Design & Practice

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Rebel and Bird is a leading digital agency based in Stockholm, Sweden. We create digital services and growth for our clients across the globe. We work with a clear focus on creating business value and loyal customers throughout the customer journey.

We build products, services and smart marketing with stylish and efficient design. Our key strength is the combination of deep technical know-how and engaging experiences.

Our business areas are:

Digital strategy

Digital product creation

Digital growth

We have worked with a large number of international clients in banking and finance, media, technology and telecom and healthcare.

Rebel and Bird is a company in rapid growth. We are aiming to be +500 people in 8 countries in 10 years, and having built something in space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the vendor?

To define a new visual brand (digital) including font, colors, etc. We didn’t feel the need for a new logo but were open to a possible change. 

Design and information structure for a new website that reflect Rebel and Bird as the company we want to become. An already established company, we are much bigger than we look. (Reflect a big business simply). The new site should support sales and recruitment. Clearly describe the value we provide clients with and what we do. Show that we have the breadth and depth within design, communication and the technology.

Brand:

Get a new brand that really should reflect Rebel and Birds values and the story behind the name of our company. The website should help us get new awesome customers and new employees.

Key words for new brand:

1. Design
2. Fast
3. Technology
4. Premium
5. Vibrant

We preferred to feel like a german design agency, hip and cool, rather than corporate, financial but not as an advertising agency. Serious, not boring. Experience (UX and design) is a key component in many of our projects and something that sets us apart from our competitors.

Our name must be retained.

Website:

The website should help us get new awesome customers and new employees.

Target audience/markets: 

1. Global
2. C-level titles
3. Ideal clients are Disney, Lego, Tesla, NASA and tech disruptors
4. The best digital designers, strategists and developers in the world for recruitment

Site goals: 

1. Newsletter signups 
2. Contact sales (e-mail, call, form) 
3. Contact recruitment (e-mail, call, form)
4. Downloads (eg client cases) 
5. Numbers of visitors to articles and podcast

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

The project started out with Design and Practice visiting Rebel and Bird at our office in Stockholm, Sweden. After that they came up with 2-3 different design ideas for the brand to choose from.

After that we had follow ups every three weeks or so. And we got back with feedback. I think Design and Practice came to our office two or three times during the project. Between that we had video calls. When the design of the brand got finished we started to work with the website.

What is the team composition? 

From Rebel and Birds side there was one of our founders, who is also our CXO, our COO, Creative Director and Marketing Manager.

How did you come to work with the vendor?

We could have done this ourselves, we do it four our clients all the time. But we thought it would be good to have someone else outside the company to come and see our business and the company from an outside perspective. Someone to challenge us, like we challenge our clients. 

We listed some design agencies that we really liked in case of their design style. And after getting some proposals and talking to the agencies, we decided to go through with Design and Practice. We really liked the way they got excited about the name of our company and the story behind it and how they wanted to include it in the new design.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €22760.

What is the status of this engagement?

Think we started the conversation around September 2018 and kicked off the project in November the same year. The final delivery came in May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a lot of traffic coming into our case studies pages, that is great. We can see that people are reading our articles and like the new design. We have still things left to do in the development part, that we do ourselves. But yes, the results are great so far. 

How did the vendor perform from a project management standpoint?

Very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The story behind the branding and the result of the branding. It turned out great!

The brand got two bold voices, one for the Rebel and one for the Bird, the design shows that these two (Rebel and the Bird) can’t be without each other and are constantly talking together through great fonts, design and images. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The user experience in their web design. It was not bad, not at all, but there is some room for improvement about what really works for the web format. We know that branding is their field of expertise and web is not, but we challenged them with that and they did a great job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal of Atelier Elliott. We’re an interdisciplinary creative consultancy - I come from an architectural background, having also provided creative direction to a number of sportswear and apparel companies. 

We work on a variety of projects that combine architecture, design, identity, and strategy, working together with remote parties, as well as a small in-house staff.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Design & Practice?

We needed someone to guide our visual identity. Despite working for many years, we haven’t had a web presence because of competing clients - everything was done via word of mouth – so this was an opportunity to finally put something online. We wanted to define guidelines and create a different way of working in the future – one that wouldn’t employ a fixed format but would give us flexibility for a variety of different projects, depending on which direction the work was going at any given time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had to establish an overall visual strategy, incorporating movement as a way to aid understanding of content – people have such a short attention span. We also wanted to be able to use the images we had from our older projects in such a way that would work with the newer stuff we’re working on.

The website is designed to serve currently as an online portfolio rather than as something that’s directly linked to ongoing projects - due to NDAs, the number of images and projects we are able to present is somewhat limited.

Together with the website, business cards, letterheads, presentation templates, and portfolios provide a cohesive identity. In terms of branding, we initially looked at standalone logos and logotypes, but those seemed less relevant. Design & Practice recommended customizing a font that itself would provide the logo – which seemed a much better solution - and they then worked together with the type foundry to achieve the desired outcome. 

They fully developed the website themselves, rather than going through outside coders, and they’re still working on new content.

What is the team composition?

Generally, I communicated directly with either Ruben or Golnar (Owners & Creative Directors of Design & Practice), but for in-person meetings their wider team was also present.

How did you come to work with Design & Practice?

Ruben and I had worked for the same agency a number of years ago and I’ve admired his and Golnar’s work ever since. Due to the variety of project types we work on, we initially approached Design & Practice as they’re so good at understanding different needs and project typologies - they don’t just apply a singular house style. In the past I’ve worked with them on magazine work, as well as branding and packaging for some of our hospitality clients. 

They are one of the few graphic studios I’ve worked with that really get what needs to be done to produce meaningful work. They analyze and develop the brief to efficiently further the project and never simply kowtow to feedback if they feel it isn’t in the project’s best interest - with the number of collaborators we work with, it’s great to be able to rely on people with strong opinions that they can back up. They also have a real sense of modernity – never pastiche – and are always keen to test new methods and techniques. Our sensibilities seem to match very well.

What is the status of the engagement?

We’ve been working on this project since July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It has obviously given us a much more visible presence and one that we can easily refer people to. Internally, it’s also helped change the way we present our ideas to clients. For a number of years- and especially when we’ve been working with multinationals - we’ve frequently adopted our clients’ own house style. This is the first time we’ve truly imprinted our own sensibility onto projects - in terms of graphic usage and the way the work is flowing. In both digital and physical form, it’s given us something tangible that we can stand behind. 

The biggest difference has been to change how we approach projects. It allowed us to develop what we wanted to achieve and give that a visual language, which, despite the amount of visual work we’d done in the past, wasn’t something we’d really considered for ourselves. As much as in any direct business sense, it’s impacted more the way we’ll work in the future.

How did Design & Practice perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate over email, video, and in-person meetings.

We’ve always worked with structured timelines, and if there was anything unforeseen, I was kept updated. They were much more responsible than many other project managers I’ve dealt with - they’re very good at dealing with stuff themselves when there’s no need to disturb the client.

One of the key things was that - since it was as much a visual design exercise as anything else - their feedback was communicated visually. It was massively helpful and helped guide the project in a way that wouldn’t have been possible using written communication alone. We could literally see the project shaping up and developing over time. We had a number of different phases – probably 6–7 iterations.

There was a willingness to try every avenue available to get the best result possible. For example, there was a chance that the site design we all wanted to achieve wouldn’t work on the platform, but they found suitable away around it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with a number of agencies where people think that once they’ve come up with a concept, their job is done. Design & Practice, on the other hand, focuses on what the output is, whether it’s in physical form or digital. They look all the way to the end product; it’s truly rare and refreshing. They define something that everyone agrees is the best possible outcome, and then find ways to achieve it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been particularly good on this project. I can’t pick out something that could be specifically bettered.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re actually working together with them. It’s a massive benefit. From the initial brief, give them a chance to reform it in such a way that allows them to develop the project further and lead to a better outcome. The early stages are the ones that matter so much in this type of work – and that make it so much easier to proceed later on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an interior design studio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Design & Practice?

We needed a new brand identity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Design & Practice was hired to make business cards for us. We scoped out the project together, laying out options that would best reflect the company. They did in-depth work on graphic design, making adjustments until they reached the final design. They also did our portfolio and website design.

On another project, they did some freestyle rebranding work for our client. They made spacial graphical applications and created a new logo.

What is the team composition?

Ruben (Creative Thinker, Design & Practice) is our main point of contact. We’ve also worked a lot with Golnar (Creative Director, Design & Practice).

How did you come to work with Design & Practice?

We’ve worked together on several projects at another company. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September 2016 and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The image placement and functionality of the website are excellent. The branding is unique to our personality while still having a classic feel. The feedback we’ve received has been very positive. 

The business cards are very attention-grabbing, conveying the quality and personality of our company well. We think of them as an extension of our company being placed into people’s hands. 

How did Design & Practice perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through a combination of email, phone, document presentations and face-to-face meetings. In the beginning, they presented us with a few options and allowed us to give feedback to move forward. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand our desires and translate them into a brand that conveys our company. Their craftsmanship and attention to detail are great. They make it an exploration process until everyone is satisfied. They really know what they’re doing from materials to spacing to fonts.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since it’s a creative industry, they sometimes need extra time to finish a task, which is normal. However, this allows them to give the necessary attention to fully deliver work, so it isn’t a negative thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give a detailed brief to lay out your expectations. Doing this will help them with their ability to design while paying attention to the details important to you.