Oakland Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Sydneys first carbon neutral rubbish removal and waste management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oakland Studio, and what were your goals?

We had a vision for rebranding and changing our name to better reflect our focus on sustainable rubbish removal, and a more friendly and personable. We didn’t know exactly what we wanted, but we had a rough idea and knew the standard we wanted to beat in terms of competitors.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had a substantial list of design agencies that we spoke to, we were referred to Oakland by a colleague and loved one of their branding projects they did with a parallel industry to us. This, combined with the fact the guys were passionate about our mission, is why we chose them.

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

The project was a rebrand, rename and a new website design (including illustration creation and animation), as well as current website migration, development & SEO strategy implementation. They started with the branding, we did a workshop and they took us through all of the pillars of our brand, it was very collaborative and dynamic. They would always bring new ideas and concepts to communicate and tie together the theme of the brand. They went above and beyond right up until the website launch and supported beyond.

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

We worked primarily with the creative director and his design team, along with the other cofounder in the beginning for the workshops and strategy setting. It was good to have a tight knit team to communicate with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yes, our job bookings have gone through the roof, not only that but the quality of leads have increased from a better alignment with our target customer. People that choose us because of the value we provide, not the cheapest price.

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

What we loved about Oakland is that nothing seemed rushed, or compromised. We didn’t feel like we were part of a project management machine. They only showed work they were proud of and communicated frequently enough. This approach may have been a bit uneasy at the time, in the end we are glad we trusted them to deliver and got the most from our money.

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

These guys are unfiltered and to the point, we felt like they genuinely cared and didn’t hold back on opinions and stood behind their work. We felt like they were one of us and were invested in the success of the project. We have never found this from any other agency we worked with.

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

I think because they are unorthodox in their approach, it was a learning kerb for us to adjust to this approach. Even though we were happy with the outcome, I think they can potentially improve on setting expectations at the beginning of the project and explaining their style of work prior.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Enfonica - a telecommunications company based in Brisbane, Australia. We work with enterprises in the insurance, finance and retail energy verticals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oakland Studio?

We built our first website on a budget and it was apparent in the result. We engaged Oakland to redesign and implement our website, and also redesign and improve the UI/UX of our customer platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oakland Studioo and what were the deciding factors?

We were working with overseas firms and were unhappy for various reasons, including time delays and communication issues. I've worked with Sergio from Oakland before, knew he produced good quality work, knew he would understand our product and heard that he was working with a versatile and effective team.

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

Oakland worked with us on a retainer engagement. They produced several concepts before we decided on a direction. They put a lot of effort into understanding and rationalizing how we communicate our product. They collaborated with us on the content. We discussed online with them frequently and met face-to-face every fortnight until the project was complete.

How many resources from the Oakland Studio team worked with you, and what were their positions?

For design, we worked closely with a team of three, consisting of the Creative Director and their Senior and Junior UX/UI designers. For web development, their development team fully managed the website build.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The handover was smooth and the website was implemented true to the design. Regarding the UI/UX work for our customer platform, it has been easy to implement based on the handover material provided.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication was good. We discussed frequently using online chat, and met face-to-face to review progress and discuss the next round of challenges. The tooling they used to collaborate with us worked very well.

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

I was most impressed with the effort they put in to fully understand and rationalize our product, so they could most effectively communicate it with design, illustration and structure. The quality of the design and implementation was great.

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

Being a creative studio they took some extra time to explore concepts before executing. This is nothing unexpected but for a "non creative team" it can feel unorganised. Since I've witnessed this team deliver and have built trust, I wasn't worried. If I could recommend anything, it would be to over-communicate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of WorkPac, an Australian-owned recruitment business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oakland Studio?

We hired Oakland Studio to help us with a new project that needed marketing insight and a website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at Oakland Studio designed and developed our website. They also worked with us on our marketing strategy.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people, including Sergio (Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with Oakland Studio?

They are friends of my son.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $10,000 AUD (approximately $7,190 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2019–February 2020. The coronavirus pandemic put a halt on our engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re about halfway through the project, but their work was terrific.

How did Oakland Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Oakland Studio is easy to get along with. They did an excellent job. Considering the time of year, the team did great with timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team clearly understood the brief. They said what they actually thought, and not what we wanted to hear.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, they did a great job. We halted it, so once we’ve done more work, I’ll have more insight.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just try and understand your own brief.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Muval is an online booking platform for moving services in Australia. I am the Co-founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oakland Studio?

Muval required a fresh new brand identity for our next phase of growth. We hired Oakland to work with us to create a unique visual style, and overhaul the user interface design of our main booking form.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a truly unique brand in the removals market accompanied by a distinctive visual style. Our new form flow needed to improve top-of-funnel conversion rate and make booking easier.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oakland Studio?

I had used Oakland on some past projects and they had done great work. They are quickly gaining a reputation as the best small design team in the area.

Describe the project in detail.

We worked closely with Oakland to iterate logo ideas, colour schemes, fonts, and illustrative styles to bring the new Muval brand to life. From there, we wireframed, prototyped and brought the new form flow to life in a fully-rendered, interactive XD file.

What was the team composition?

The team comprised of myself, my Chief Revenue Officer, and two of Oakland Studio's top designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new brand launch received wide-ranging positive feedback, and our new form flow increased our top-of-funnel conversion rate as soon as we launched it. We are still refining and making tweaks based on new data.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Due to the size of the project, timelines had to be extended beyond what we initially aimed for. The Oakland team push boundaries and challenge conventional thinking, so you need to allow time for that process to take place.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their technical expertise, design skill and attention to detail is excellent.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall we were very happy with the end results, but felt the process could have been improved with slightly more project management from Oakland. All in all we will definitely work with Oakland again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide a SaaS platform for the construction industry in Australia. We basically replace proof-of-delivery documentation for trucks on construction sites and make that process a lot more streamlined. The product integrates with every sector of the market, from small to medium and enterprise businesses. I’m the operations manager of the company, but, being a small business, I run across sales and marketing as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oakland Studio?

Our marketing and branding are quite tricky just because it runs across a big segment of the industry so we needed their support and design help. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oakland Studio came on board at first for the branding component, but they’ve also done a fair bit in the graphic design and collateral department, doing a bit of UI/UX work for our applications. We had a big focus on UX from the start, and we got Oakland in to review it and come up with some good ideas moving forward. 

We’re about to use them again in a month or so for a complete UX overhaul of our native mobile apps. They’ve also done a fair bit of marketing work for us, more on the advice side but also on the collateral side.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Sergio (Co-Founder) and Brodie (Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with Oakland Studio?

I’d known Sergio and Brodie for a little while, and I’d worked on and off with them before they started Oakland Studio. I initially came across them through a friend who’d used them for his business. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve worked with them on two major projects, which were each over $10,000 (approximately $7,300 USD). We’ve done a bunch of minor projects aside from those, which add up to $10,000 (approximately $7,300 USD). We’re expecting to put aside over $30,000 (approximately $21,900 USD) for the upcoming UX overhaul.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Oakland in June 2018, and we have no intention to stop using their services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received a lot of feedback around our brand and public website, which are the two main that Oakland Studio has worked on which people see. Many people tell us that our branding is neat and looks nice.

How did Oakland Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate over email and phone for the majority of our work. We also meet in person a lot.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They don’t stop until the product is refined and is what we want. They also provide high-quality design — UX is the main thing I look to them for. Oakland Studio is really good at taking well-founded ideas and putting together a good product around them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of much in this area.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

My advice in general is for clients to be prepared with their ideas. A lot of people only have broad ideas when they approach UX design and branding, and we get the most out of Oakland when we have well-founded ideas and know our product well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hive Student Accommodation & Director

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oakland Studio, and what were your goals?

Rebrand our business, including logo, fonts, colours, tone of voice - leading into a complete website rebuild and launch.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oakland Studio and what were the deciding factors?

Location, Price, Age, Experience, Passion and willing to work with us throughout the process.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Rebrand - Review existing brand material. Review customer & client feedback and position the company to hit our target market / audience. Use the new brand to delivery a new website and product search function, to collate our company's information and present it to the market in a fresh new way.

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

3 People: branding designer, developer and SEO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We were very impressed by their willingness to give feedback and work through the designs option until we found a solution we all agreed on. They worked extensively on problem-solving for our unique requirements and communicating with us along the way.

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

Open, honest, and regular. They provided regular touch base points, so we could provide input and have our questions answered along the way.

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

Their willingness to educate us on how and why things needed to work in a certain way really impressed us. The benefits and weaknesses of certain platforms and different ways of delivering a set goal.

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

Spending further time on beta testing a proposed item, before sharing access to it with a client.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of The Grass is Greener music festival.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oakland Studio?

We had been in the market for four years in a small regional town. It was the first step into bigger limelight. We wanted to increase the brand value and also create something a little new in the Australian event space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had been using Oakland for a couple of years previously, but our budget limited us. They still produced great work, but nothing that really stood out. This time we gave them a bit more free rein and wanted to incorporate a 3D characterization of all the artists.

They did a bit of everything. To be fair, we engaged them to do a little bit more than they delivered. That was slightly our fault because the event space is quite congested in the areas we were going for last year. When we gave them the deliverables, it was a bit more extensive and we had to bring the deadline forward by about three weeks. It essentially cut their creativity and output and what they could deliver from what we originally asked them for.

Oakland created everything from social media and around creation. They created all the edit slices for every kind of design and promotional push that we did. Their team did all of the 3D characters for the promotional videos. They pretty much did the whole campaign’s look and feel. For any kind of promotional material we needed throughout the campaign, we went back to them and they’d either recreate or adjust.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people altogether, but Brodie (Co-Founder & Director) championed the whole project. Everything went through him. When deadlines changed and they were really pushed to the limit, there were two other people we worked with — one of whom did the design for the website and other web work.

How did you come to work with Oakland Studio?

My business partner found them. He had a friend who had used them. We used them originally to produce a similar kind of rollout and content for a small warehouse party that we had done a few years prior. We had a quick catch-up over the phone, and they created a couple of pitches for us. The initial design briefs and what they put forward were great. We engaged with them and have been using them ever since.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2017, and the engagement is ongoing. They were engaged to do several events across the board for us this year, but obviously, with COVID-19 and the way everything is going right now, we’ve had to put a hold on everything.

I spoke to Brodie several weeks ago and expressed I’d like to start looking at next year’s design and branding. We want to step up the game from this year and have them start on a couple of ideas and present them to us before the end of the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team is great. They always seem to be one step ahead of the curve. In fact, they can do pretty much everything in their space. If we wanted to engage them to do the brand, website, or even manage social media and targeting on Facebook doing ads, they could do it.

We haven’t engaged them to do the whole project yet, but that’s because there are three partners involved and we’ve self-managed things to keep the budget down. Each year grows, and we’re looking to do more and more with them. We’re super confident that they can deliver whatever we need. Their team came up with an amazing concept and brought it to life. They are there when we need them.

How did Oakland Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

I just give Brodie a quick call and put feelers out, and we set up a meeting. We catch up whether it’s over Facetime, Google Meet, or when I drive up to Brisbane. They’re fully set up to run through some kind of online management program or something similar. I suppose because I’ve been dealing with one person, I’ve just done it that way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It is just how progressive they are. Brodie, in particular, is very innovative. Even if we engage him to do a certain job, he always adds value in other areas with ideas and he pushes additional ideas without making us feel he’s pushing for more money. He is very good at what he does and cares about what he does.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re a great company.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of what you want. They brainstorm really well and think outside the box to bring more value to the table than what you originally ask for. If you do your homework right and give them an informative and detailed concept of what you want, the value you’ll get back from them is incredible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CEO of Luboo who partners with venues and events to give their visitors peace of mind by offering GPS locators to parents of young children.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oakland Studio?

We have hired Oakland for our app development but also for any design services we need (like website and marketing materials).

What were your goals for this project?

To have a working mobile app and marketing assets.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oakland Studio?

From a personal recommendation.

Describe the project in detail.

We needed to create a mobile app that was simple and user friendly and very easy to onboard our end users.

What was the team composition?

Brodie Pointon was our main contact at Oakland

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brodie is a very smart person who intuited our needs and worked hard to create a mobile app which worked for our end users. He researched our market and understood our use case thoroughly and he led the design approach based on his expertise. He exceeded our goals and expectations and so far we have had only positive feedback.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Brodie was always available and willing to take calls with our offshore developers and ourselves. He worked hard to deliver what our developers needed from him. The relationship was seamless. He responded to feedback well and quickly came up with new solutions if needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Mostly impressed with the foresight and intelligence of Brodie Pointon. We know we can take any idea to him and he will transform it into a working product that has taken into account design, the market and the ability for the end user to use the product. He is reliable and honest.

Very honest. Transparency is really important in this process and this team has integrity. If Brodie promises something, it will get done. I highly recommend this team for not only the content they product, but the thoughtfulness and the care they take.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't think there was much they could do differently. I will continue to use this team and trust them completely. They produced a great product on time and within budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and general manager of RapidID. We provide an online identity verification and fraud prevention platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oakland Studio?

We were trying to get the right messaging across for our product and to come through the noise, given that we’re in quite a competitive space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oakland Studio provided a new brand persona for the business, which spoke more to the clients we wanted. They also helped us with SEO and marketing aspects around our website, to drive more leads.

They’ve helped us on both the strategic and the execution sides. We had some good general ideas about what we wanted to do, but we’re a small company, so we didn’t have the time to act on those things internally. Oakland Studio came up with the implementation and go-to-market strategy.

The initial work was around developing a new marketing website, brand, and style guide, and we’re continuing to make optimizations to that site. We go to Oakland Studio for all the design work we need for new products, and they provide blogs and marketing services for us on a monthly basis.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Sergio (Co-Founder & Director) to begin with, and we have constant contact with two other members.

How did you come to work with Oakland Studio?

Sergio reached out to me via LinkedIn. He had a look at my existing website and told me what he could do for us. I get quite a lot of them, so it’s rare for me to respond to LinkedIn messages, but Sergio’s stood out. We got on to a phone call, and we connected straight away. I liked what he was saying and decided to give it a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost, so far, is $80,000–$100,000 AUD (approximately $57,300–$71,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Oakland Studio in September 2018 and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything they’ve delivered to date has positively contributed to our business. We’ve grown by roughly 300% in terms of revenue and this is due to the number of leads we’re generating, which are attributed directly and indirectly to Oakland Studio’s work. We get signups every day, and that’s due to having the right messaging and UI/UX.

How did Oakland Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re a startup as well, so we’re pretty relaxed. We don’t need to micromanage them as long as we’re seeing results, and they do deliver. We like the fact that we can be a bit more hands-off and trust that Oakland Studio will deliver what we need.

We communicate via phone calls. If something comes up, they’ll contact either myself or one of my colleagues. Otherwise, we have detail-oriented project work that we share through tools like InVision and Google Docs. We’re always collaborating with them and making sure we have the same information. Our communication channels are pretty easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really do understand their value proposition. While Oakland Studio is a relatively new agency in general, I’d strongly recommend them to anyone. They’re a great bunch of people who really can achieve results and have a new approach backed by knowledge and skill. They have it all in-house. It’s really worthwhile for anyone interested to investigate them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should keep doing what they’re doing and bring in more staff in order to handle more projects.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients need to be clear with their goals and purpose for doing things. Oakland Studio can latch onto that and come up with some good strategies for implementing those goals.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Marketing Officer of HALO Technologies

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Equities research software 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Oakland Studio to accomplish?

• Rebrand
• UX design
• Brand consistency

SOLUTION

How did you find Oakland Studio?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Oakland Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Oakland Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Oakland was hired to provide help us complete a complete rebrand and redesign our exisiting platform UX to be more user friendly. 

Deliverables included: 

• New logo
• Brand guideline (fonts, colours, etc)
• Digital assets
• Social media assets 
• EDM content 
• Corporate documents
• Website design
• Platform design

They were also involved with every marketing campaign touch point. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Measurable outcomes were final products for each of the products including figma designs, brand guidelines and more. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were always on time with delivery and went above and beyond with adhoc last minute projects from other stakeholders. They're always easy to reach and invested in our business.

What was your primary form of communication with Oakland Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The design work is exceptional and they are extremely well organised meaning we never missed a deadline. 

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

No, they are exceptional.