The Yard Creative

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We set up a hair and skincare brand in China. Our goal was to launch a salon and then use its growing reputation to create and see retail products as well. The business was co-founded by my business partner and me.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We wanted to ensure that we had a consistent brand identity and aesthetic. It was also important that it met our high design standards.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They gave us a full brand identity after early brainstorming sessions and a few calls. That was practical for us in terms of setting standards. We approached the brief with several ideas of our own, without a cohesive brand identity. Our team knew that we wanted a green, environmentally-friend, non-feminine space. Along with that, we had a few minor design preferences. For example, we brought tiles that we liked to our first meetings, as a reference.

Other than that, all of our branding ideas were born out of the brainstorming session with their team. We spent a full day with them to make sure they understand everything that we wanted, coming prepared with market research for our new space. After our briefing day, we returned to China and worked together remotely under tight deadlines. 

In addition to the branding guidelines and visualization, their team handled the interior design in our first location. They’ve delivered everything to this stage, but we intend to work with them on future projects. 

What is the team composition?

There were five people attending and contributing to our briefing day and regular video conference meetings. That included Miles (Creative Director, The Yard Creative), who was our main point of contact for the project. 

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

After using an agency in Vancouver for another company, we found that they couldn’t nail the aesthetic we were looking for. So, we searched for top branding agencies online and narrowed it down to a shortlist of agencies. Because we have backgrounds in London and like those aesthetics, it was easy for us to connect with their team. They met our standards and our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £20,000 (approximately $26,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted from May–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A large part of the process was finding a flexible agency, attuned to our understanding of this business environment. They knew how to be flexible with designs and communicate to us in a way that would make sense. Since we hadn’t been through this process before, there was some hand-holding, but not in a condescending way.

Having said that, one unavoidable issue we ran into was that some things in the design were inaccessible to us for a while. That caused us to be a little delayed.  

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They adhered to tight deadlines and kept us regularly updated with drafts over video conferences. That way, we were all on the same page. We were originally worried about the remote working relationship, but their communication was very strong. They made it clear that they were always on call, staying flexible despite our distance and time zones. 

When we initially launched, there were some things that we weren’t able to execute because of our remote relationship. In those situations, they made themselves available to help us find an alternative. Otherwise, they kept ahead of schedule, making it clear when tasks would be completed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personality and attitude of the team were great. They made a collective effort to understand our goals, position, and familiarity with the process of building a brand. Despite this being a new market for us, we never felt condescended for asking questions.

Personalities aside, we felt that they put the right people on tasks. At no point did we ever have to repeat ourselves or elaborate. Other agencies may not be as proactive as The Yard Creative. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been great partners.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If I could go back and do this process again, I would ask different questions about the design process. If there are other areas in the process that you’re not an expert in, it may be a good idea to proactively talk them through as a means of educating you in that area. They’re very willing to explain their processes at any point. I wish I had taken them up on that more on the design side of the development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is a leading European commercial real estate company. It’s a merger between Unibail-Rodamco and Westfield. Working as a senior development manager, I’m responsible for a new development project which focuses on the retail sector.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

The Yard Creative provided marketing services for my project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yard Creative executed food-and-beverage marketing brochures for us. We wanted to have printed and online marketing materials to present to potential dining operators that we’re in conversations with. They took care of everything from conceptualization to copywriting and photography selection. They’ve created different brochures for us since that initial project.

What is the team composition?

We had shifting points of contact, where we started with Steve (Co-Founder, The Yard Creative), but was transferred to Miles (Creative Director, The Yard Creative). He was working with David (Middleweight Graphic Designer, The Yard Creative) and one other person. We worked with a team of about 5­–6 people, in total.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

One of our colleagues from the Paris office had worked with them. They recommended them for the hypermarket brochure, so I decided to contact them.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of this particular project was around $22,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran just about one month, from September–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There’s unanimous satisfaction at all levels of our organization: from C-level executives in our firm to the people who were directly involved in the project. We could really see the input versus output; everybody’s happy with the quality of their delivery.    

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They were professional, direct, efficient, and communicative. They answered any questions we had, continually asked us for feedback, and continually integrated that feedback. About 80% of the time, we communicated via email, but we also spoke on the phone.  

With other agencies, we could express that we want something done a particular way and repeat it 3–4 times, and it still wouldn't be done that way. The Yard Creative went precisely in the direction that we asked for and provided appropriate suggestions. The outcome was a very good balance between what the client wanted and what they advised.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their friendliness and customer-oriented friendly behavior were great. They’re very welcoming and interact with you like you’re a true partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t really think of anything. I’d recommend them to consider taking on more foreign projects. They could expand their inhouse team to have wider language proficiency. Our documents were well done in English and German, but it wouldn’t be bad if they had more of a multilingual team.  

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have a good kickoff call at the beginning, for context—ours lasted between 60–90 minutes. We also sent them a lot of documents to help them understand the scope of the project. That establishes a good foundation, and it’s easier to proceed from there.

It’s also important to maintain consistent communication. Define and consolidate your points of contact, so you’re not bombarding them with different messages and emails.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of Nutriseed. We are a food delivery company that’s been around for the last five years and was created from my kitchen table.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

Over the last 5–6 years we’ve grown the scale of our production quite rapidly. We’ve traditionally done all of our design in-house, but we were really looking to capitalize on the existing strengths of the brand and create more of a hierarchy within our products and give us a stronger identity in the marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yard Creative worked with us on brand identity. That started with identifying the values of our brand and articulating our sales message better. We did customer research on who our target audience really was, which actually ended up being significantly different from who we thought our biggest customer would be.

From there, they took that information and applied it to the lineup of products and completely lifted the brand and the design of our packaging as well.

What is the team composition?

I had direct contact with Steve (Managing Director, The Yard Creative) and Sarah (Account Manager, The Yard Creative). I believe there was a designer and copywriter working on the project as well.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

I had seen the work they did for a similar brand in our space and was very impressed with their work, so I reached out to them. We considered about 4 other companies in our shortlist for the engagement, but we thought they were very passionate, and really just understood design on a deep level.

Beyond that, it meant a lot to be working alongside the managing director of the brand. The pair of them have a very personal touch to the way that they approach the project and really good attention to detail that helps them stand out from the crowd.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around £28,000 (approximately $36,000 USD) in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we worked together from December 2016–March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project was probably one of the best things for us, at a time when we were a relatively new brand. It helped us really understand what each sale was about and what our customers and what they want and need. Their suggestions regarding building an online community have significantly boosted retention and driven customers back to the site.

From a design perspective, they gave us a really good hierarchy and ruleset that we’ve been able to roll out across over a hundred and twenty products. We credit them with being able to increase our conversion by over 1,000% and our total business by 20% since we started working with them.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great to work with. Their team was always incredibly professional and passionate. They communicated throughout the project and always did what they said they were going to do exactly when they said they were going to deliver it. We communicated either face-to-face or by phone and email, which was always very intuitive and effective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion and enthusiasm for design are by far the most impressive aspect of their company. It is very, very rare to find a good agency that is equally skilled and passionate about design and the world.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I honestly don’t think there’s anything they could do better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Good Times Roll, a London-based ice cream company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We wanted to do a total rebrand. We’d been given the opportunity to expand from a small location in southwest England to some larger locations in London. Because of this, we wanted to rebrand from scratch to effectively target this new market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yard Creative worked on renaming and graphic design for the rebranding project. Their team targeted our brand to an exact audience in London by developing a tone of voice, imagery, fonts, logos, and colors. They offered a list of names and we had a selection process for that. We wanted to use this brand package going forward as a company as we expanded.

To start, we met with a few people at The Yard Creative and explained our story. After this, they kept asking questions to learn more about us. They wanted to know exactly where we wanted to go with the rebranding effort and as a company. We’ve also hired them to work on interior design with some new locations.

What is the team composition?

There were three people: an account manager and two graphic designers.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

Some landlords we were working with recommended The Yard Creative.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $10,000-$25,000. It was a lot, and we went into some debt to finance it. However, the work paid off. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2019. The rebrand is complete, but we needed support with store design, so we contracted the interiors team. We’ve just started working on designing a few new locations. We’ll be working with them more going forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I had a vision of what I wanted the brand to look like and who our target audience was. They translated the vision in my head to a brand that was well-received in the market. They gave us focus and executed the brand strategy. We’ve had lots of positive feedback and people saying the design looks cool. It’s transformed my business for the better.

Whenever we make any type of content, the design captures the essence of the brand. For example, the new brand had a viral video over the summer with six million views worldwide.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done really well. The whole process is effectively organized. It was very open the whole time. I could always pick up the phone and speak to anyone if I had questions. They’re very patient and open to ideas we had. They did a good job of challenging us and trying to refine our thoughts on the design. Every time we met with them, we got full documentation and outlines of what happened.

Communication occurred via phone and email. We’ve met in person for lunch or I’ve gone into their offices to meet in person. They are very responsive to our needs. I never need to push them for anything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From the first time I met with them, they gave me time and attention. I started with a very small business, smaller than the clients they typically work with. I met with the founder for a long time. We had a long meeting and they really paid attention. This was before I even signed up as a client. Both of us wanted a long-term working relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a very clear idea of what you want to achieve in your head. You should also be open to listening to their ideas. I trusted them and it’s worked out very well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of estate & asset management at Battersea Power Station Development Company, a real estate development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We have phase one of the development complete and we needed help with market research to better understand our residential and consumer base.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged them to conduct market research for us and also produce a hierarchy of solutions to achieve a double-digit year on year increase.

They did an executive summary to help us understand where our current consumers actually live and more importantly, what the key influences are. The second part of the equation was within our core and secondary catchments, who is moving there and why they aren’t eating, playing, enjoying, and shopping with our company.

They engaged with 6-7 internal key stakeholders. They also brought in a specialist from a market research company given that they are modest in size and tend to rely sometimes on specialists. Steve (Co-Founder, The Yard Creative) has a very strong, intuitive feel for consumers. At the end of the process, he was able to present and package the findings, not in a normal consumer research document, but more so suggesting solutions and ideas that would allow us to achieve our objectives.

What is the team composition?

There were 3-4 people. We had a main point of contact with the retail director.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

They were recommended by someone else who was working for us. I checked them out and looked at some of their creatives. They do some pretty cool stuff. It was a bit of an unusual choice for us to go with them for our research piece of work, but I felt they had an understanding of consumers and more importantly, I felt as though Steve would help us drive towards two or three neat ideas that would

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $25,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February until April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t enabled or actioned some of the obvious decisions that came out of the research. The reason is th we were waiting for a new head of brand to join our business. That young lady joined us just last week. She’s now in place with the research piece and some of the suggestions in front of her. Since she’s new, I know we’ll end up activating on some of the proposals. It wasn’t research for research sake. We now have a deep understanding of what’s on our doorstep, and more importantly, some pretty neat ideas on how to move forward.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a week or so where it felt as though the process was a little clunky because Steve was relying on third party expertise. That only lasted a short period of time and they were back on track. The end product has been well worth the fees paid. We communicated via email and a couple of face-to-face meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a good appreciation of retail trends and consumer trends worldwide. Steve gets customer experience. If you had to put something at the heart of what they produce, it’s customer experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s been a form of acquisition of his business and he’s now part of a larger international business. He shouldn’t lose the individualism that makes him special in this field. He’s going to need a couple more people like himself to help him on the journey.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have personal, direct contact with Steve and his leadership team. Often creative agencies can be a bit faceless and communication can be lost through email or other mediums. We benefited from having Steve physically on site. He’s the type of individual that responds well when he’s in the room –personal contact is key.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Dominvs Group. We are a property development company, and we are the most active hotel developer in the U.K. at the moment with around 3,000 bedrooms in our pipeline.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We needed to bring differentiation to our offering and wanted to separate ourselves from our competition. Most of our work with The Yard Creative has been around branding, design, and helping us formulate offerings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with The Yard Creative on a recent proposal that we took to local government for a workspace concept that, if delivered appropriately, would allow us to gain much more extensive support on other elements of this development. We hope to introduce a large hotel in a prime location that is traditionally meant for offices. If we deliver this workspace concept well, then the local government will support us in that endeavor.

When we first engaged The Yard Creative, we spent time in the development area together and conducted an in-depth discovery session led by Steve (Founder, The Yard Creative). Several design workshops followed, which brought forth 50–60 hand-drawn logos and different ways of interpreting the name and connecting it with the local area. They eventually graduated to creating more visuals digitally, and we narrowed down our favorites. The Yard Creative was quite thorough and considerate of our ideas throughout that process.

What is the team composition?

In addition to Steve and his wife, we work alongside their head of design, some members of their marketing team, and one of their key illustrators. Two or three other people also work on our project, but I have less direct contact with them.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

I learned of The Yard Creative through a referral from a friend. I researched several other firms, but The Yard Creative was by far the best. They produce a trend newsletter every week to inform clients and reflect that their thinking is a little more advanced than some of the other agencies that pump out logos. They proved to be a better value for the money, as well, and I responded well to their attitude and love for their work.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent between $500,000–$1,000,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in February 2017 and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They produced a concept for a workspace that connects to a broader cultural movement that the city of London as a body is trying to propagate. I tasked The Yard Creative with creating a workspace concept, look, feel, and vibe that would tie into that and would make government officials, stakeholders, and institutional bodies get behind our development. The early returns are promising, as their brand work is front and center within our planning proposal.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate via phone calls and emails, and they’ve been very easy to get ahold of and work with. The Yard Creative has been very engaging and interactive with us. They often go above and beyond to stretch themselves to meet deadlines, which are subject to change.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They don’t overload themselves with clients so that they can bring keen insights to each project. The Yard Creative approached our project with a completely fresh mind after having never worked on creating a hotel brand before. They come across as people who are trying to do real work and aren’t trying to become a branding factory. They dig deep for their projects, and their approach to research sets them apart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they have been competent in every respect.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them as much information as you can, and don’t try to rush them. When they’re allowed to take their time, their work can make a huge difference.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the retail director for Quintain Limited, a property investment and development company.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We are developing a new neighborhood for London at Wembley Park, and we are bringing a whole mix of shops, restaurants, and leisure venues. Many of them are to be independent operators and entrepreneur SME businesses.

We were initially concerned that we would deal with entrepreneurs with great ideas that would create exciting and unique concepts but wouldn’t necessarily know how to turn them into polished retail spaces. We engaged The Yard Creative because we wanted someone who would act as a design custodian of our vision and principles to support the tenant to be able to articulate their concept.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial scope was to provide a three-level service which, at the basic level, was a review. Tenants would bring forward a design plan, and The Yard Creative would review and critique. The middle stage had a higher level of intervention, and the most complex level was to take on the design brief and create a concept. We relied on The Yard Creative from beginning to end—from the basic approval of the design to turnkey delivery.

We work with brands that have a fairly well-established proposition, which means we and The Yard Creative only have to make sure the designs are tweaked to fit the space. The majority of our engagement with The Yard Creative has been to work with the entrepreneur and develop a concept from their vision. Once the concept design is set, the entrepreneur appoints The Yard Creative on their individual basis to deliver the detailed design. They are currently working on three live projects.

What is the team composition?

Our primary account contact is Laurence (Director of Interiors, The Yard Creative), but we worked with a team of 4–5 in total, depending on the project.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

I worked for another company and came across Steve (Co-Founder, The Yard Creative) when he was designing kiosks in the mall. By coincidence, they had formed a partnership with our chief architect.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent between $100,000–$250,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from 2018–June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were vital in delivering our vision of creating something interesting for independent shops and restaurants. The Yard Creative has a way to help the occupier create spaces that work, that are affordable, and create a particular wow factor. They have been an excellent resource to bring it all to life.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We weren’t necessarily on time with the projects, but that is a factor of working with independents. The Yard Creative has proven they can create a structure that fits both the entrepreneur’s vision and our chosen direction as a developer. They have helped each client develop their brand. And in the event a tenant has come to us with a brand already, The Yard Creative has helped them enhance it. They went above and beyond the scope of the brief to help all tenants make the most of their brand.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the skills to listen to the story behind the brand and then visualize those with mood boards through a workshop.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they performed very well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As project managers, we tend to want things done linearly, but I learned to trust their process. The Yard Creative puts a lot more effort into the initial workshops and scoping, and as a client, we must have faith in what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’ve been the managing director of Savoir Beds, a luxury mattress brand since I brought the business in 1997. We have showrooms internationally and manufacture and export everything from the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We hired the Yard Creative to design showrooms. We needed a flexible team that would produce showrooms at a high quality and when we needed them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, their team visited some of our showrooms. We needed the design to evolve. Our team provided them with floor plans and photographs to give them an overall feel for the showrooms. They settled on a few iterations, and after we approved them, they went to produced fully worked architectural and shop drawings. The Yard Creative created a showroom manual to incorporate branding within our rooms across the globe. It is a template for our showrooms going forward. We also use the manual as a sales tool to attract new retailers.

What is the team composition?

I work with Steve (Co-Founder, The Yard Creative), Claire (Designer, The Yard Creative), and Laurence (Director of Interiors, The Yard Creative).

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

We spoke with four potential design companies. What we liked about the Yard Creative was their enthusiasm and the fact we’d be working with senior team members with experience in our sector. The Yard Creative has a combination of industry experience and sheer enthusiasm. With the other businesses we looked at, we thought we’d be lost in a larger organization.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around €50,000 (approximately $63,916 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with the Yard Creative in 2017, and the work is ongoing. Each new showroom is a project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve completed several showrooms in Berlin and Moscow. They’re currently working on one in the Harrods department store and another in Singapore. The Yard Creative is responsive, delivering on time and meeting deadlines.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

The Yard Creative exhibited an excellent project management style. We communicate mainly through email, and their team responds quickly. Their team sets their own deadlines. If we asked them to complete something, they'd answer with an exact completion date. If we need something right away, their team does their best to finish it on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their enthusiasm and work ethic. Their team works hard to make everything happen on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are none that I can think of. We’ve been happy with the Yard Creative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the customer experience director for a renowned food and retail firm, selling luxury teas biscuits, preserves, and food baskets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the Yard Creative?

We initially approached the Yard Creative to conduct research and provide customer insights for our various products. More recently, we re-engaged them to create the experience design for our food baskets, which is one of our core product lines. Customers typically buy them online due to the basket’s size and the fact they’re bought as gifts. However, we needed to be able to express them in a store environment in a way that optimized the available square footage.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, we’ve completed several projects with them. For the first project, they provided customer insights based on a series of experience design hypotheses that I had. This involved hosting workshops with various stakeholders and conducting stakeholder/customer interviews.

For our most recent project, they reimagined the experience design for our food baskets, demonstrating how to express the product in any retail environment. They determined the key design principles for the product so that, no matter the space, we could always include the most crucial elements and make the most of the square footage.

Although we had three spaces with specific dimensions, we didn’t want to hinder their design process by showing them the restrictions. Rather, we wanted three general sizes: a small, medium, and large option. In a perfect world with defined perimeters, how would the ideal experience design look? They identified those key design principles so that we could apply them in real scenarios and adjust them as necessary.

What is the team composition?

As the customer experience director, my main point of contact was one of their directors. I believe there were also 4–5 resources working behind the scenes, but I didn’t interact with them as much. The team evolved depending on the task at hand; for example, when we worked on some of the digital aspects, they assigned a user experience expert and moved them off the team once the task ended. The Yard Creative's flexibility was fantastic, and I appreciated their ability to blend skill sets throughout the project.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

I found the Yard Creative about a year after I joined my role. At the time, several research companies offered to monitor our statistics and trends to provide customer insights. However, that kind of insight can fall by the wayside without a clear understanding of the design intent. Ultimately, I went with the Yard Creative because I liked their creative approach.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first collaborated in 2014 for the customer insights and have been working together since then. The first phase of the experience design project for our food baskets lasted from March–June 2018. We’re planning to continue the second phase of the project sometime next year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Currently, we’re in the middle of building out the design materials and haven’t gone live yet. However, everyone on our side enjoyed the design process and found it refreshing. They loved the enthusiasm and passion that the Yard Creative brought to the table and were excited by their work. The team reinvigorated everyone’s focus around the product line so that we could see it through new eyes.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a robust approach to delivering projects and kept us on track. The team managed expectations upfront, oversaw the process, and remained adaptable where needed. In terms of communication, we coordinated via email, phone, WhatsApp, and in-person meetings. They were transparent about their progress and any potential delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have multiple creative agencies that work with us to provide designs for products, packaging, campaigns, communications, and digital experience. Compared to those vendors, the Yard Creative was able to think at a much higher level of technical detail. They provoked us to think differently and had a unique blend of physical design skills and a customer-centric experience process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing specific comes to mind. That’s not to say that everything was perfect, but we’re a small team with big ambitions. We gave them a big task without a lot of time nor access to resources to explore different options. As a result, we didn’t enable them to be more nuanced around commercial discussions that we were having. Considering the circumstances given, they did a good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the opportunity to use their imaginations and be challenged. If your brief is too narrow, and you have a very clear intent for your solution, then there are other vendors that can produce your ideas. However, if you’ve got a hypothesis or challenge that needs to be addressed, then talk to them and give them as broad an opportunity as you can to let them work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior merchandising manager at a large cosmetics and consumer beauty company. Within our global team, I manage the creation and installation of store fittings, shop in shops, and merchandising for multiple brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

Our aim was to create a disruptive in-store experience for one of the brands in our portfolio. The brand had been around for many years and needed a refresh in line with its new brand purpose and positioning. We wanted to bring a revolutionary marketing vision to a 3D reality in-store.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We shared a brief with them that outlined where we wanted to position ourselves, the challenges we face in different markets across the 80 countries we work in, different retailer requirements, etc. We asked them to come back to us with three or more ideas for each of two objectives. Over a three-week period, they took that information and developed a number of pitches for us. They also did their own independent research to understand more deeply who our consumer was and the right ways to approach them.

They pitched to us with a standard slide deck as well as what they called their book, which was a story of the way they’d approached the project, the research they’d done, as well as 3D visual concepts and proposals for graphics, artwork, positioning for text, etc. It gave us the whole picture of how the brand could be positioned, down to the different materials they’d explored for building the in-store designs.

We’re now in the middle of a 12-month development stage to build out their proposals, including prototypes and production.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is their managing director. There are a number of other people within the team across graphic design, architecture, and interior design.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

They were recommended to me by a colleague within the company who had worked with them. I’m not sure how she originally found them. she recommended them because they think outside the box and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. They told us that they only want to work on projects that are challenging, that are going to change direction or create something new. This was clear from the pitches they created as compared to the other vendors we looked at who took a more standard approach.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re thorough and strategic. When we make requests, they ask us questions about why we think that request will deliver for us. They force us to think about what will get us the results we want—based on the consumer research and sales data, rather than on existing strategies that we may have followed for 10 years but that don’t meet our needs. They focus on finding out what the consumer wants and creating experiences that will make us a return on investment. I’m confident that they’ll deliver on our financial goals.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re proactive and organized in their approach. They break the team into sub-teams to focus on specific projects so that they can fully immerse and focus on those projects. As they move forward, they bring in other teams as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They want to challenge the norms and the status quo. They want to work on projects that they see as groundbreaking and revolutionary. Other agencies I've worked with before have focused more on execution. If you don't give them every bit of information, they won't be able to come up with the right idea. The Yard Creative is able to take feedback but will push you to do something that’s different.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more willing to accept when something is not aligned with people’s interests within a large organization. Sometimes you need to let a particular direction go and focus on another one. That's also part of their uniqueness—wanting to drive forward what they truly believe will work. It’s not necessarily a negative but they may want to adapt the way they could work.