The Forest Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief operating officer of Leaders. We organize high-level networking events and create content for the sports business industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address when you approached The Forest?

At the very beginning, our main challenge was developing a brand identity for the business. We needed help with branding as well as design and marketing collateral for all of our events.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Forest provided brand design and identity. They made sure the brand was visible on the website and that the marketing collateral, print collateral, and publications were consistent.

They worked on a number of our events, the main one being at the Leaders in Football Summit back in 2008. The Forest was responsible for creating all of the marketing design for the event. As the business progressed, we created new properties called Leaders in Performance, Leaders in Sponsorship, Leaders in Digital Sports, and Leaders in Racing. The Forest helped us create an identity for each one of those conferences.

How did you come to work with The Forest?

Our business was starting up roughly around the same time and that's how we got to work together. At the time, we were a start-up company. I don't think we went to too many other providers. It was more of a relationship thing. The Forest was also starting out. We took a leap of faith as we were growing together.

How much have you invested with The Forest?

We spent 100,000 to 150,000 pounds. That's an estimate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2008, possibly before. We worked together until 2013 or 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We had strong feedback from our clients. People saw their work at our events and how it was actually brought to life at our events. We were very impressed with that. From day 1, people always mentioned how clean and mature our brand was perceived. It really helped with our brand perception from the beginning.

How did The Forest perform from a project management standpoint?

They always did well. When it came down to communicating, it was good. With the events business, it's tough because there are always heavy deadlines and a lot going on prior to an event, but they delivered every year. There were no issues there. They never wanted to let anyone down, and they didn't. They were hardworking.

What did you find most impressive about The Forest?

We always found that they were very passionate about everything they did for us. Since they started the journey with us from day one, they were very passionate about what we did. They are very professional and personal, Karl, especially. He's a very likable person and that's proven. He's been part of our sports business events. He's made contacts and created his own network. He's built long-lasting relationships in sports. The Forest team is made up of people who are likable and hardworking. They are passionate about sports and about what they do.

Are there any areas The Forest could improve?

It's hard to say, really. From my experience, we were always happy. I can't think of any.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a partner at Lewis Silkin. It's a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Forest Studio?

We were launching a brand-new business. We had to come up with a new identity and branding for the whole endeavor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Forest handled branding, creative, and online services. We gave The Forest the name of the company. They were asked to design a logo, marketing materials, and a whole approach for the website. They were given the whole scope in terms of design, production, and delivery.

How did you come to work with The Forest Studio?

I've worked with The Forest in the past. I've personally worked with Karl [Hudson, founder and creative director at The Forest Studio] on a number of things. Given the fact that I had a very particular challenge, it was the only place that I was prepared to go. In the past, The Forest has done some marketing, experiential, and branding work. They had always been brilliant in terms of execution and delivering it in a timely fashion. They understood the nature and the DNA of what we wanted to achieve.

How much have you invested with The Forest Studio?

It's a significant amount since we've used them for many projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

Since 2008, they've done about 10 projects for Lewis Silkin.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I first worked with Karl in 2008 to relaunch a whole department and he produced a significant amount of marketing materials for a trade show. We continued to use those materials for years. He created new logos, marketing collateral, and giveaways. For example, we gave away USB sticks that looked like medicine bottles. Karl even designed all of the paperwork. It was just brilliant and people still talk about it. It's a campaign that has been universally well received. It's great work and, more importantly, it's innovative and stands out.

How did The Forest Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

I'd say their project management is excellent. What's very good about it is that they ask all of the right questions up front. Karl and the team took a huge amount of time to understand our brief and our intended audience. They interrogated us about our intention and ambition. That process led to a much quicker and better delivery. They didn't just present three designs, with none of them being suitable. We did not have to go back repeatedly. Things always need tweaking and changing, but they never took a swing and missed completely. Whenever they came back with a response, it was absolutely in the zone.

What did you find most impressive about The Forest Studio?

I was impressed by their innovation. I've seen design companies in the past where they just produced generic iterations. Clearly, a design company is there to make you stand out, and it's amazing how many of these things look exactly the same. Working with The Forest was always fun, surprising, and innovative. Their work was always well thought out and thought through. They have all the things one would want to have from any design company.

Are there any areas The Forest Studio could improve?

No, because I've been so thoroughly pleased with their output and the outcomes of what they've delivered. I just think they're great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Miami Marlins is a professional baseball team. I'm the senior director of community outreach for the team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Forest Studio?

We wanted to put together what we call the Blue Book, which is basically a community report. Our team just recently had opened a new ballpark in 2012. In the process of building that ballpark, there were many negotiations with the city and the county. There were many expectations from the city and the county that were written into the stadium agreement. These were expectations of what we needed to do in the community. We wanted to put together a visual presentation of our commitment to the community and the different benchmarks that we had hit. The Blue Book would showcase our progress in terms of what we needed to do in the community.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Forest put together the Blue Book community report, a 36-page brochure. They handled the design and layout all the way through the printing process. It was a long process because of all the changes from our end. We wanted to capture everything in a succinct manner. They were incredibly patient with us. We enjoyed the creative offerings that they brought to showcase what we wanted.

How did you come to work with The Forest Studio?

I had met Karl [Hudson, founder and creative director at The Forest Studio] at a conference in New York in the fall of 2012. He shared his website and some of the work that they had done and reached out a couple times. It just happened that that next fall we needed to put something together, so it just worked out.

How much have you invested with The Forest Studio?

We have invested $10,000 to $50,000 with The Forest.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2013. We did a follow-up project, and I'm still in touch with them. We haven't done another Blue Book since then. But, we'll probably do one this year and very well may do it with The Forest.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don't have any results per se other than positive feedback. It was very well received, from the elected that we shared it with all the way through to our season ticketholders. It's a very informative and impactful tool.

How did The Forest Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The Forest team was great. They were on top of everything, and they always met the deadlines for sending versions to us. They were very friendly on top of it. We spoke solely to a project manager; I don't remember speaking to anyone else.

What did you find most impressive about The Forest Studio?

Honestly, it was a complete pleasure working with Karl. He was incredibly professional, very thorough, and very patient. He even he came down to Miami and spent a day on press at the printer. It was a very personal experience. He was committed to making sure that we had the best product possible. It was a wonderful experience. It sounds funny to say that about a print job, but it truly was. It was beyond expectations.

Are there any areas The Forest Studio could improve?

I can't think of areas for improvement for The Forest off the top of my head.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Chelsea Football Club is a Premier League soocer team based in London, England. I'm the Creative Services Manager for the club. I head up the brand and handle any design or marketing related issues. I make sure that we are completely on brand across all the territories that we are currently in and with the league that we play in. Any aspect of the business where our logo gets seen – social media or print-based, anything – needs to have my team's approval.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Forest Studio?

We were looking at some branding issues. We needed to shore up the Chelsea TV channel via some digital platforms that we have.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first time we worked with The Forest, they helped us promote our channels across different digital platforms. To begin with, they had a very good knowledge of sports. The Forest team was very knowledgeable about the product we are selling. I think that they were very useful in terms of their problem solving. The Forest needed to work with our assets, arrange them, and place them. They needed to come up with new ways to market the Chelsea TV channel, as it were. That was our marketing arm at that point. They gave a concise outlook into new assets for us to use going forward, so it wasn't just doing the creatives for us for that particular project. That was a real benefit, which we commissioned them to do as well.

How did you come to work with The Forest Studio?

I had a colleague who had worked with them before. He worked for the FA – the Football Association. He'd used them in another role a couple of years before and said, "We've gone with these guys. They know what they're doing. They're very good in our sector." It all started from there. The second we started using them, that fell into a partnership, and we used them for other jobs. I'd also seen their work before. They were branding solutions that The Forest came up with for other clients. That's how we got involved with them.

How much have you invested with The Forest Studio?

We have invested $50,000 to $200,000 with The Forest.

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated with them a long time ago. It must have been six or seven years ago [as of 2016. We've worked with them intermittently through the years. We have one project every other year – maybe once a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The Chelsea TV project was a real success. They certainly helped with that. We got a greater number of sign-ups for the channel, thanks to The Forest's strategy and execution. It far exceeded what we hoped we'd get to.

How did The Forest Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The last time we collaborated with these guys overseas, there was an obvious time difference. That's expected, and we can work that out. We were always aware of who the account manager was, who was reporting to who. They're amazing with our account manager here. We were always told which designer would be working on it, which I think is key because you can always get through to different designers. It's very difficult to pinpoint who did what. We always talked about the deadlines and the action plans always came through on time. We never had problems with deadlines except getting work delivered. The Forest was pretty solid on that front.

What did you find most impressive about The Forest Studio?

I always see The Forest as a sports branding agency. That's their forte, and that's why I would use them. They pride themselves on being a very good agency on branding, which they absolutely are. They would probably say, "We can do a bit of everything." They are also very good at problem-solving. For a different outlook on things, I can probably go to a number of different agencies. I always get something a bit different from The Forest.