Parisleaf

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

The Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County is the only public-private economic development partnership encompassing all of King County and its 39 cities. Our mission is to expand and diversify the economy throughout King County.

What is your role at the company?

I am the Communications and Research Coordinator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Parisleaf?

We were working on a cluster initiative to promote and grow the interactive media and gaming industry in Washington State. As part of that initiative, we established the Reactor Accelerator for interactive media startups. We approached Parisleaf because we needed to establish a web presence to build awareness for the Reactor.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work?

The scope of the project included full web design and development. Parisleaf fully designed and developed our new site [on WordPress].

What was your process for selecting Parisleaf?

Parisleaf was recommended to us by our intern, who had worked with them in the past. After viewing their portfolio and having a phone conversation with them about what they could do for us, I was impressed. After vetting a few other Web development firms, I found that Parisleaf had the best vision and would be the best partner for us.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

It probably cost between $20,000 and$30,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project? Are there any relevant statistics or metrics on the project?

The project began in September 2013 and ended in March 2014. The quality of their work was outstanding. Their attention to detail and knowledge of design and development concepts created a beautiful and functional website. In qualitative surveys, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the look and feel of the site.

Was there anything unique or special about Parisleaf that made them stand out to you compared to other business partners?

Their communication was unmatched. While our organizations are located on opposite ends of the United States, we maintained solid and continuous communication without fail. Parisleaf understood how to build a strong relationship with their client and ensured all client needs were met fully. They were also able to translate complex user groups and subject matter readily into easily accessible information with a smooth user experience.

Looking back on their work, was there any are you think they could improve on or something that you would do differently?

I would have liked a more solidified calendar approach to meetings and milestones. The timeline we worked with was broken into "weeks" and I would've liked to have a visual to supplement that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities there?

I am the president of Unity College. We are a small liberal arts college focused on environmental studies. I'm the president of the college.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Parisleaf?

They have been effectively our creative agency of record. We're a small liberal college, and in a lot of ways, that's a dying breed. We needed to develop a reputable national brand, and we needed to do it quickly. Parisleaf has been crucial to this effort.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They redesigned our website, which was absolutely atrocious before they began working on it. Now, it's completely responsive, and I would put it up against the website of any higher education institution in the country.

In addition, they worked on the brand strategy of the college as well as producing a series of videos that reflected the new brand.

What was your process for selecting Parisleaf?

It was a chance encounter, and they were still a very young firm without much work to show in those initial meetings. But, when I sat down with them, I instantly recognized that I was talking to brilliant people.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

It's been several hundred thousand dollars, but I'm confident that if a big national firm had done the work Parisleaf did for us, it would have been more than a million dollars.

What was the timeline of the project?

It's hard to give specifics in terms of timeline. We've worked with Parisleaf off and on since 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

It's a tough environment for liberal arts colleges. When we began working with Parisleaf on our brand, we were in our third year of a steep decline in applications, but now, we are at maximum enrollment. We are enrolling 625 students this fall, and that's a huge increase. Obviously, there are other factors playing into that, but what they did to our website and collateral materials – definitely played a huge role.

Besides helping us to engage young high school students and their parents, the work itself has performed well. Their work with us has a CASE award as well as several Eddy awards.

I'm leaving the college soon, but I've told all my stakeholders they need to continue working with Parisleaf.

What differentiates Parisleaf from others?

What Parisleaf brought to the table was an affective power that grabs your gut. When you see their work for Unity College, you say to yourself, "Wow, this place really is different." That's a true statement, but it can be hard to convey that truth to someone who's never been here or experienced it.

They're set apart by a hundred different things, from their decision to come up from Florida and spend time on our campus in Maine, to edginess of their ideas that captured our essence, and I'm convinced would never have come from the traditional agencies that work in higher ed. That edginess, I think, comes from their youth and their ability to attract incredible talent. It's a potent combination that delivered incredible results for us.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I think the standard answer would be that because they're in demand and growing fast, will they be able to maintain the level of customer service that got them to this point?

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

I'm proud of these guys. They have struggled through some adversity, they do excellent work, and they are wicked smart and creative. People need to use them. They're going to be happy with the result.