership team and stakeholders, so we can understand and identify what we want to get from the rebranding.

Once that was done, they presented us with multiple brand concepts and chose the one that best resonated with our goals. They then started creating a fully-designed website and critical brand assets such as brand guidelines and business cards.

What is the team composition?

Our lead contact is the creative director and messaging strategist.

How did you come to work with AtticSalt Branding?

We actually found AtticSalt Branding through Clutch. They were one of the top choices that came up for branding services and after interviewing 10 different agencies, we decided to go with AtticSalt Branding because they had the clearest idea of what we were trying to achieve.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in June 2021. We don’t currently have any outstanding tasks with them, but we’re still in contact with them for follow-up questions and ongoing support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re extremely pleased with the quality of their work, as they do an excellent job of implementing ideas on what we are as a company. There’s a competent and human-centeredness to our approach and AtticSalt Branding helped us translate that into our brand.

Our CEO recently attended a health and medical tech conference, and people generally reacted positively to the business cards he had given out, citing its uniqueness.

How did AtticSalt Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive and communicative from a project management perspective, especially throughout the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. We had to occasionally push back work when issues came up, but they’ve been very understanding and flexible about working with us in any capacity.

We typically interact through email and Slack, collaborated on the discovery phase through Miro, and implemented Figma into the design.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We really like how they care about the results of their work and how well it aligns with us. They seem to have a very personal investment in our success, so it feels like we’re a part of one big team. Their approach made the partnership run smoother and more honest, to the point where we can openly provide feedback so they can deliver the best possible results.

AtticSalt Branding is great at taking our feedback as an opportunity to identify and implement concepts that strongly resonate with our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve implemented a slightly better communication channel throughout the final delivery phase, and fine-tuned the web development and design process. Nonetheless, we’re very happy with the results.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as very open and honest as possible, and provide them with an abundance of information as needed. Don’t be afraid to talk to them and really invest in the discovery process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the sales director at EDUStaff, a K-12 substitute staffing service company established in 2010.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AtticSalt Branding?

We realized that our brand was outdated and that our look and feel needed to be refreshed. We needed help in rebranding our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, AtticSalt studied our company’s identity and the services we’re offering. We laid out aspects of our business that were non-negotiable, including company values. We didn’t want to create something that didn’t reflect our identity — we wanted our marketing collaterals to match what we do.

AtticSalt then used that information to design several options for logos, color schemes, and taglines. We chose the design assets that we wanted to move forward with. After that, they refreshed our different marketing assets and sales tools using our new look, logo, and color scheme. They also helped with our messaging.

Additionally, AtticSalt designed our new website. However, another vendor would be handling the development. 

Our partnership with AtticSalt is ongoing, but it’s coming to an end in the next few weeks. 

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with 3–4 teammates. Rani (CEO & Chief Strategist) is our primary contact.

How did you come to work with AtticSalt Branding?

We interviewed some agencies for the project, and we chose Attic Salt after an extensive interview process. We felt they were the best organization that could meet our goals. In addition, we heard good things about them from a contact they had previously engaged with. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t yet launched their work to the public. That said, initial viewers like our marketing materials’ fresh, new, and clean look. I’m 100% satisfied with AtticSalt’s work, and they’ve exceeded expectations.

How did AtticSalt Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

AtticSalt is excellent at sticking to schedule and budget. They’ve been flexible as we’ve changed our minds throughout the project. We have weekly Zoom meetings, and we also communicate through emails and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their attention to detail and genuine interest in our company. We also appreciate the time they took to understand our business and industry. They’ve spent a tremendous amount of energy knowing who we are before ever starting to put together anything for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time at the beginning of the partnership to share the details of your organization. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager at an organization that does employee benefits. We help employers get medical and dental insurances for their employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AtticSalt Branding?

We needed a new contact list that would serve as a marketing piece for our clients to showcase our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

AtticSalt Branding designed and developed a contact list for us. They’d already done a project for us in the past, so they were familiar with our branding color scheme. We sent them our old form to look at, and they gave us some new design options.

We really didn’t have to do anything on our end, which was easy. We just had to wait for our options and pick one. We’re now using one of their designs as a branding asset.

What is the team composition? 

I only worked with one person who I believe was the design director. We had their email on file from our past project and reached out to them again.

How did you come to work with AtticSalt Branding?

I don’t know the complete context of how we found AtticSalt Branding, but I know they did several other marketing pieces for us almost a year ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $100 for this particular asset.

What is the status of this engagement?

This most recent project didn’t take more than two weeks between January–February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new contact list was definitely better than the one we were using. It fits in with our other marketing tools and enhances our company’s theme. 

How did AtticSalt Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They did well. It was really easy for us to just send them an example of what we were looking for. They performed well and made the piece on brand. For communication, we emailed back and forth.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Again, they were easy to work with. It didn’t take a lot of my time to get through the process. I just told them what I needed, and they produced a quality product in the end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything as it relates to this project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a good idea of what you want, it helps to give them references and examples. It could be documents of what you’ve used in the past, a rough outline, or any prep work you’ve done. The more information, the better. Just give them enough guidance so that they can use their creativity to make the process easy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal of marketing and business development at DFDG Architecture, an architecture, interior design, and planning firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AtticSalt?

It had been a decade since we had a refresh on our website and 20 years since we had a refresh on our brand. We were looking for a firm outside of our industry that could provide us with a new way of thinking and potentially disrupt what we had considered our normal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial step was a brand evaluation to understand what our brand was, who we were as a firm, and what our goals and objectives were moving forward.

AtticSalt also helped us to figure out ways to honor the legacy of our founder, who had been with the firm for 50 years and then transitioning into the next 50 with a new brand. They designed our logo and WordPress website, and they also did graphic and brand standards.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Rani (CEO & Chief Strategist) and Kathy (Brand Strategist), but there were five other teammates behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with AtticSalt?

We had found a website developer, and we asked them for some suggestions. We brought in three branding firms, and AtticSalt was the one we thought would bring us something different and create something unique. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $36,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from November 2019–November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was launched in mid-November, and the traffic has increased astronomically since then. AtticSalt did a good job of working with a group that was full of designers. Dealing with all of the creative people that we have in the office was a challenge, but Rani and his team handled that well.

How did AtticSalt perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was great. It was a pleasure to work with them, and they understood where we were coming from and how we work. They realized that we were a little bit slower in decision making, and they were okay with that. 

The project went longer than expected because of COVID-19, but AtticSalt handled it well. We communicated via email. Up until March 2020, we had a lot of in-person meetings. After that, we switched to doing everything virtually. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

AtticSalt helped us look at everything from a more total market perspective as opposed to solely from our market sector, which really helped us. Having a firm that hadn’t done a lot of websites in our industry gave us a different perspective on how websites come together. 

We also had conversations around changing our name, and, after doing some brand awareness work, AtticSalt convinced people in our office that it was the right decision to stay with our current name.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They put out a post on LinkedIn about having worked with us, which was a little bit ahead of what we had done. It was also partly our fault. That’s the only time I was disappointed. Other than that, it was all good. Rani was great at making his position known, even if it frustrated people.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t have lots of people at the table; limit it to four people to make it easier for AtticSalt. Because we had so many people, decision making became rather difficult. Make sure you have the right people at the table. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of business development for a global public equity fund called Shukr Investments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AtticSalt Branding?

When we first started the company in 2013, we had pretty simple visuals that weren’t representative of the brand we were trying to portray. We wanted something sleek and luxurious, and we were trying to be consistent with our logo and branding across all of our forums.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

AtticSalt Branding recreated our branding from scratch, including our logo, website, and more.

They started with a symbolic logo that incorporated various parts of our identity. For example, it has the initials of our company name in the middle but in an indirect way. The outer layers represent equity while also evoking the bull and bear market. 

Regarding the website, we provided the content while they coordinated everything else. They did the designs, working with a third-party to build out the features and install the plug-ins on GoDaddy. Finally, they created our PowerPoint presentation, business cards, and letterheads.

What is the team composition? 

I mostly worked with Rani (Founder & Creative Director), but I know he has a design team that was responsible for creating a lot of things. He also collaborated with an individual from Rocket Digital to build our website.

How did you come to work with AtticSalt Branding?

I’d done a lot of research for companies within the US and internationally before reaching out to the best marketing companies in my area. I wanted to see who they worked with for branding. Those top-ranked marketing company in the Valley area of Arizona recommended Rani to me.

What is the status of this engagement?

The process lasted from August–October 2020. It took longer than expected due to some delays on our side. My brother was moving, and we’d changed our minds on certain things like colors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very pleased with the branding materials as well as the design process. Their team remained flexible with us and understood that we were figuring things out as we went along. Any time we asked to make a change, they would walk me through all the steps, which was definitely reassuring.

How did AtticSalt Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

AtticSalt Branding always met deadlines. I was in touch with them via text, email, and regular Zoom calls, and they used DropBox to deliver designs. They were consistently professional, too. When it came to billing, there were a few things that we added at the last second, and they didn’t nickel and dime us on them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their knowledge of their industry and level of professionalism.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because of the global pandemic, we weren’t able to meet in person. That wasn’t their fault, but having face-to-face communication would’ve been better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be definitive in what you want. Our main weakness was that we had multiple people involved, which led to differing opinions. We were able to be successful by trusting AtticSalt Branding’s designer.