Azai Studios

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Digital of Long-Term Stock Exchange

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Long-Term Stock Exchange is an SEC registered stock exchange focused on connecting long-term companies and long-term investors. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Azai Studios to accomplish?

• Design, develop and keep running the next generation of our website based on revised brand standards
• Optimize Webflow capabilities to efficiently manage our website
• Mange and evolve our brand - create assets across mediums

SOLUTION

How did you find Azai Studios?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Azai Studios over others?

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

How many teammates from Azai Studios were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We enterered into a contract with Azai in 2022 to:

• Replatform our website on Webflow
• Reimagine the site through design and development with new brand standards and relaunch a 48 page website 
• Be an extension of our Marketing team by providing Graphic Design, Website Management, Webflow consulting, Web Projext Mgt,  Web Design and Development
• Manage and evolve brand standards 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All projects were delivered on time and on budget

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

Azai was extremely proactive and managed all projects with efficiency and ingenuity.  They were very responsive to our changing needs. 

What was your primary form of communication with Azai Studios?

Virtual Meeting

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

Azai Studios is a team of talented professionals who have become a true extension of our marketing team.  Their expertise across the board, nimbleness and proactivity make them a standout.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CRO at a manage IT services and cybersecurity firm based in the UAE. On the verge of expansion, we have several IT services that we provide to small, medium, and enterprise businesses. We’re taking a modernized approach to IT in regard to the Middle East because we noticed a market gap between the quality of service and affordability of payments. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azai Studios?

In terms of branding identity, our company was pretty premature. We wanted to change the name of our company from Truly Mobile to Truly Secure. Since both my partner and I aren’t from a creative background, we opted to hire Azai Studios.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted something that represented the core of our company straightway, without it having to rely on our name or other descriptors. I provided them with my preferred color scheme, and we moved together in that direction. We also wanted something fresh that could last several years into the future without having to be retouched. They focused on delivering a modern, unique design, thinking about how we should present ourselves in comparison to our competitors in the market. Our feedback has resonated that as well.  

In the end, they delivered a logo, business cards, graphics, social media content, and a redesign of our website. 

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with three people, one of them being the founder and creative director.  

How did you come to work with Azai Studios?

They collaborated with our parent company, completely transforming the old, unattractive website into a high-quality site that brought in more business. There was a noticeable change, and I saw that they performed to a very high level. I wanted my company to have the same growth opportunity through their services. Of course, we know that our team is head and shoulders above the competition, but we needed our site to resonate that as well. That’s why we hired them.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $28,000. That gave us the brand identity, website design, logo, and other collateral. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We initiated contact in September 2019, and things started to get moving in October 2019. Everything was delivered by the end of December 2019.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of giving us a recognizable brand identity, they hit it out of the park. The final look is fresh, clean, and modern. Friends and clients have mentioned that our new site is dynamic and easy to use. We’re in a better position to meet our clients’ needs after developing our brand identity. 

Additionally, people are pleased with the visual aesthetics of our brand and site. We opted for a dark mode, which has also been appreciated. Because of the new flow of the site, users are able to find plenty of content on our solutions and product options. The flow paired with visual infographics that they created made it a lot easier for consumers to absorb information.  

How did Azai Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was very active on conference calls, reviewing designs and content that would be included on the site. They did a good job of recognizing what we wanted, and how that could be delivered in several different ways. It was a good experience overall.

They gave us access to their project management software, so we could see that they were making progress in various areas throughout the engagements. The provided visibility into the project was excellent. Additionally, communication was great. I’m the kind of guy that might message someone at midnight, and they handled that very well. I received quick responses from them. 

My only speed bump was that sometimes my information wasn’t picked up on throughout our calls. However, when I requested fixes, they were absolutely able to resolve the problem. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very professional, taking the time to understand our business early in the project. Their process of understanding our company and needs was excellent because they asked the right questions. Additionally, they made sure that their surveys and questionnaires were all in place to set them up for success. They were able to bring out what we were trying to achieve as a company, going into specific details about our operations. We may have paid them more money than other vendors would’ve charged, but we were given a high quality of service. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It may be a good idea for them to follow up on our conference calls with written emails confirming what was stated. That would make sure that we stayed on the same page. That’s the only thing I can think of—they delivered a great service. They offered a near-perfect service. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what you’re aiming to get out of the development. They can’t create your company for you, so you need to provide them with a basic understanding of your business. That way, you’ll be in a better position to hit your target market.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and co-founder of DME Tuning, and engine services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azai Studios?

We wanted an e-commerce site that was better than what’s currently out there.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a unique Shopify platform for our products from scratch. Along the way, they also revamped our brand image and optimized our content for social media. Their team redesigned our logo and created media for the site as part of that effort. Though the site was completed, we had them do a round of revisions and updates recently. They added new products to the site. 

Lately, we’ve been discussing their marketing offerings. I’d like them to take charge of our marketing operations in the near future. That hasn't started yet, though.  

What is the team composition?

Harji (Creative Director, Azai Studios) was my main point of contact. I also spoke with Andrej (Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Azai Studios) about the project.

How did you come to work with Azai Studios?

I met both Harji and Andrej through mutual friends and classmates. We met over two years ago, back when our business was quite new. At that time, we didn’t have the budget for an e-commerce site. But, we hired them when we got around to it.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The main project lasted from January–October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To begin with, we didn’t have e-commerce before getting their help. The site has been doing incredibly well for us. The project paid for itself in two months.  

How did Azai Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in frequent communication with them over Slack, speaking about 2–3 times each week. In those conversations, they would show us their progress, and we could quickly approve it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They truly deliver on their promises. Moving forward, I’m using them for similar projects.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been nice to shorten the timeline a bit. However, it took an acceptable amount of time given the project’s scope. So, I can’t say I would ask for anything to be done differently. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

GILK is a financial company based in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia. I’m its COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azai Studios?

The biggest challenge was creating a new brand. We’d had the last one for the last 10 years, so wanted something outstanding, that was different to everything else on the market. We’re a financial company and most of our competitors have quite dull branding. We were looking to be more fun and memorable. The problem was that we were running out of time, as we wanted to finish branding in two months.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They asked me a lot of questions and gave me an initial set of options for the design. I chose one, and we proceeded from there. Two months later, I received the deliverables of the branding, website design, and stationery designs for notepads, letterheads, and so on.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Harji (Founder and Executive Creative Director, Azai Studios).

How did you come to work with Azai Studios?

They were recommended to me by a friend, then we had a two-hour call with them, in which we explained what we needed to do.

I chose them because I was interested in working with someone overseas, in order to differentiate my company from competitors. They used some international designers, who produced results that are more unusual for the Russian market.

How much have you invested with them?

They first estimated the work at around $35,000, but there were additional illustrations and material that brought the cost to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from July–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re not a retail company, so we don’t measure these kinds of statistics. The customer feedback has been that it’s an unusual and international-looking website. It’s great, funny, and people remember it.

How did Azai Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered right on time, which is unusual in the design world. We communicated through WhatsApp, email, phone, and all other possible means, but we didn’t meet in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m not a designer myself, but they were helpful in giving me comments and advice on what to do with the branding. They were responsive to my comments and corrected everything quickly. It was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue was with the development of our website. It’s in Russian, and Azai wasn’t able to do it, so I had to hire someone in Russia for the task. It would be great if they provided international website development too, as it’s better for the design and development teams to work together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of Main Technologies, a startup that provides a communication app service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azai Studios?

We needed help developing our branding materials and building a website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Azai Studios went over our requirements and design ideas in an initial meeting in order to develop a scope of work and set up timelines. We then met for multiple creative sessions to collaborate on the brand and filled out questionnaires to assist their team with the process. They designed various materials, including letterheads, email signatures, logos, and overall elements that defined the look and feel of the company's brand. They then developed wireframes and mockups for our website and developed it from scratch.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Harji (Founder & Creative Director, Azai Studios).

How did you come to work with Azai Studios?

A friend of mine who had worked with them before recommended them. I was impressed by their history of work—the type of branding they'd done in the past spoke to me. They were also highly cost competitive.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The entire project took about a year from start to finish, including all the iterations we requested.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site hasn't gone live yet, but we're very happy with their work internally; we've received lots of positive feedback from testers. They were very responsive to all our iterations and requests throughout the process and exceeded our expectations.

How did Azai Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed the project very well. They have access to a couple communication tools, including Asana and Jira, so they let us choose which platform we preferred.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Aside from their superior design capabilities, their team is incredibly communicative. They respond quickly to all of our emails and calls, and are always precise and to the point in their explanations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. However, if you have a more complex project than we did, I would image that they'd have to outsource additional resources, but I believe they're working on hiring additional staff.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.
I am the Co Founder of a fintech company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Fintech creating an investment platform for the music industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Azai Studios to accomplish?

• (Re)Build brand
• Redesign technology
• Marketing

SOLUTION

How did you find Azai Studios?

Referral

Why did you select Azai Studios over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Azai Studios were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

App, website, social media assets

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Did we build a successful, distinct, and bold brand? Yes. Did all of that translate into site, app, merch, social media? Yes

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

Yes, always available and amazing to communicate with.

What was your primary form of communication with Azai Studios?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their unique skill set of both music and financial knowledge was 1 of 1. Azai Studios is super passionate and the best in the business. 

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

No