SERIOUS.BUSINESS

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder & CPO of Cello

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cello turns users into your most valuable growth channel and lets you launch a User Referral program on autopilot in hours, with Industry leaders like Typeform, SevDesk and Fellow relying on Cello's platform to accelerate their flywheel.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire SERIOUS.BUSINESS to accomplish?

• Company Brand Model
• Company Visual Identity
• Company Website

SOLUTION

How did you find SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

Referral

Why did you select SERIOUS.BUSINESS over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from SERIOUS.BUSINESS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

1. Research: 
The project began with comprehensive research, including two half-day workshops and five interviews with key stakeholders and customers. This phase also involved analyzing 5-6 competitors and reviewing the current status quo, resulting in key insights and strategic recommendations.

     Key Deliverables:

• 2 Half-day Workshops
• 5 Stakeholder & Customer Interviews
• Competitor Analysis (5-6 Competitors)
• Review of Current Status Quo
• Strategic Insights & Recommendations

2. Strategy:
The strategy phase focused on developing the brand model, covering positioning, purpose, mission, vision, impact, unique selling points, personality, and value proposition. A brand narrative, tagline, and key messages were also created. These were compiled into a Brandbook PDF, with two rounds of iterations for refinement.

     Key Deliverables:

• Brand Model (Positioning, Purpose, Mission, Vision, Impact, Personality, Value Proposition)
• Messaging Framework (Brand Narrative, Tagline, Key Messages)
• Brandbook PDF
• 2 Iterations

3. Visual Identity:
In this phase, 2-3 visual directions were explored, leading to the development of a logo and a complete visual identity system. This included guidelines for logo variations, colors, typography, iconography style, and graphic elements. Additionally, three UI screen mockups were provided, with two rounds of iterations to finalize the designs.

     Key Deliverables:

• 2-3 Visual Directions
• Logo Design & Visual Identity System
• Visual Guidelines PDF (Logo Variations, Colors, Typography, Iconography Style, Graphic Elements)
• 3 UI Screen Mockups
• 2 Iterations

4. Website Development:
The final phase was the collaborative development of a full website. This included wireframes, copywriting, design, and development in Wordpress. The initial website featured a one-page design with five sections, mobile responsiveness, basic transitions, newsletter signup, technical SEO, and browser/device testing. A 2-month warranty was also provided, along with two iterations to refine the final product.  Subsequent iterations built out a design system and additional pages.

     Key Deliverables:

• Wireframes & Copywriting
• Full Website Design (One-Pager with 5 Sections)
• Collaborative Webflow Development with Mobile Responsiveness & Basic Transitions
• Newsletter Signup, SEO, & Browser/Device Testing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While the impact of a brand and visual identity is often challenging to quantify, the success of the Cello brand and website created by Serious Business has helped build a distinctive foundation for growth:

• Increased Customer Trust and Referrals: Since the launch, Cello has grown into a trusted referral tool for an expanding number of customers. This trust has been bolstered by the cohesive and resonant brand identity.
• Unique and Memorable Brand Identity: The brand developed by Serious Business has enabled Cello to stand out in the market and differentiate itself from competitors. It reflects our unique culture and product, creating a positive and lasting impression on customers.
• Growth in Customer Base: The combination of a trustworthy brand and professional presentation has helped contribute to increased customer acquisition, demonstrating the strength of the brand and visual identity.

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

Serious Business delivered all project milestones on time, which was critical for us. While the nature of the branding exercise for a new company like ours added expected complexities, their team handled it with flexibility and responsiveness. 

We enjoyed working with them, as they shared our culture and approach, which made collaboration smooth and enjoyable. Their ability to adapt and their dedication to understanding our needs contributed significantly to the success of the project. Overall, their commitment and alignment with our vision led to a strong and effective outcome.

What was your primary form of communication with SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

Virtual Meeting

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

What we appreciated most about Serious Business was their creativity and attention to detail to understanding of our needs through collaboration to get to the desired outputs. The brand they created for Cello as a result of this process stands out in the market and feels aligned with who we are, capturing the essence of our unique culture and product vision. They also take the time to get the details right which is hugely important in creating a brand identity.

We also enjoy how collaborative they are. Working with Serious Business feels like a true partnership.  Based on this we continued to engage with them to build on what we created together.

Are there any areas for improvement or something SERIOUS.BUSINESS could have done differently?

Serious Business put a lot of effort into the naming aspect of our project, which was initially part of the scope. Although we ultimately decided on an internally created name, we appreciated the creativity and thought they brought to the process. If there’s any room for improvement, it might be refining how they align their naming ideas more closely with a client’s internal vision.

That said, their dedication and flexibility throughout the project were excellent, and we were very happy with the final brand and website they delivered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Nola

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cruelty free skin care and cosmetics store

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire SERIOUS.BUSINESS to accomplish?

• Rebranding
• Help us make our vision clearer and articulate what we stand for
• Design a new web site for us
• A new holistic look & design in our stores

SOLUTION

How did you find SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

Referral

Why did you select SERIOUS.BUSINESS over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from SERIOUS.BUSINESS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The project started with getting to the purpose of Nola and understand what we stand for, and equally importantly what we don't stand for. After this work we had a redefined purpose, brand strategy, personality, tone of voice that was stronger than ever. This work was an important foundation for all the visual work that came next where we redesigned everything related to our brand. 

We first went through some visual exploration where we explored different options that could go with this new Nola brand. Once we had agreed on a direction, we started implementing our new ecommerce web site along every customer touch point: 

• New logo
• New look for the store
• Social media templates
• Stickers
• Boxes
• How we use photos
• Etc

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's been such a short time since we launched the new brand and new ecommerce site but:

• The new branding was extremely well received with our customer. 
• Our online sales have increased since we launced the new site.

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

• Always on time.
• Very flexible when it came to making adjustments on the go.

What was your primary form of communication with SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

Virtual Meeting

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

I love SERIOUS.BUSINESS' work culture.

Are there any areas for improvement or something SERIOUS.BUSINESS could have done differently?

Not that I can think off.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Director of Impactility GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help organizations enable traceability and transparency about their sustainability initiatives. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire SERIOUS.BUSINESS to accomplish?

• Design language for our brand
• Branding

SOLUTION

How did you find SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

Referral

Why did you select SERIOUS.BUSINESS over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from SERIOUS.BUSINESS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Serious Business helped us to shape our mission and vision statements. 
• Delivered brand design guidelines.
• Delivered a fantastic website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Timely delivery.
• Excellent design language. 
• The website is also appreciated by so many in our network. 
• Overall they delivered us what we were looking for.

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

• Yes, they have excellent project managers.
• Great engagement mechanism. 
• They delivered everything on time.

What was your primary form of communication with SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

SERIOUS.BUSINESS is one of the best agencies I've come across. They took immense pains to understand what we wanted even though we didn’t know what we wanted to begin with. That is no mean feat!

Are there any areas for improvement or something SERIOUS.BUSINESS could have done differently?

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Communications of a venture capital firm

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A venture capital firm focused on pre-seed and seed investments in B2B tech startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire SERIOUS.BUSINESS to accomplish?

• Rebranding

SOLUTION

How did you find SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

Referral

Why did you select SERIOUS.BUSINESS over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from SERIOUS.BUSINESS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Full rebranding including:

• Renaming
• New logo
• Brand identity
• Tone of voice
• Website
• Positioning

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Increased industry recognition through rebranding
• More distinct positioning
• Perception of the brand had to be more mature

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

• Super responsive
• Hands on
• Always eager to help

What was your primary form of communication with SERIOUS.BUSINESS?

Virtual Meeting

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

SERIOUS.BUSINESS helped us formalize and structure our brand and strategy into a unique new brand. The iterative process let us give feedback early and frequently and their moderation of the process was key to distill multiple views into one.

Are there any areas for improvement or something SERIOUS.BUSINESS could have done differently?

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