S-T

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a music booking agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S-T, and what were your goals?

ST were hired to create the branding for the new company, the goal was to end up with something that reflected the values and purpose of the company in an easy to reproduce way.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

ST have a track record of developing brands for start-up companies.

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

ST took time to understand the nature of our business through informal interviews before they started to develop ideas. From there they provided a full set of brand assets and guidelines, including font recommendations and examples of how the various elements might be applied in different formats.

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

Both Steve and Tom worked on the project, developing and delivering the assets.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The branding project allowed us to launch with a clear identity across our online channels which was very important as we were mid-pandemic at the time and in-person meetings were impossible. We have received a number of comments on the strength of the brand and the breadth of the assets provided has meant we have been able to maintain a consistent but varied visual identity across different projects.

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

ST were clear with their timeline and how the project would develop based on the their workload and our budget. They delivered initial options and subsequent revisions swiftly.

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

Their desire to build a brand that was deeply connected to the goals and purpose of the company really impressed me. They took time and asked perceptive questions to get to the core of what we do before using that to inform their design process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Trade Marketing Director at a publishing company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S-T?

S-T have led the design and art direction on several lead projects for our trade marketing programme, creating assets to apply across wide mix of activity including video animation, print, live events and digital.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I'd initially worked with Steve and Tom at their previous agency - they were part of the team that helped develop the first campaigns for our trade programme. Each year they continue to innovate and find original ways to approach the brief.

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

For our Big Book programme, S-T are briefed to design a graphic environment that can be applied to all campaign strands - including cinema quality animation, print brochures, event graphics and other material. Other agencies and creatives work with S-T's designs to develop various campaign elements, with S-T leading specific elements themselves through to completion.

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

We work primarily with Steve and Tom on each project, occasionally they bring in additional resource.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

S-T have consistently found exciting new ways to approach our projects, always looking for new ways to keep everything fresh and original. They are masters at listening to the brief and requirements, and always show great patience with any changes that emerge as the project develops.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

S-T are always very straightforward to work with - flexible and quick to respond. Steve and Tom are always great to work with.

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

Their ability to find new ways to tackle repeat projects, keeping everything new and engaging, has been impressive. They do this while always fulfilling the regular core requirements.

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

No, S-T are brilliant to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Editor and Publisher of RA Magazine at the Royal Academy of Arts

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S-T?

Design of RA Magazine – a fine art and architecture magazine that is the quarterly publication of the Royal Academy of Arts.

SOLUTION

How did you select S-T and what were the deciding factors?

S-T were recommended as editorial designers by a previous designer we had worked with. Their strong portfolio, ideas and diligent, kind natures won them the job.

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

The contract was to design the magazine four times a year, at first using existing templates from a previous redesign. Then in 2017 we commissioned them to redesign the magazine entirely. We developed a design brief for them, and then they presented their ideas digitally, in print and at meetings within the company, with set feedback and refinement sessions.

They did an excellent job, creating a beautiful, refined magazine brand that is also robust and flexible for the many different editorial applications necessary. It dovetails very well with the Royal Academy's larger design values. They also created supplements for us, and fed into the reprographics process – i.e. colour correction.

How many resources from the S-T team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We would work with up to three designers from S-T. Normally Tom and Steve (the principles) and on occasion a senior designer from their studio, who was always excellent as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The standards of their work were consistently excellent. They cleaned up the magazine a great deal – something readers, advertisers and art-world opinion formers all commented on to us.

A redesign is a tricky process, especially for an opinionated art institution, so the fact they came up with such a strong and durable proposal is no mean feat. It continues to look lovely today.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very good. They are great communicators and work very hard. There was very rarely any bottlenecks.

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

Their combination of inspiring, intelligent, dramatic design with diplomacy and sensitivity was impressive. There were no arguments or creative tensions; they were very easy to work with.

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

Not really. They did an excellent job across all areas I would highly recommend them for any editorial and branding design.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of marketing and communications for Bartlett, one of the faculties at University College London (UCL), one of London's biggest universities. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with S-T?

We were trying to create a digital, magazine-style review that highlighted key milestones at the Bartlett. In 2021, we wanted to make the review visual, immersive, and media-focused to engage our audience.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

S-T designed and built our website to highlight the 2021 review using aspects of our previous website. After discussions with my team and university academics, they developed the required 31 pieces of content utilizing a third-party copywriter. 

Once we signed off on the content, S-T then produced all of the visual assets for our online campaign, including email, social media, and our website. They delivered six videos and 7–9 email templates. At the end of the project, S-T provided a brief of how they'd deliver the review for us to use when we rolled out the entire project. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Tom and Steve (Founders and Creative Directors), a web development teammate, and a third-party copywriter. 

How did you come to work with S-T?

S-T approached me asking to work on the review. We did reach out to several other companies requesting project briefs. S-T had a very strong video concept for the project and everything was very detailed — the brief S-T provided was exceptional and tailored to our needs. We got a sense that they put a lot of effort and thought into their projects. In the end, S-T was the only firm that could deliver the quality we wanted within our budget and timeframe and the only firm that asked insightful questions about the brief. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested a little under £45,000 (approximately $61,000 USD) with S-T. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with S-T from June 2021–January 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

S-T was good at understanding the vision and delivering on that. The fact their designs met my high standards speaks to their exceptional work. Steve was understanding and personable — we trusted them to deliver. I've been sharing the Bartlett Review through UCL and have received a lot of positive feedback on the design, look, and feel. Also, many individuals have inquired about where I was able to find a firm that produced such high-quality work. 

How did S-T perform from a project management standpoint?

S-T went above and beyond to deliver to our tight timelines. Typically, we communicated with S-T via emails and Microsoft Teams; S-T responded to emails within 24 hours. We had fortnightly or weekly calls throughout the project. ​​During those meetings, S-T's team provided us with a slide deck that highlighted their progress and what they needed from my team to continue the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

S-T has a better quality of work than any other agency I've seen. Our faculty is one of the best in the world for architecture, so many creative leaders are seeing this work, and we have to show them work that is good enough for them. S-T has great designs and a sharp understanding of what works and what doesn't in the design space — I think that's what makes them stand out from the rest. S-T has delivered everything I asked while explaining the brief thoroughly to ensure the quote is accurate. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The copywriter didn't deliver the work we wanted, but S-T contracted that service out. So, if we hired S-T again, I'd ask if we could work with a different copywriter. The copywriting issue wasn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. I think that S-T should brief any future contractors on their business culture and how to work with firms like ours. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future customers need to be very clear on what they want S-T to deliver. The more information S-T has, the more accurate their price quote is and the better the deliverables will be in the end. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Communications and Marketing. I engage and build our network and raise our profile nationally. I’m responsible for all of communications, this includes producing print materials and press releases, developing our online presence, engaging our stakeholders and overseeing our brand. We are award-winning mentoring charity and support network.

We help young people from underrepresented backgrounds break into the arts and humanities. Since 2013, we've opened up opportunities in higher education, the media and arts. We now support over 1,000 young people in London, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. We provide guidance so they can chart their own course. We create connections to help them get ahead.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S-T?

We've grown through word of mouth and social media, with the majority of our audiences only engaging with us online. While we’d been successful recruiting and motivating people online our website was dated and had been letting us down, with low conversion rates meaning we were missing out on thousands of potential new volunteers and donors.

Following a rebrand we hired S-T to completely redesign our website to improve engagement, conversion rates and relieve the team from lots of manual administration.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We put the project out to tender and reviewed presentations from different organisations. We were impressed with the past projects that S-T presented, their approach to these kinds of projects and enthusiasm.

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

We sent the brief and discussed this with S-T alongside examples of other websites we liked, the parameters of Craft and the aims of our new branding and website. We signed off the site map.

We were presented with iterations of the static prototype to feedback on, then once the development build was ready we started to test it by populating it with real content. Throughout the design we reviewed the site and content with our user group to ensure our participants had a say in the process and we made tweaks based on their feedback.

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

We worked with the designer Steve in collaboration with web developer Benedict from United Forms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One year on from the new site launching we compared our stats and found that: The conversion rate for all donations pages is up by 12% Average time spent/page has gone up by 9% Homepage bounce rate has reduced by 13% Overall bounce rate is down 7%

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was good and I felt that my expectations were met.

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

S-T brought a lot of ideas and clarity to their designs, plus they were friendly and honest. Working with them is stress free. Their eye for detail was also amazing, for example they highlighted that our new brand colours needed better contrast levels to be accessible which was really important to us.

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

I think it could have been helpful to have a shared project management tool like trello or asana to keep tabs on where they were at and what they needed from us.