Armeanu Creative Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Secretary General of Negative Emissions Platform

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Carbon dioxide removals industry association 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Armeanu Creative Studio to accomplish?

• Create a new brand that connects investors with the global Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) community.

SOLUTION

How did you find Armeanu Creative Studio?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Armeanu Creative Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Armeanu Creative Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The project aimed to create a visual identity that identifies high quality opportunities for the finance community to interact with the Carbon dioxide removals (CDR) industry. CDR finance events are currently not coordinated and give the impression that our sector is disorganised. The project aims to present the CDR community to the finance community as much more professional and organised than it has appeared until now. The brand will be associated with carefully chosen events, with a view, over time, to developing a well-recognised mark of quality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just wanted a brand that our team felt was going to be successful, without any objective metrics.

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

Armeanu took a highly structured approach to understanding our needs. Once this was done they aligned with us on a high level, and then produced some examples as straw men. We commented on the examples in detail, and then they refined and presented a final product that was tweaked slightly subsequent to our final feedback. This was all done very quickly (3 weeks).

What was your primary form of communication with Armeanu Creative Studio?

Virtual Meeting

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

They combined creativity with use of AI.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Armeanu Creative Studio could have done differently?

No, we were really very impressed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Interbrands Orbico

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Leading Romanian Distribution and Logistic Services Provider

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Armeanu Creative Studio to accomplish?

• Rebranding and repositioning of a personal care product

SOLUTION

How did you find Armeanu Creative Studio?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Armeanu Creative Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Armeanu Creative Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Brand Creation: 

1. Brand Creation Strategy 
   1. brand discovery workshop 
   2. branding strategy development 
2. Brand Identity Creation
   1. design style boards
   2. visual identity 
   3. brand manual 
   4. Brand Development and Assistance in brand implementation 
3. Packaging Design
   1. brand architecture design development
   2. packaging design development by sku

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Final proposal met the brief with excellence 
• High consumer acceptance of the proposed brand repositioning

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

Excellent project management On time submissions of expected deliverables Professional team with great strategic thinking, collaboration, listening skills, brainstorming ability, summary of key learnings and translation into the branding/repositioning work, working with discipline to deliver on the expectations

What was your primary form of communication with Armeanu Creative Studio?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were a professional, structured, and strategic team with great design capabilities, leading to excellent results

Are there any areas for improvement or something Armeanu Creative Studio could have done differently?

I recommend including consumer research studies into the design qualification process from the beginning. Very often consumers are driven by completely different motivators versus the marketer's / designers assumptions, especially in niche categories.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of Concept Beauty Distribution

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Distributor for cosmetics and tools in professional hair care industry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Armeanu Creative Studio to accomplish?

• Create new brand architecture
• Naming for a new brand in cosmetics industry

SOLUTION

How did you find Armeanu Creative Studio?

Online Search, Other

Why did you select Armeanu Creative Studio over others?

High ratings, Great culture fit, Good value for cost, Referred to me, Other

What was the size of Armeanu Creative Studio’s team?

2-5 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with Armeanu Creative Studio?

In-Person Meeting, Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

1. Brand creation strategy.
2. Brand identity creation
3. Brand applications.

Key deliverables: Agency organized a workshop for brand discovery involving various persons from different departments, has developed the branding strategy (competitors analysis, definition of key TG, definition of key elements such as : brand promise, mission, vision, values, principles, identity, brand positioning), afterwards has conceived visual directions.

For the creation of brand identity, agency delivered naming proposals, design logo and brand manual, including all the definitions of brand architecture elements. for the brand applications, agency provided branding for social media, and design for packaging layouts and also design for off line communication.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Quality of deliverables from the agency: deep dive approach of creating the branding strategy and delivering the brand architecture
• Distinctiveness and uniqueness of brand identiy from logo to design of packaging layout

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

Armeanu agency has handled the project delivering on the expectations. All the elements were delivered qualitetively and in due time. they provided client service also regarding the process of trade mark registration which was quite welcome support.

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

Flexibility in way of work, taking onboard and understanding client's needs, know how and expertise regarding brand creation process, friendly approach

Are there any areas for improvement or something {provider_name} could have done differently?

-

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner a distribution company in Romania, specialized in gaming and IT products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Armeanu Creative Studio, and what were your goals?

We studied the possibility to develop our own brand since many years and in 2019 we felt it was the right time to do so. We hired Armeanu Studio for fully developing the branding image of Aqirys.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed several companies and we really liked the speed, ideas and conciseness of Armeanu Studio. And they offered a very competitive price, too. We also liked the fact that they were rather small company, and thus a lot more focused on their projects.

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

Once everything was agreed we had a very long interview with them where they tried to find out as much as possible about us and what were our ideas and goals for the new brand. They understood that we only had just a name and a tag line and they had to design everything from start: logo + symbol, communication idea, marketing materials, website design, help with product boxes design, etc.

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

Since the company was just 2 people, we all worked together very closely.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our brand has grown organically and has been very well received by the market. Consumers are impressed by the brand appearance, retail boxes, the message we transmit. We have managed to enter in retail, too and right now Aqirys is an important key player in Romanian gaming market and in GFK charts.

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

While the brand was in development we have kept very close contact with the Studio, having many fruitful meetings in our office. We really appreciated their disposal to come to our office and discuss in detail everything. All deadlines were met and they were always available for discussions.

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

We liked a lot their involvement, it was like this was their project, not ours. You could see they enjoyed working on it and I think this is why it was very successful. It was a pleasure to work with a team that is very enthusiastic about their work. Another bonus point is that they had good knowledge about the gaming industry, and this helped a lot in the branding process.

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

We were satisfied with everything, I think is harder to maintain a high standard than to improve on something.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the operational director of Sports Fields company. The company has more than 20 years of experience in the maintenance and construction of sport pitches for professional football and rugby.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Armeanu Creative Studio, and what were your goals?

Our company collaborated with Armeanu Creative Studio for a full rebranding of the company.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found 3 companies online. We talked with all of them, saw their projects, costs and read reviews.

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

After we made a workshop and decided on the direction we will go, Armeanu Creative Studio made our logo, presentation website, layer for offers and advertisement materials.

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

We collaborated with 2 persons

• Ana A. Founder & Branding Strategist
• Catalin A. Founder & Brand Designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to this project our company has a new and fresh look. Our brand has a well determined image and it is more attractive for the public.

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

We had a workshop for deciding the direction for the brand. After 2 weeks we had a meeting with 3 different logos and directions for the brand. After we decided which one, it took 3 weeks for all the materials to be ready and implemented.

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

The implication and the professional approach regarding each detail of the project. They managed to understand our mentality and perception of the company and created a perfect image of them.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and manager of Bullet Advertising, a digital marketing agency specialised in SEO services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Armeanu Creative Studio, and what were your goals?

We wanted to sustain our growth with a better visual identity that would contribute to a better positioning on the Romanian market. We needed a consistent visual identity that would line up all the materials we use in client engagement: website, proposal and monthly reports.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They contacted us first for SEO services. Our collaboration turned to a friendship relation based on trust and mutual respect.

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

At first they did a brand audit to better understand our workflow and our needs. After identifying the problems we were facing they came up with practical solutions to fill the gaps:

• better use of colours, fonts, iconography
• visual identity
• branded and restructured documents: proposals, company presentation, monthly reports
• tone of voice and messaging
• client engagement speech consultation

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

We worked with 2 persons: Anna did the brand audit and Catalin was in charge of design and implementation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new identity of our brand helped us engage better, bigger clients. We managed to increase our budgets with 40% in the next year. The well structured brand identity motivated us to improve our internal management and client engagement.

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

First of all I want to show my appreciations for their communication skills and ability to understand the problems we were facing. They are really open to hearing us out; transparent and direct. Their workflow is well structured: understanding the problems through a discovery workshop, diagnosing, identifying solutions and implementing them through strategy and design. Their strategic approach of the design services is the key to optimal results that proved to be working.

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

They are open, transparent and very meticulous. There are a lot of talented designers out there, but they combine creativity with strategic thinking; this is what I think makes the stand out on the market. I appreciate their ability to empathize in a non-cold ''corporate only'' manner, like the vast majority does.

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

I can't identify any weak spots.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager of a company that owns several restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Armeanu Creative Studio, and what were your goals?

I have been working with Armeanu Creative Studio for about 3 years since I have been employed in this company. From the first project and the objectives proposed then, along the way we have addressed and developed new concepts. The main goal was to create love brands in the food industry.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found this company online. They have convinced us since the first meeting.

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

The process begins by gathering all the necessary information in the creation of a brand in order to understand its mission and values. Their working strategy is very well thought out, a strategy that helped us to point out every defining detail in this process.

It always proposes more concepts, giving us the freedom to choose what we think fits best, while also supporting their point of view, with all the necessary argumens.

The solutions rejected were also rethought with openness and patience. So that in the end, each brand manual will consistently convey the brand identity in communication to audiences.

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

We worked directly with the owners, Ana and Catalin.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a marketing representant, the image of the company and implicitly of each brand has been greatly improved, from the perception of the online environment to the physical location, feedback we receive every day from our customers. Result of the brand strategy adopted.

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

Today the technology allows us to meet every time we need, no matter where we are, which has helped us greatly in this process. Meetings were scheduled whenever needed to meet our goals.

They are very organized and attentive to detail. They take into account the views of the whole team and more, they come with feedback from their industry benchmark group. The execution deadlines were exactly as they promised and the materials were made available to us every time we needed them.

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

Their creativity is very great and also adaptability to every project regardless of the field.

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

With this ability to adapt, I guess not. They are the best!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and CEO of a food production company, with activities spanning from farming to restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Armeanu Creative Studio, and what were your goals?

Our collaboration with Armeanu Creative Studio spans for a few years. We have started with the creation of two new lines of business a new gelato brand - Cream Tailors and a food truck business -Pofta sau Foame. The gelato business has started and the food truck business turned into a 900+ seat beer hall - also with the help of Armeanu Creative Studio.

Due to the COVID situation our project evolved into a full blown Ghost Kitchen operation in which we developed all of our brands from zero with Armeanu Creative Studio. Armeanu Creative Studio had the the task of researching market competitors, coming up with possible names, brand positioning as far as tone of voice, type of attitude, etc; packaging materials, employer branding, online marketing materials, etc. Basically a complete brand from A-Z. All delivered in brand books.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through research and referrals. Based on this we had a meeting to further explore what they had done for other clients, their method of work, and our compatibility with their team.

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

To start, they started working with our team. They had a very methodic framework and extreme attention to details regarding what we wanted and how we saw things regarding each brand. They made sure we understood each question and each aspect of what was aimed through these long process of interviewing us. They made visits in in location and interacted with our staff but also with our clients.

There was a lot of analysis that went into every aspect of our deliverables that involved our own assessment of the situation, but also their professional view of how they saw things. They presented a few different options regarding logo and positioning. Each option had many visuals and many different ways of being presented. Each was presented in detail to all of our team and discussed at length with us. All of our feedback was reincorporated in maybe other options or adaptations of what we wanted.

This by no means means that Catalin Armeanu Studio did not make sure their professional point of view was clear and very well explained, so to make sure that all correct and relevant information was known and incorporated in the project. Deliverables were finalised once all possible subjects regarding a brand were exhausted and after all of our team members were satisfied with the results.

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

We worked directly with the owners and all of their team - being as different things were done by different people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Regarding Pofta sau Foame. Even though this project was initially meant to be a food truck project, we had an oportunity to rebrand one of our locations and we decided to reposition the brand. With the help of Armeanu Creative Studio, we redid part of the branding and position of the brand. We redesigned the whole location and turned into a new Pofta sau Foame beer hall - in line with our initial work. Today the location is the most successful location in the most touristic town in Romania.

Likewise, compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019 when the location was not rebranded, today in 2021, comparing like for like - meaning the months with no restrictions in 2021 with the same months in 2019, we have over 220% growth in sales volumes. Regarding overall sales we have over 12% growth 2021 vs 2019 even though we were highly restricted from January to June.

These results are due to a full on rebranding and repositioning of the location - a lot of it with Armeanu Creative Studio. All of our location, from outdoor to indoor, employees, online visuals, packaging materials, all types of materials have been done with them. It is an ongoing process, and we are always working on this location with them. This is one of the most successful brands in our Ghost Kitchen operations - being a top 5 player in delivery in our town - while being the newest entry on this market.

2. Cream Tailors - Our first locations opened this year. We had a long process of adaptation and re-adaptation with this brand. A lot of minor but significant details were added through the process of developing the recipes. We had great success with this brand and it is the one brand and concept we love the most.

3. Ghost Kitchen brands - we have started launching our delivery-only brands. They are very well received, all of the them being in top 3 in their individual categories.

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

They are very hands on and extremely attentive to all collaboration details. We had regular meetings - before COVID more face-to-face; after a lot of ZOOM meetings. These meetings were set up depending on the complexity of the project and also the rush that something needed to get done. During certain periods we had daily meetings, other periods maybe weekly.

A lot depended on processes that we had to finish in our regular business to make sure we can move forward They are highly involved in understanding the business and making sure they do not miss details - so besides independent research that they do, they have a lot of analysis interviews in our organisation plus visits in location to understand the different processes. In our collaboration, they never missed a dead-line.

To aid the process, they always send different materials meant to ease the decision making process. We communicate mostly through whatsapp groups, created for different projects, where all decision factors that are involved in a certain project are there. All these discussions and decisions are then reconfirmed through e-mail chains for each project. Likewise, they have set up a google file sharing organised for each project so we can all follow progress.

One extra thing, which has always been an issue for us, they are the only company we worked with, that would not only not get offended if we second guessed ourselves and wanted to reopen and change or reanalyse a project that was considered finalised, but created an environment that encouraged discussion and even changing what was initially finalised if the new context so imposed.

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

Their ability to learn and go into very deep knowledge of the specific industry we work in and the specific products we were branding. Also, we believe their unique approach to extracting what we actually want from a project was absolutely impressive - as it seems fail-proof. I can say that it worked and quite a few brands we developed together. Also, we were impressed with their ability to always deliver on-time high quality work.

As a side-note, we are not an easy to please client, we have worked with 2 different companies before them.

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

All issues that might have needed improvement have been discussed with them through time and any minor improvements that needed to be done on both sides were done. At the moment - after a few years of collaboration, our partnership is the best it has ever been - and we believe it will hold this way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a family business, a dental clinic located in central Bucharest, with a different approach, helping our clients to feel relaxed, in a friendly environment. Our team is young and joyful. I am the founder and main Dentist.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Armeanu Creative Studio?

We were in need of rebranding and a new website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was targeting a new audience and increasing our prices. Due to Covid restrictions we had the chance to plan an interior redesign of our clinic and we wanted to make a significant improvement. This is why we went for the rebranding project.

SOLUTION

How did you select Armeanu Creative Studio?

We found them on the first position in Google, searching for a branding agency. We really liked their style.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We thought that all we need are some good looking posters in the clinic, a brochure, business cards and an outdoor banner. Our collaboration started with a 3 hour workshop where we explored the brand attributes, our vision and mission, talked about our target audience, our competitors and what makes us different and special. We never thought that branding is so complex, being the first time we go through such a process.

Two weeks after, they came with a strategy that defined our brand in the smallest details and helped us realize that we need to reposition ourselves on the market in order to stand out.

They did an amazing job explaining everything. The process is really fun and mind opening. They proposed a total rebranding that included changing our name. The new brand looks really fresh and young, sending positive vibes. It really represents us. The project included logo design, brand book, a few posters, a brochure with our services, business cards and the website.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Ana and Catalin, a very nice and talented couple.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had only positive feedback from our clients, regarding our new look and feel. We reached a new audience, which allowed us to increase our prices, being the purpose of this investment. It all feels like a fresh start.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

First of all, they are really nice people to talk to; very calm and communicative. They asked a lot of questions, wanting to know all the problems that we were facing. They are very well organized. We liked the strategic approach of the creative process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We like their involvement. We felt like they were part of our team, understanding and embracing our values.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I really think they do an amazing job.