Matchstic

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founders and CEO. Our company’s called Tyrannosaurus Tech. We do custom software design and development primarily with organizations launching new products in health care, public health, and education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We essentially wanted to refresh the branding for the business. Our team was eager to refresh the brand and build out a bunch of assets that would allow us to have a stronger digital presence and market the organization more aggressively and more proactively. Part of the need for the brand refresh was to think through how we’re presenting the company, the aesthetic, and how we speak about the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started with Matchstic, their initial work involved wrapping their arms around our identity and how we wanted to present ourselves. They wanted to understand the business, including our vision, history, and clients. That influenced what their team ultimately created for our brand refresh. They didn’t totally reinvent the brand but significantly changed it.

Following discovery, their team moved through more exploratory phases. They presented different visual concepts to help us articulate our core values and what language we wanted to use. Their team further refined those and put together different visual concepts for the brand. We thoroughly discussed the possible directions for the brand.

After we chose a visual style, their team created versions of a new logo and put together different applications of the visual style. We continued to make decisions and gave approval at different phases.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Craig (Founder & President) throughout the sales process. During the true engagement, we worked with three people, including the other founder of Matchstic and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

We were familiar with them and their work because Matchstic is also based in Atlanta, Georgia. They had a great reputation and when we realized we needed to do this work, we had a vague familiarity with them. They were one of the companies that we contacted to discuss the project. The sales process with Craig was great because he was patient with us as we weight our different options and asked a million questions. We chose them because they had the most established reputation and trusted their experience.

How much have you invested with them?

The total engagement cost $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project between September 2020–January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We considered the project successful because we received everything we expected from the experience. We also enjoyed working with Matchstic. The process was healthy, collaborative, and enjoyable. It was fun for us to think through the brand in an in-depth and strategic way, which we previously didn’t have the opportunity to do. We’re happy with their deliverables: the color schemes, aesthetic, assets, and logo. We’re confident that the refresh will bring value as it’s rolled out.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicated via email and Zoom calls. Matchstic answered all of our questions and remained patient with us even when we were indecisive. Overall, it was a good experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their skill level and extensive experience distinguish them from other providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take them up on their willingness to talk through your decisions. Matchstic is also willing to workshop items on the fly. Go into the project with a clear plan of how decisions will be made if your organization has multiple stakeholders. Follow Matchstic's process because the project will move along at a nice pace.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a national, multi-family development firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. We build apartment communities with institutional investors around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We needed help with the design and branding process for our communities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic takes part in our early design process, which includes architecture, interior designs, and landscape architecture because those elements shape our communities’ identities, visions, and voices. They provide brand assets such as logos, badges, color palettes, and patterns. Their team also creates the narrative and voices of our projects. They provide the language — from headlines to paragraphs — to describe our units.

Their team tailors their branding package with additional services too. They designed the wrap for our construction sites and infused branding into the day-to-day experience of our residents.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

I had a relationship with Matchstic while I was with a previous firm. I introduced and brought them over to this firm because they had an interdisciplinary approach to branding. They work with all different types of clients across industries.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $260,000 on their services to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first project together began in the fall of 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They bring valuable experience and perspectives to their work with us. We haven’t seen any project into fruition yet because our communities need to be constructed. Our experienced marketing director, however, said that Matchstic provided the most comprehensive and detailed brand guidelines that she had ever encountered. They don’t just give us graphics and blurbs but also tell us how to use them. Their team essentially gave us an instruction manual that we can give to anyone involved in building our communities.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Once Matchstic’s on board, we bring all of our consultants, engineers, and architects together for a brainstorming session. Their team runs those sessions to understand the project’s essence. That meeting starts the design and branding processes and ensures both move cohesively. Their team’s detail-oriented and plans ahead. They’re always right on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their interdisciplinary approach to branding most impresses us. Matchstic works with clients in many different industries. They have a diverse and creative workforce, and their creativity’s unbelievable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand strategy and content manager for a financial services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We were recently acquired by a larger company and needed to expand and evolve the brand to include more than just our one product. So, we engaged with Matchstic to work on positioning, our brand hierarchy. They helped us flesh out a new design and messaging that would illustrate the additional products we plan to launch next year.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the first phase of the project, they were focused on strategy. That included a lot of research and competitive analysis. They immersed themselves with our product team so they would understand the products well. Then they interviewed a number of our customers over the phone.

After that, they spoke to 20–25 different stakeholders throughout the organization. They worked with several different teams to get a better understanding of their perspectives.

In the second phase, we worked on brand strategy. They defined our brand architecture, came up with a vision statement, updated our personality attributes, and assessed our target audiences.

In the final stages, they developed a design system and messaging for target audiences that aligned with our brand architecture.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with about five people regularly, and one or two more from the leadership team. That doesn’t include any of the designers or other people who we didn’t meet but were still working on our account.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

My colleague suggested them because he was familiar with their work on a few other projects. We also had several other agencies bid on the project. Ultimately, we decided to work with Matchstic because they were local. We knew we could work arm in arm with them because of their location and their work style. Their prices were also extremely fair, so they were a great value.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in January and wrapped up in August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were particularly pleased with their design work. They gave us a few really thoughtful options and we were able to blend a couple of their initial concepts to come up with a solution we’re really pleased with. They did a great job explaining why they focused on particular design items and how they help us evolve our brand.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job managing the project. We had one account manager who handled the calendar and kept us on timelines. We also had to pause and change directions a few times throughout the process because of COVID-19 and they were really flexible and accommodating. They quickly picked back up when we asked them to and adjusted the schedule as needed. They made sure the project went smoothly for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I consider them to be a boutique agency, which means that we get to work with their top talent and they’re very hands-on. We were really pleased with the attention we received. They bring the best to the table every day.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had to contribute more to the marketplace positioning within the brand brief. So I think they could improve their research. They could have a stronger position on their recommendations. We’d appreciate it if they were able to articulate why they were taking a particular stance.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Like with any agency, having a well-defined scope of work is very important. Matchstic was really open to our initial discussions about what we wanted from our brand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

PolyVision is a manufacturer of CeramicSteel surfaces used for whiteboards, chalkboards, and architectural wall systems. I’m the director of global brand and marketing communications, responsible for ensuring that the brand is consistent across global markets and promoting any campaigns or product launches.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We were targeting architects and designers working on corporate, educational, and healthcare facilities. We were launching a line of 10 new products within the brand portfolio, and Matchstic helped us develop the visual and verbal identity of the brand in addition to naming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through an ideation process, exploring different avenues. They brought us four naming concepts for the product line. Matchstic did a preliminary Google and trademark availability searches for us, and we narrowed that list down to the final names we’re using today.

The second part of the project was the visual and verbal identity of the new product line. We had a brainstorming session where Matchstic asked different questions to clarify where we wanted this brand to go, what our vision for it was, and how we wanted it to be perceived.

They came back with three visual concepts and style boards to explore the design and branding we wanted for the product line. They also helped heavily with the brand and product voice and messaging. Matchstic created identity guidelines for us after all of these items were finalized.

The next phase of the project was to take all of these identity pieces and put them into a catalog. Matchstic created imagery style guidelines for us and identified a rendering partner that could bring our vision to life.

They guided us through the process and helped the renderer understand the core elements of the brand. They created a catalog for us using those renderings and the messaging, and they made some additional visual mockups on how the content might be used on our website and social media campaigns.

What is the team composition?

Melissa (Account Manager), Brit (Design Director), and Danielle (Associate Creative Director) were my key contacts. I also worked with Blake (Co-Founder & Creative Director), and there was another designer involved. There were five people in total that I had communication with.  

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

I was introduced to Matchstic through a previous coworker that had done a couple of projects with them. I reached out to Blake, and we met up for lunch to talk about the project and the services they were able to deliver. Their culture felt right to me. They were down to earth, and they liked getting into the weeds with the client. They seemed very easy to work with, and it turned out to be a great partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

It was around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran between April–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Results are more anecdotal at this point. We launched the brand just at the beginning of September, and we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from the independent sales reps that are going to be selling the products. They’ve been impressed with the marketing, imagery, and concept behind the brand. It’s only been live for about a month, so that’s all I can say at this point.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

I give them a 10/10 in this respect. Melissa was the project manager, and she always did a good job of lining out schedules, getting feedback from our side, and communicating with me day to day on how things were going, whether they were missing information from us, and so on. They did a really good job managing all the different aspects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Matchstic is staying ahead of the trend right now. They were able to bring a fresh perspective to our brand. We may not have been able to clearly articulate what we were looking for, but they pulled that out through different insightful questions. They really brought the brand to life, even though we weren’t exactly sure what we wanted it to look like.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything. They went above and beyond to help us with creating the imagery. It wasn’t in the original scope, but they fit it into the hours they were already billing us. Matchstic really wanted for us to be successful, and they were willing to put in a bit more work to help us get there. I really can’t think of anything they could’ve done better. The communication and deliverables were great.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to be open-minded. A couple of people on our team were hesitant about some of the visual concepts Matchstic brought us — they thought they were a bit out there. If the client is open-minded, I think that Matchstic can help shape the brand they’re working on.

Whatever the project is, we have to get out of our comfort zone and not think about our personal preferences but about what’s best for the brand. Matchstic did a good job helping us reframe our thinking in that manner. We had a lot of conversations about personal preferences for naming and colors, and people get really opinionated when it comes to that. If the client keeps an open mind, they’ll be successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a founder and chief experience officer at Craft Bank, a new bank organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We hired them for branding and custom website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic developed our website from scratch. They worked in tandem with our hosted network service provider, but they did all of the heavy lifting. In terms of branding, we already had our name, but they came up with our logo, branding information, tagline, marketing tools, and visuals.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a total of five teammates, including Blake (Founder & Creative Director), Cody (Project Manager), Devin (Strategist & Writer), Terry (Senior designer), and another teammate.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

I knew Blake personally, and I knew his work. I saw a campaign that Matchstic had worked on and I thought they did a fantastic job. We decided that, because we’re a new bank, we wanted to start with the best, so we wanted a custom site.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in the fall of 2019, and we’re about to wrap up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My goal was to have a website that looked like no other bank’s website, and it gets rave reviews from people in the banking technology community. Matchstic did a terrific job with the language for the branding by pulling out the essence of who we are.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is terrific. Cody has kept the process going. Matchstic helped us figure out exactly what we wanted to say, and they took us through a process to help us think more outside of the box. Blake is really nice. Matchstic also worked very well with our hosted network service provider.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s energy distinguishes them. They’re very customer-oriented. I’ve never felt like any concern I had wasn’t immediately addressed. Matchstic is creative and collaborative. They didn’t just tell me what the website was going to look like; we talked about it together.

They have a good process for non-creative people, and they bring out what’s important to the organization. I didn’t know how the process was working, but I trusted their judgment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really have nothing bad to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them and go through their process. Someone on my team was a naysayer because he didn’t understand the process, but I told him to commit to the process, and I would advise customers to do the same. Matchstic will work with you and give you something that's better than you expected.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director for a CBS affiliate in Tampa. We’re a local news organization, but we provide more content as well. We’re multi-platform and we’ve been focusing on out digital and social platform in addition to our on-air product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

When I came to Tampa, my first goal was to dive into our branding. In 2020, our parent company did a big market analysis, so we had some great data, but we didn’t know what to do with it and how to move forward. When we hired Matchstic, we needed them to guide us because they’re experts in brand building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them all the data and they created a fantastic roadmap. Through the process, we discovered the right opportunities to position our brand in the market.

This was an all-inclusive project. We went through a discovery process. They spent time doing market analysis and looked at the market to determine where we stood and what some of our weaknesses are. They identified key areas where we could capitalize on because no one else was occupying.

They helped refine our internal brand and how to work with our team to include them in the process, and that helped us define our core values.

From there, we defined what the pillar of our brand are, what we stand for, and what we can deliver on. Then we did our name, our look, mantra, and all of that. It was inclusive from start to finish, both internally and for our market launch

What is the team composition?

I think we worked with 6–­10 people, including Blake (Founder & Creative Director), our rep, Lauren (Senior Project Manager), and then a graphic artist and some copywriters.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

We saw their work with another station. I work closely with the marketing director at that station, and we were really impressed with the brand process, how they walked the team through it, and how inclusive they were throughout the process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $60,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019 and we launched officially in May 2020. We had to push it back a bit because of COVID-19. We did launch internally in February 2020, and that gave us a few months to work with our content team to prepare for the external launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There wasn’t a great way to track the success of their work statistically. We had a roadmap and deadlines and they met those. When they brought us ideas and proposals, it was all about how our team responded. It was great and they always had a good rationale for what they were proposing. They helped educate our team on branding, which was priceless, because now we have a whole new way of thinking. The process was so transparent.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic and we relied on their project management so we could go about running a television station. My direct contact was great with communicating with me, often reminding me of deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We looked at a lot of different agencies, and their knowledge stood out. They had a spark to them. They were current and modern. In addition to having a well-thought-out roadmap and game plan, their spark and creativity was their most impressive attribute. In meetings with us, they would push us farther than we were comfortable with, which was good because it helped us evolve into something really unique in the market. Everyone on their team is brilliant and they were fantastic partners. We meshed really well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We let them take the ball and run with it. We wanted to be different and bold, and they did it. I would tell anyone considering hiring them to let them take the lead.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO for Cognia — an education improvement organization. We provide assessment and accreditation services as well as proof of services for early learning through 12th-grade institutions, both private and public. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

Matchstic came on board as a result of a merger opportunity. AdvancED was merging with a company called Measured Progress. We needed to determine whether one of the two companies should absorb the other from a brand and naming perspective or if we should move forward a new name and identity for the merged organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic first conducted market research to assess each brand's perceived value in the marketplace.  Ultimately, the board and executive team decided to move forward with finding a new name and identity for the merged organization.

Matchstic directed a number of listening sessions and workshops composed of key people within the organization. They helped us to determine our organization’s attributes and ultimate identity profile.

Their team also directed a name exploration and came up with a slate of names. We iterated on those names. Then, they helped us put together the pieces of the actual brand including a logo.

They also referred us to a company for web development services. Their team provided creative oversight for that initiative. They reviewed copy for brand consistency and voice. Their team also reviewed visuals to make sure the all photography adhered to brand guidelines.  

Since then, we’ve worked on one-off projects together. They helped us with copy and voice on a premier identity brochure. Their team also worked on a corporate video, supporting production and storyboarding with another company.

What is the team composition?

They dedicated people depending on the project’s phase. We worked with a project manager, graphic designers, brand strategists, and visual designers. Blake (Founder & Creative Director) was a consistent presence throughout the engagement.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

In the IT arm of our organization, we had people who were familiar with Matchstic. I looked through their portfolio and liked what I saw. We narrowed our choices to three organizations—one in New York and two in Atlanta. We preferred to work with a local company and Matchstic stood out. We felt that they had a thorough, comprehensive, and transparent approach.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our engagement in August 2018 and revealed the brand in August 2019. We enjoy working with them, so our partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The experience was overwhelmingly positive. The name and logo were well received by not only our staff and board but also our peers in the industry. We learned a lot throughout the process and landed in a place where everyone’s happy. Matchstic truly hit a home run.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Our CEO was impressed by their approach. It’s easy for executives to run over a vendor, but Matchstic didn’t position themselves as a vendor. They positioned themselves as a partner and leader in this work. Their team was capable and professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Matchstic had a methodical and professional approach to the project. They were transparent about how the engagement would proceed, which was exactly how we moved forward. Their team was flexible enough to manage the needs of a bunch of executives while staying true to their process.

They took feedback about what we wanted to see in the process. For example, one executive requested more diversity in the images that were used during activities because we serve institutions all over the globe. Their team didn’t bristle at the feedback. Rather, they took it to heart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust the process. Be clear about your goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Dwell Design Studio and am an associate principal. The firm specializes in multifamily apartment construction. We do housing, high-rise apartment, and we have a strong retail division and interior design.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

When our company first started, our founder came up with a logo himself. Since then, I maintained our marketing until we felt like it was time to start promoting ourselves. We wanted an actual logo, so we reached out to Matchstic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us with copywriting and our logo. We rebranded all of our collateral. They also connected us with a good website developer who could rework our site to reflect the rebranding. They set us up with all the templates we need moving forward for things like email marketing. They’ve been a real resource for us.

What is the team composition?

They had about four people on their end.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

The owner of our company reached out to them many years ago, but we didn’t have the capacity to rebrand them. So when it came up again 10 year later, we reached out to Matchstic. We contacted a few others too, but really wanted to work with Matchstic because everything meshed.

Their style and creativity align with ours. We felt like our personalities matched and that they could think outside the box and get us to where we wanted to go, which is more off-the-wall compared to other architectural firms.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent below $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019 and we wrapped up in December.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is up and they’ve passed all the assets to us. Now we can teach anybody else how to stay in line with our brand. We’ve been able to reach out a few times when we’ve had questions. We’ve received great feedback from our employees. Because we’re a unique architectural firm, it better reflects who we are. The colors and style represent our owner, our company, and our culture. Overall, we’re really happy.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very patient with us. They’re a deadline-driven profession, but they really understood that we wanted to be different and took the time to get to know us. We had eight meetings before we saw any visual redesign or color information. They really took the time to get to know us and understand our goals. As a result, it came together beautifully.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We wanted to work with someone who could think outside the box and be different. Tey were the only firm that presented differing styles. Their presentation was not the same, and their product was different from other firms. Even though they came in at a higher price point, going with them was the best investment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Respond to them quickly. We could have met the timeline if we followed along with what they needed. They have a process, and following that helped us get where wanted to go.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of corporate communications and brand at Net Health. We make electronic health records for a variety of medical specialty settings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We hired Matchstic for a complete rebrand. We wanted a full, new brand story, framework, and conversation; not just new colors and identity. We were looking to rethink the organizational purpose and narrative of our company in the public space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic did an in-depth competitive analysis, which was across different industries because we work through a variety of channels. They did interviews, led some question and answer discussions to determine insights from our stakeholders, conducted analyses, and gave us information presentations.

The team also helped us develop an entire brand brief framework which included why we exist, what we do, our personas, our audience, how we do our work, the value we provide, how we reach our audience, how we speak to them, and what our personality looks like.

They guided the conversation among my stakeholder group which included myself and three other senior executives at the company. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with about five team members including a strategist, a writer, a designer, a project manager, and an executive sponsor. 

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

After finding out about Matchstic through word of mouth, I sent them an RFP. Even though they don’t normally do so, they responded to the RFP because they thought our company, its positions, and the time we were in looked like an interesting piece of work.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from November 2019–April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team provided excellent guidance around determining the key pillars of the brand brief and moving us forward step by step. We got to answers that all of the stakeholders felt good about, which we considered a success.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their performance was very strong. We were on a compressed timeline with a lot of activity on their part and a lot of players on their side to get to the point where we needed to be. The team did a great job of managing the timeline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was the first time that I’d worked with an agency that doesn’t do marketing. Matchstic really just does brand development, and they’re very good at what they do. They are intellectual and take a very thoughtful approach in terms of getting clients where they need to be. 

I loved that. They were exactly the right choice, so I have no regrets. Like anyone else, we hired them for this project because we knew we couldn’t do it in-house. So, there was a great benefit to having their process and intellect. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having the top executives in our meetings with Matchstic was very helpful. This meant that I didn’t need to go to them after meeting with Matchstic and translate everything. My advice is to get the people you need in the room with the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is a managed IT service provider, so we basically support small–mid-sized companies for all of their IT needs. I’m the CEO and founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We wanted to refresh our brand. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought Matchstic on for a brand identity project. They had done our identity about ten years ago, and we wanted to modernize that. I reached out to Craig (Founder & President) and put together an engagement. The project included logo design and anything supporting our brand identity, like typeface and color. Some things remained mostly the same; we weren’t trying to change too much.

Matchstic went through and let us know what different collateral could look like, like business cards, letterhead, and our website. They didn’t produce all of that stuff; they handed the brand guidelines over to us, which we can use internally or take to another agency that does ongoing marketing.

What is the team composition?

There were four people assigned to our project. Our main contact was Cody (Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

We had worked with them previously. I originally met Craig through an entrepreneur’s organization. The reason we ended up working with them is that they just do spectacular brand identities. I know lots of other marketing agencies, but it was evident that Matchstic was going to be the right fit based on the work they'd done.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent about $27,000–$28,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project was from around January–April 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With a brand identity, a lot of it’s anecdotal; do people like it, does it look cool, and do we feel like it reflects our company’s identity? I would say that’s a definite on all three of those. Matchstic took a brand identity that was great ten years ago and dusted it off for the modern world. We wanted it to be clean and simple and reflect those same qualities in our business. We also wanted it to be differentiated, so that if you were looking at a different IT company next to us, it would be very evident that we were different.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team communicated really well. We were brought in throughout the entire project. I think a common approach to brand identities is that the vendor goes off and then there is a big reveal, which I’m not a fan of. Rather, we got to iterate with Matchstic. They would go through 2–3-week rounds, and then I’d be able to go in and be a part of that so we could move on to the next round. I think that’s a better way of working; they’re just transparent.

They did use project management tools, but I wasn’t involved in those, as I didn’t want to be in it that deep. A lot of our day-to-day happened through a shared Slack channel, which I think both of our teams preferred. We had weekly check-in calls, and then every milestone had a call or presentation. We were physically pretty close to each other, so I would usually go to their office and they’d spend an hour explaining their thoughts, assumptions, and the direction they were going in, while also laying out options. They were very organized. To me, it was really well put together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to get to the essence of the brand is their gift. From seeing their other work, I believe that to be true in general, not just for us. They only do brand identity, and that’s their secret sauce; I think they’re super great at it because they only do that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really; of all of the service providers we work with, they’re the ones I never really have to think about. Any time we engage them for something, it just happens the way it should.

Any advice for potential customers?

It’s very important to be serious about your brand identity and someone being able to figure it out. This is not the place to go if you want a small project or you want someone to do what you tell them to do. For instance, if you go to them with a design spec, they might do that, but I don’t think that’s where their gift is, and it’s probably not the best use of your money. 

If you want someone who can really explore your brand, what it means, and who its constituents are, and then speak to those constituents through something as small as a logo and a typeface, they’re masters of their craft in that way.