Synergy Design

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager for BEX Engineering. We’re a manufacturer of industrial parts that specializes in making spray nozzles and paint-mixing inductors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergy Design?

We needed to redesign our catalog.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Synergy Design has redesigned our 150-page catalog and done several illustrations for it. We wanted some technical drawings and illustrations that showed our spray nozzles while working, so we initially provided them with videos of all our models to create the illustrations.

Additionally, they’ve designed our website. We have an in-house developer, so they’ve just given us the blueprint for the design. The team chose all the colors and marketing materials and gave the layout to our web developer.

What is the team composition?

We work with Rachel (Studio Manager) and 2–3 other team members. Greg (Managing Director & Creative Director) is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Synergy Design?

Our sales manager knew Greg; they’d done designs for all kinds of selling materials for us. Overall, Synergy Design’s team was great to work with and had excellent suggestions.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$15,000 on this particular project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with Synergy Design for a while. We started the catalog in January 2022, and it’ll be completed in November 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve done a lot of print media, and our current website was designed by them. Overall, their work has been excellent, and customers are happy with it.

How did Synergy Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly exchange Adobe InDesign files back and forth through Google Drive. If we need to meet, we set up a Microsoft Teams call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Every time we ask if they can do something, they find a way to make it work. The team is easy to work with, their work is high-quality, and they charge us a reasonable price. Since we started working with them, we haven’t thought about seeking out an alternative design agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I honestly don’t have anything negative to say about them. We don’t have issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to go into the engagement with a general idea or at least some sketches. Give them to Synergy Design and see what they come up with. In general, the preparation you do prior to meeting them goes a long way to save you time and make things easier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a nonprofit organization called Erin Mills Connects, and I'm the project manager for a resource called Beyond High School.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergy Design?

We received funding to produce a post-secondary pathways document for high school students to help them choose their future direction, and we wanted it to be attractive to young people. We hired Synergy Design to help us create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable design. We also wanted it to be translated into different languages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After initial conversations about what we were looking for, they put together an 80-page digital workbook. It was designed as an interactive PDF with QR codes. With the interactive copy, users can write in answers directly from whatever device they use. They hosted the PDF on their website while we were still in the development phases of the product, but it is now hosted on our website. 

The workbook was printed as a hard copy to cater to tactile learners, and Synergy Design assisted us with navigating that. They also have designers that work in multiple languages, and we’re in the process of translating it.

What is the team composition?

We work with Greg (Managing Director), Rachel (Studio Manager), Cody (Junior Graphic Designer), and one other designer. 

How did you come to work with Synergy Design?

We found them on Google; they seemed to fit our company and what we were looking for. We met with Greg (Managing Director), talked about the project, and felt they could do what was needed. We decided to move forward with them after that. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $40,000 CAD (approximately $29,700 USD) so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our page sessions have increased by 291% on our website, and people have had positive responses so far. 

How did Synergy Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very responsive, especially when we run into problems; their estimates for cost have always been correct. When we have feedback, they make changes very quickly, and when we were going to print the workbook in hard copy they were able to get everything done in a very short period of time. We communicate through email, Zoom, phone calls, and we meet in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve taken the time to understand our values and bring their thoughts and creativity to the project. Their designers are very intelligent, and they’ve been providing us with nice, clean, fresh designs. They’ve been conscientious and made all the changes we've requested with precision and accuracy, which hasn’t always happened when we worked with other designers. 

They’re fantastic listeners, bring experience to the table, and can work in a diverse community. We wouldn’t be able to do this project without Synergy Design. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been very happy with the work they’ve been providing us with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of research and content production for WBR Insights, a research group within Worldwide Business Research. We produce digital content and beautifully designed research reports based on surveys we conduct. Our clients pay for those and sponsor them in exchange for thought leadership content and opportunities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergy Design?

We needed a seamless process to interact with our clients, identify their needs, produce the reports, and deliver them on time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Synergy Design has become a seamless extension of our production team. They’ve grown alongside our operations. As we increase the volume of reports we do, they’ve adopted new types of reports, changed the way we do design, and adapted with us throughout the process. Overall, our interaction has been a constant discovery and approval. When we find new needs for design work, they rise up and meet them.

The team takes a small amount of information, does some research into our client’s branding and specific needs, and then produces design work to accommodate those requirements. They use Adobe Illustrator and InDesign for the designs.

What is the team composition?

Rachel (Studio Manager) is our lead person; we interact with her daily. Since we have multiple projects running simultaneously, many team members work on any project.

How did you come to work with Synergy Design?

I didn’t discover Synergy Design; they were already working with WBR Insights when I started.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $1 million–$5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2015, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a 100% satisfaction rate and a 95% consistent delivery time with their design work. We have no complaints about Synergy Design; we have a great relationship with them, and they continue to deliver excellent results. Our clients are pleased, and we’ve had revenue growth since we started working with them. In fact, we tripled our revenue in 2016.

When we present the reports to our clients, they’re immediately pleased with every design aspect of the report. We rarely have any issues with the design work. Synergy Design delivers consistent quality across different brands and designs, even when facing a wide range of requirements. We haven’t experienced that with anyone else, and it’s just spectacular.

Overall, Synergy Design is an integral part of our projects. They’re reliable and consistent, so they’re great partners.

How did Synergy Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been fantastic. Communication is regular, prompt, and clear, and the team has been agile and accommodating. They’ve abided by our preferences in terms of communication channels, so they were on board with using the internal platform for our production cycle.

We usually hit our targets in terms of timing. If there’s a delay, it’s probably our fault. However, we go back and forth to solve it immediately, so there’s never any miscommunication. All in all, it’s been a great experience.

We mostly use Basecamp because it handles all the dimensions of project management. Occasionally, we use email or hop on Zoom or Microsoft Teams if we need to get on a video call. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their biggest strength is customer service because it’s all-encompassing. They deliver on our expectations, meet us halfway on everything, and are accommodating. They’re also supportive and reliable at all times. Moreover, their pricing is competitive and fair, so we’re happy customers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Occasionally, they could do more with less instruction. If there are things they can assume, they should be free to do it. However, we know that good design work means doing everything based on what the client wants, so it’s just a friendly reminder, not a criticism.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Treat them as a colleague. Synergy Design is there to help you meet your needs, so you shouldn’t hesitate to communicate with them about what works for you. They’re great partners, so you’ll be in good hands.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of marketing and membership.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Synergy Design, and what were your goals?

We needed to refresh our branding based on our new website design without overhauling too much yet adapting some of the elements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Synergy Design is an Oakville Chamber of Commerce member and I had a connection with the principal in LinkedIn. We had not worked together before. I was looking for a smaller boutique agency that was local.

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

The work is ongoing, but to begin they helped us to update some of our main communications materials so that it aligned with our new website look and feel. Ideally, we wanted to do a new brand launch, however, an earlier brand still held brand value that we didn't want to disrupt. They spent some significant time discussing with me how this might be achieved. They ended up providing us with different options on a spectrum depending on how bold we wanted to transform the brand, yet still achieve our original objectives of aligning with the new look and feel. They then applied the chosen design elements and applied them to different communications.

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

I worked directly with the principal, but also with two other colleagues who helped project manage and also execute on the deliverables.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were success factors all the way along the project - from early stage designs to final deliverables. In addition, we had some alterations and updates after final deliverables that Synergy Design was happy to accommodate.

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

Synergy Design is very responsive regardless of the timelines that we were working on. Timelines ranged from time to time and occasionally we needed items very quickly, which they were able to accommodate. They used Teams and Zoom to get acquainted, yet conducted much of our work by email.

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

I like that they understood my needs and it was clear that they had experience doing similar projects with other clients. I also loved their sheer design expertise. The designs they provided always hit the mark in terms of creativity, yet keeping within the parameters that we set.

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

I don't think so - they have been a pleasure to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a Digital Marketing Agency. We work with a broad spectrum of clients across multiple industies

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Synergy Design?

Our clients website was outdated and limited in it's capabilities. We were contracted to redevelop the website and improve functionality / overall communication with the stakeholders

SOLUTION

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

Synergy Design interpreted the creative brief and elevated the overall functionality of the website all while staying on brand.

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

Synergy Design gave careful consideration to the User Experience and helped determine an effective information hierarchy along side multiple competing messages

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

In total we worked directly with 3 people but understand a few more people where involved in the execution of the final design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We delivered a visually stunning / highly functional website with the support of Synergy Design. The entire board of directors is proud of what we delivered, and a big part of that is owed to the strong design that Synergy Provided

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Effective communication / constant collaboration.

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

Their exceptional work was notable!

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

If only we could convince the client to interfere less :-)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Head of Marketing at a transportation company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Synergy Design?

Looking for a couple of design projects for recruiting and a sponsorship program to promote our brand and company.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I've worked with them before and they brought a fresh perspective to the designs. They are also easy to work with and they turnaround projects in a timely manner.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

I tasked them with coming up with a fresh design for a recruiting billboard and also a banner stand design for a sponsorship program we are running across the country.

What was the team composition?

I dealt with the owner and the team Manager. Both are a pleasure to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's too soon to know the results but the designs are fresh and appealing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was a quick turnaround. We had a call and a few follow-up email exchanges but it was really straightforward working with them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a good response time, are competitively priced, and are easy to work with. They understood the brief so there wasn't unnecessary back and forth.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

None