GreyBox Creative

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founders of a global technology services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

Our business had been around for nearly 10 years, so we wanted to better define our brand and execute it on our website, logo, and other materials.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GreyBox Creative helped define our brand strategy, which led to our website layout description. They then created five logos, and one of them immediately stood out. We selected that, and GreyBox Creative assisted us with the copyright as we registered it. Once that was clear, they built the website and made it cohesive with our new brand identity.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact and also worked with a designer and a developer.

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

We found them online. We liked their work, so we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2017–September 2018. Prior to this, they sat in on brand discussions, but we hadn't engaged them yet.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m incredibly pleased with their work; the designs are clean and clear. They took our concept and effectively translated it into a great design. We just recently unveiled the new brand and site, and we’ve gotten positive feedback. It’s improved company morale and culture, which is exactly what we wanted.

How did GreyBox Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always available and responsive, working to meet our timeline and schedule. We usually communicated via email and phone and the occasional spreadsheet. They also had an internal website where we could log in, review designs, and provide comments.

What did you find most impressive about them?

By sitting in on the initial brand discussions before we engaged them, they understood our company and our goals. As soon as we engaged them for design, this understanding was reflected in the logo and website designs they presented to us. Their design was high quality, and they were incredibly easy to communicate with. They changed anything we asked for, which showed their dedication to our project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, but if I mentioned a problem, they would’ve gladly fixed it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and president of ondemandCMO. We offer corporate branding strategies and marketing solutions. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

We were in the process of helping a client transition through a rebranding. We brought in a separate company for name generation, and we worked with GreyBox Creative for graphic design and brand identity services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the client with three choices for design direction, they narrowed it to one, and GreyBox created the marque and a distinguishing logo. They developed an image library and new corporate colors, and they executed the marque on sample marketing deliverables such as email blasts, advertisements, brochures, and posters.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the president and the creative director.

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

I had worked with their president on previous naming projects while he managed the brand identity. I respect their work. We have graphic design capabilities in-house, but because this was a new brand, I wanted to bring on GreyBox’s more sophisticated sensibility.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

GreyBox’s contributions to this rebranding project were largely seen from February through April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have received high praise for the newly implemented designs. The agency that was brought in for website design incorporated several of GreyBox’s elements into the digital space.

How did GreyBox Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They adapted well to a changing scheduling and set of goals from the client.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a group of talented designers, and, as a whole, they work well with other firms on any given project.

Any advice for potential customers?

The parameters of the project should be detailed from the beginning to ensure the highest quality of work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a corporate fitness model catering to midtown firms. The business is setup as an in-house or on-site fitness facility that provides workout clothing and custom permanent lockers. I’m a general manager of the club, in charge of sales. I manage it along with another person, who is in charge of operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox?

We wanted to create more awareness on the general market. Historically, most of our business has come from one building and its surroundings. We were looking to reach a broader audience around our neighborhood, specifically women. Right now, we have around 1,300 members, 80% of which are men.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GreyBox stepped in to provide a more creative approach to our goal. Generally speaking, they worked on giving our overall brand a bit of an upgrade. We were a bit plain, particularly in terms of the website, which they revamped in its entirety.
We had a face-to-face meeting with their team, they had a tour of the club and used its facilities, and they talked to our members and conducted surveys. Their research was focused on understanding our model and product—where we were and where we wanted to go, in terms of broadening our demographic and bringing the services and look of the club to a more state-of-the-art place. They determined how we could differentiate ourselves from a basic fitness center.

Besides the website, they produced some signage graphics and email templates. The main focus was on the reconstruction of our services, amenities, schedules and staffing. It was quite an undertaking, considering that we’d had the same website since 1996. They had to start from square one.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Vincent Fatato, their founder and president. We have also dealt with some resources based in the Philippines. Stephen Ruisi-Boccone [CMO] is our contact for any site edits and creative work.

How did you come to work with GreyBox?

We were referred to them by our sister company, which is owned by the same real estate company. We interviewed three or four companies in total, but they won us over because of the level of intimacy they provided. GreyBox was a smaller agency, and they could pay more attention to us and view see us as a significant customer.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost was between $50,000 and $100,000. We worked out a budget for website development and subsequent edits. They bill us on a case-by-case basis.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them several years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have any quantifiable metrics, but, subjectively speaking, we’re happy with what they created in terms of web design and marketing. They aim to please in terms of turnaround time, responsiveness, and getting us what we want. There were numerous times when we didn’t get something right the first time, but at the end of the day, we walked away happy. There was never any ill will or frustration, even though we’ve had some challenges. One of the things I appreciate about GreyBox is that they’re personable and patient.

How did GreyBox perform from a project management standpoint?

They made an effort to remain customer service-oriented and learn as much as possible about what we do at the club, in order to help us be successful. They’re very responsive, getting back to us immediately after reaching out by phone or email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve come a long way in terms of learning our product. The fact that they use the club on a regular basis has contributed to this. They took the plunge and they loved it. Their founder is a believer and a part of the team. I don’t know him personally, but he’s a professional person. We’ve never been disappointed by an initiative or project that GreyBox took part in. They’re very proud of what they do and the deliverables show it.

We’ve dealt with other vendors around promotional items, giveaways and so on. Compared to them and based on what I’ve heard from peers in my industry, GreyBox has a fair cost.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a founding partner of a private equity investment platform. We're relatively new as of 2015. We now have 10 employees, most of whom left Morgan Stanley to build this new independent business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

When we first started, we were lacking a corporate identity (i.e., a logo, marketing materials, brand guidelines, etc.). I didn't have any experience working with other creative agencies or design shops, but we wanted to hire a vendor with expertise in building an integrated system to make our firm look less like a startup. We needed help organizing our thoughts and communicating our vision to the market of institutional investors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GreyBox encouraged us to invest time in the process of articulating our strategy in a couple of different venues and among different people. They helped unify our voice when it comes to describing our value proposition and created pitch books, marketing materials, and a website.

They were involved in everything from developing collateral and business cards to articulating strategy and creating presentations.

When we first started collaborating, they also designed a single page for our website as a placeholder that we've since gone back to build out with them.

What is the team composition?

Vincent Fatato [Founder and President, GreyBox Creative] was the first guy that spent a lot of time with us, scoping out the project back in 2015. We've also spent a lot of time with Remo Strada [Creative Director, GreyBox Creative], as well as Gaelen Hallenbeck [Director Online Marketing and Web Development].

Remo has worked closely with us on everything and been very thoughtful throughout the process. We're really happy with his work and value his feedback—he's a pro.

How did you come to work with GreyBox?

We found them through online research and references. We felt that many other websites were subpar. You only get on chance to launch a new firm, so it was important we chose wisely. We were willing to invest the money in a shop that was well-resourced and had experience in financial services.

We talked to 7 or 8 companies and interviewed 3 in person, spending some time with GreyBox in New York. We liked their people and the fact that they didn't just offer identity work; they could help with other projects as our business grew. They understood our vision, so we felt like they would be good long-term partners for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $18,000 during the first phase and the website accounted for additional $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've worked with them since March 2015 and continue to collaborate. The initial project was completed in July 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Most people in the world of finance, particularly from Morgan Stanley where the majority of our team had been working, do presentations in PowerPoint. However, GreyBox's work in Adobe InDesign has brought our presentations to life. We've received tons of qualitative feedback from people we've marketed presentations to. Even groups who've passed on investing with us have commented on the high-quality of our presentations. They're well laid out and captivating. It's been well worth the money.

How did GreyBox perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team consistently met deadlines. Any delays were mostly due to scheduling conflicts on our end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've done a good job in asking us questions that have helped us internalize and isolate exactly what we want to highlight about our business.

I tell people all the time, it's been well worth the money. The quality of their work is way beyond our own capabilities—both incredibly creative and professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Verify Financial is a new startup that is creating crowdsourced credit reviews and information from the perspective of institutional investors. I’m the director of business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

We had a lot of ideas of how we wanted to present ourselves to our target audience. We needed some guidance in presenting a refined, clear picture of our logo, brand, and tagline. We had good material for our pitch books which GreyBox Creative helped us refine in a more presentable format. They helped us to streamline our messaging on our website as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took time to get to know our business and us personally. They asked a lot of questions. They helped us define our message, and came up with some great versions of taglines and logos. The key thing they did was to listen and understand our business and help us reflect that in our branding.

The third phase will be to put a face on our deliverable product. We now have a marketing website that’s up and running, but that will be refined further. We will plug our product into the backend of it.

What is the team dynamic?

Vincent [Founder/President, GreyBox Creative] coordinates from a business perspective. We’ve worked closely with Remo [Creative Director, GreyBox Creative] who’s wonderful. He’s very reactive, timely, and considerate. He’s a pleasure to work with overall. Gaelen [Head of Operations, GreyBox Creative] is the engineer that coordinates with our engineers.

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

We had interviewed a lot of branding agencies because we knew what our product was and what we wanted to do, but we didn’t know how we wanted to put that forward to our clientele. GreyBox was very easy to work with. They totally understood what we were about. They took what we told them and came back with a solution. That wasn’t the same with other agencies we talked to. Their website was very clean and user friendly, and that’s another thing that attracted us to them.

This was my first engagement working with an outsourced firm. I’ve worked for other organizations that had in-house teams. It was a learning a process for me. GreyBox gave us some good references to call which was very nice. The process seemed to be similar with a lot of design firms, but the key thing for us was the references and the time they took with us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $20,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them a year ago, and the work with them is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They gave us the face to take our business to the next level, so I don’t have any metrics now.

How did GreyBox Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

The timeliness of their deliverables was very good. They were good about managing expectations. They always gave us an idea of how long tasks would take.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to learn our business so they could reflect that in our brand and corporate identity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I don’t have enough experience in working with others. We’re satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Angle Park, an exhibit media developer for museum and museum-like spaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

We had a logo that we’d been using for 15 years. It served its purpose at the time it was created for us, but it was outdated and needed to be freshened up. We engaged GreyBox to create a new logo for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GreyBox Creative piggy-backed on a process we were going through with another marketing agency. They were very good at looking at the discovery and strategy documents from that agency and interpreting them. GreyBox did so in a way that got deeper than it would have been if they had come in cold. It was great that they were good at inferring things from rather esoteric discovery documents.

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

We were working with the Tronvig Group that’s also in Brooklyn. We saw that GreyBox’s portfolio was very strong and they were familiar with the process of the organization that we were working with already.

How much have you invested with GreyBox Creative?

We spent under $20,000 for the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with GreyBox in February 2016 and the project was completed in May 2016. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every single person that knows us and has seen the logo thinks that GreyBox captured us perfectly. They solved a lot of the problems that we had because of our old logo and identity. At trade shows, the logo gets noticed and people stop to comment or ask questions. It has really been a visual upgrade for us.

How did GreyBox Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

It was always crystal clear to us what the next steps would be and what GreyBox needed from us.  They were almost always instantly responsive. Because we were so busy, there were some halts during the project. There were a lot of moments I would redirect the scope and they responded very well to those requests. From the concepts that they showed me, I had them refine some things that didn’t end up winning in the end. They were very patient with me when they could’ve easily sent me in another direction. Any delays were on our end.

What did you find most impressive about GreyBox Creative?

They’re very good at discovering what the meaning of the identity should be and then translating that visually. They showed us quite a lot of iterations, all of which were interesting. We all agreed in the end that we chose the best of those concepts. They were able to go from the interpretation of what our brand meant in a verbal or written form all the way through to execution. Not all agencies could’ve made that jump, but GreyBox did it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is a residential real estate brokerage company in the New York - Westchester County area. I founded it. I am also the principal broker amongst two other agents at the moment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

The challenge was to improve our web presence. That project eventually grew to strategic positioning of our brand and some rebranding work which included a new logo.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

When I first started my company in 2013, I exchanged contact details with a number of branding and web development companies. I first approached GreyBox amongst several others back then. I had chosen a competitor at first and then I subsequently chose GreyBox after working with the competitor for a couple of years. 

How much have you invested with GreyBox Creative?

Our investment is between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The duration of our project with GreyBox went from February to August of 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far I can define the success of the project as meeting my goals and needs extremely well. From a metrics standpoint, the website just recently launched and I haven't been monitoring or trying to see what the impact is in terms of traffic. What I can say is that those that have seen the site, including colleagues and business partners and clients whom I have signed since the launch, have spoken very highly of it.

What did you find most impressive about GreyBox Creative?

They were fairly intuitive. They sensed some dissonance with my strategic direction and brand at the beginning and introduced some strategy sessions that helped to refine that. They made the project much simpler. GreyBox excels at orienting on the big picture and being intuitive about our goals and helping to refine them.

Are there any areas GreyBox Creative could improve?

In terms of the product, meaning what I hired them for, the answer is no. I'm still engaged with them on other business matters.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

PEN America is a nonprofit organization that works at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.

I serve as the director of communications, and recently oversaw an organization-wide rebranding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

GreyBox came to us through the brand consulting firm we had engaged. They were commissioned with developing a new logo based on a variety of findings and priorities identified by the consultants. After the logo was established, PEN America also approached GreBox to undertake the brand roll-out, including a package of design deliverables ranging from banners to websites to slideshows to a brand guidelines handbook.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The deliverables GreyBox produced for PEN America included: a new logo for digital and print communications, a unified visual and messaging architecture including fonts and color usage, a new "skin" for PEN.org integrating new visual brand assets, a new PEN informational brochure, and templates for various foundational communications materials.

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

GreyBox came to us through the brand consulting firm we had engaged. In the second phase of the project (the brand rollout) we released an RFP [request for proposal] and found GreyBox to be the best bang for our buck.

How much have you invested with GreyBox Creative?

We have spent between $10,000 and $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with GreyBox in February of 2016 and completed the project in June of the same year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new visual brand has been fully implemented across all digital and traditional media channels.

What did you find most impressive about GreyBox Creative?

They "got" PEN America. They took the time to understand our organization and thus reflect it fully.

Are there any areas GreyBox Creative could improve?

GreyBox is an excellent firm, but they do not choose the best partners. We were less impressed by their promotional items vendor and the branding consulting firm they are associated with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Inline Realty is a commercial real estate company. Our primary focus is on national retail tenants like The Gap and Nike. We help them find locations, predominantly in the New York City boroughs, also including Connecticut and New Jersey. We also work on a series of real estate development projects.

I am the senior vice president of operations for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

Many small, independent brokerage houses like ours have a minimal web presence. We were starting from scratch and had no web presence at all.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GreyBox Creative designed our website from the ground up, handling everything from the logo to web design, as well as making our website functional. GreyBox has helped us with updates ever since and handled backend elements as well.

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

We were referred to them by colleagues, for whom GreyBox handled web design and development from scratch. We looked at a number of other companies, but it was an easy decision to make. We loved GreyBox's work.

How much have you invested with GreyBox Creative?

The cost of our project with GreyBox was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with GreyBox Creative in September 2012. The website and logo design took 4 months, and it was launched in January 2013. I reach out to GreyBox one a month for maintenance, and we're also about to embark on another project for making our website mobile-ready.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're a small shop, but some of the companies that we compete with are extraordinarily large. Our marketing budget cannot compare, but our goal was to make our web presence completely seamless to someone trying to decide between us and a bigger firm. This is what we've achieved with GreyBox's help. Our website is comparable to other real estate brokerage firms' working in the same space. Without this presence, our business would have definitely hurt. We appear exactly as our clients want us to appear.

How did GreyBox Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Anything that slowed down the project was always my fault. GreyBox was incredibly responsive. Design and development is not my area of expertise, so we rely heavily on GreyBox. They've been incredibly responsive and never made me feel like I didn't know what I was talking about. I can give GreyBox any task and have it translated for me.

What did you find most impressive about GreyBox Creative?

First and foremost, GreyBox is incredibly responsive. Whether it's a simple question or a far more complex issue that requires more time on their part, I always hear right back from GreyBox, which wasn't the case for other technology providers which we've used. GreyBox's team is incredibly smart and talented, and they've been fantastic partners.

Are there any areas GreyBox Creative could improve?

No. GreyBox was always a pleasure to work with. They can take any idea which I present and make it better. GreyBox is by far the most consistent company that I've worked with.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with GreyBox Creative?

I advise any clients to get an idea of what they want and to let GreyBox present what can be done. If I would have trusted the process more in the beginning, it would have saved us some time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a leading online provider of comprehensive analyses of private investments in public equity and equity-linked securities executed by public companies.

What is your role at the company?

I am the founder, president, and chief executive officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with GreyBox Creative?

We needed help in branding a de novo [from the beginning] startup providing online financial research.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

GreyBox handled all aspects of the branding, including creating a corporate image, developing a website, and producing marketing brochures and business cards.

How did you come to work with GreyBox Creative?

We explored several web development and corporate imaging groups and decided to work with GreyBox because of my high comfort level with their comprehensive service offerings.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have spent something more than $200,000 working with GreyBox.

What is the status of this engagement?

I don't recall the specific dates. There was a slight delay in launching the website based on my desire to rework some elements. Overall, GreyBox's adherence to agreed upon timelines was excellent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The website for the online research service – PrivateRaise.com – was successfully launched. The site was awarded the "Best of the Web" designation in the business-to-business category by Forbes magazine in 2002. PrivateRaise was acquired by DealFlow Analytics in 2008 and was subsequently acquired by The Deal in 2013.

What distinguishes GreyBox Creative from other providers?

I very much appreciated their willingness to work through my development "wish list" in a cost-effective manner. GreyBox Creative helped guide me in making efficient development choices based on a solid understanding of my ultimate objective. In contrast, I had discussed similar matters with other providers in which their typical response was just to do what they were told rather that fully discussing options and alternatives the way GreyBox did.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

Overall, it was an excellent experience – certainly not a perfect experience, but there were no issues that would rise to the level of constructive criticism. I would just encourage GreyBox to continue making every effort to understand fully the overall objectives of their clients, as they did with us, so that they can efficiently and bring to bear their deep and varied experience fully.