The Details Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

St. Thomas University is a small liberal arts university in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. I am the director of marketing and am responsible for developing brand strategy, recruitment and promotional material, and communications services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Details Design?

We have started working with The Details to update our brand assets including the university viewbooks (domestic and international), posters, direct mail pieces, email signatures, trade show style banners, on-campus signage, and more.

SOLUTION

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

We have been looking for a new design agency to help us with updating our brand material for a while. We wanted to work with a company that would truly learn about who we are and some of the unique challenges we face, who would respect the integrity of our diverse audiences (students, parents, alumni, board, etc.) and work with us to bring beautiful pieces together that would represent what we believe is a special opportunity for students and their families.

We wanted professionalism and creative skill, but also friendliness and people who listened and worked with us. The Details were top notch since our initial meeting—honest, energetic, enthusiastic, hard working. They quickly showed us they put in the work to understand us and our unique challenges. They came up with great ideas rooted in meaningful research. They provided us with options which left us feeling that even our last choice would be better than what he had done in the past.

They also pushed us in ways to consider some things we previous hadn't, or were resisting and walked us through a slow and safe approach. We truly have felt like this has been a partnership in building assets we are proud of. They have also been attentive, responsive, open to talking things out, and bring value to every meeting. These first impressions were solidified throughout the months that we have now worked together and we are excited about continuing our partnership with them and the work we get to do with them.

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

The university viewbooks (international and domestic) are the main recruitment items (outside the university website). It the main piece of marketing material than goes to prospective students, parents, guidance counsellors, teachers, agents, schools, etc. The books reflect a wide range of academic and student life to show potential students and families what STU has to offer. Every university has a viewbook and these are often collected in bulk, so it is also important that ours stands out among the competition—to show how STU is different. We have done viewbooks for decades, but it is updated each year.

We hadn't been happy the past couple of years, so we needed fresh hands on it, and that's what we got. The Details and STU had meetings to discuss what the viewbook was and where we weren't happy with our current version. We talked about STU, we looked at other university's books. They conducted their own research and shared their thoughts and questions with us. They then presented three options to us that each took a different approach but still reflected STU authentically. We chose a concept and pursued the books and all following projects with this design.

It has brought so much cohesiveness to our material and is executable across platforms, from print to social media, which was. important to us. We went through rounds of feedback and changes were made and we felt listened to. We talked about things we weren't happy with and they quickly and thoughtfully came up with solutions for us that we loved. They were diligent on the proofing process, as well. They addressed issues they anticipated at the printer and as a result our images look the best they ever have printed.

Our books are now printed and ready to hit the road to high schools all around the world! We are now building supporting assets with The Details including multiple versions of a full PPT presentation for recruiters, and things are going very well as we have our strong new branding foundation to work from.

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

We worked with the Creative Director and Director of Marketing at first, and then with designers as the projects were put together. I would say we worked with 4-5 people. All were fantastic; worked with us well, and worked together well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't officially hit the road with these projects yet, but internally our team is happy to have such clean, fresh, beautiful, and professional looking material. The process itself is easier than it ever was and we all agree it's our best set of materials to date! Another result would be that the work is so executable across so many platforms. We have been able to use the work they have done to introduce new business cards, signage on campus, presentations, social media, etc.

This is easier said than done when our portfolio is so broad and includes so many different kinds of audiences, but they developed a strong and transferable brand foundation for us. It's a breath of fresh air!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was exceptional. We had focused and energetic meetings where each side listened enthusiastically about one another's thoughts and ideas. Once the work began, I truly felt every step felt we drew energy off each other and the improvements from round to round were immense as we clarified the direction and how much we could get our of a concept. They were understanding of our occasional limitations and presented creative solutions to any problems we may have brought up.

They never seemed stuck, defeated, or discouraged, but instead maintained the energy on all the projects and that helped us remain excited about where things were going, too. It was the perfect balance between meetings and work. The weren't afraid to call a meeting on bigger issues, or touch base appropriately for quick questions or to check on something.

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

We do a lot of work in a summer, and can sometimes have a lot of people internally to please. It can be a bit overwhelming and tends to take the wind out of people's sails by the mid-point. This did not happen with The Details. Their work was at such a high standard that there really wasn't much room for second thought. They listened to everything we said about ourselves and reflected it accurately and creatively. They did their research and thoroughly dove into the competition to understand our unique market, and brought life to every page, every big and small project.

They truly brought peace to both an otherwise slightly chaotic process and project. They were smart, clear, diligent, talented, friendly, and fun to work with. They didn't get stuck or frustrated, they never once made me feel like I was a problem, but instead facilitated a positive working relationship that leads to our best materials yet.

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

Honestly, no. We look forward to doing new and different projects with them moving forward.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Xialla. We design, manufacture and market a medical device for men's health and wellness.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Details Design, and what were your goals?

Our business was looking to expand and strengthen our market position and to establish a brand to increase the attractiveness of the product offering as well as differentiating us from competitors.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Details Design?

The Details Design was highly recommended by a mutual friend.

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

The Details team We define the project goals, target audiences, competition and opportunities. They become fully on-boarded with our business. They strategized and laid the project plan. They then experimented with different creative strategies and developed the visual components. They presented distinct approaches and options. Finally, the prepared all deliverables, prepped the final files and gave us all the pieces of a complete brand identity.

How many people from The Details Design team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with Tanya, the Creative Director and Erin, the Art Director and Senior Designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Based on the project, we created new branded packaging and a new website. Our sales have increased 20%. We are super proud of the

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

The Details people are organized for every meeting, present their work eloquently and precisely, and are fun and straightforward to work with. Communication is clear and simple. Never any hassles or misunderstandings.

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

Tanya and her team really seem to understand brand fundamentals, like simplicity, directness of messaging and clarity. And they are able to translate that into a unique brand and colors that stand out from the crowd and represent our brand in a way that we think customers can identify with quickly. 

They were highly detailed and precise, and their great brand identity hit the exact mood and message of our company.

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

I can't think of anything Tanya and her team could have done better.