The Backbone

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the client training and development specialist at RAFI Microfinance, a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Backbone?

We needed a graphical and promotional content provider for the module content of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Backbone did the graphical and promotional content for our customers. We started by discussing our expectations for the task's look and feel with them. Consequently, we shared our customer's envisioning with them so they could arrange it and put life and colors in the module we're visualizing.

What is the team composition?

I had direct communication with a project manager from their team.

How did you come to work with The Backbone?

Our marketing team leader referred them to us because she had a previous good experience with them.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we've spent around $3,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–October 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received good feedback from clients because their promotional content and the graphics were very reader-friendly, considering our clients are an average of 30–40 years old. Overall, their output was great.

How did The Backbone perform from a project management standpoint?

We constantly communicated throughout the process with monthly checkpoint meetings to achieve the target timeline. Regarding tools, we used Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Messenger calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked that they had a dedicated person to manage our project who understood our vision and the purpose of the modules for our customers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I already suggested they cater to our requests for designs for other layouts.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be communicative and collaborative with them — communication is key. Even on weekends, they worked on our project because they wanted it to be successful. Moreover, answer their questions because you need to be progressive and reactive with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CoFounder of a creative agency for graphic design and photography.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Backbone?

I hired The Backbone company to complete graphic design (brochures, edms, markups) work for a large real estate client in Australia while I was on maternity leave. They also handled email communication to and from clients.

SOLUTION

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

I was recommended 'The Backbone' by a friend of mine who is also a designer.

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

I started sending The Backbone bits and pieces of work a few months before my maternity leave and copied them in on emails so they could understand the look and feel for my client so when it was time for my maternity leave they were familiar to create and communicate. They came up with Bespoke Themes for properties and applied to Markups, Brochure and Edms, sending to client for revision and making any adjustments clients required.

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

I worked with Frances who was very diligent and a great communicator.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were very professional, great communicators and always going above and beyond to get the job done on time!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was great at communicating and reliable, I was never left wondering if we would meet deadlines or not. English was also impeccable and had confidence with them communicating to my english speaking clients.

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

I was impressed with their flexibility and openness to learning new techniques for new requirements and opportunities I had.

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

I was really happy with The Backbone and will continue working with them for when I have an overflow of work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of AMOMA Clinic. We are a mental health clinic that provide services, particularly medication management via convenient and secure video conference appointments.

We provide in person and face to face appointments in Washington state and telehealth services in Florida State

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Backbone Company?

We hired The Backbone Company for company re-branding and two website redesigns to keep up with the changing needs of my clinic. They did research on the and incorporated that in the website including statistics for various mental health conditions I am treating.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Backbone Company and what were the deciding factors?

They were eager and enthusiastic to work with me. They were personable and made me feel comfortable.

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

Approx 2018, we started with rebranding- changing logo, business cards, website, research and whole do over Approx 2021, updated website.

The summary is short but in between are a series of web meetings. They were quick to respond, and they were considerate of the differences in time zone and my schedule. They considered the "idea in my head" and gave me options of their interpretation of what I want it to look and they made me choose

How many resources from The Backbone Company team worked with you, and what were their positions?

there were 3-5 people that worked with me in the 2 instances I worked with them

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

both instances, my patients report that the website is easy to navigate and had pertinent information that they can relate to

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

they are very succinct and coordinated. I felt my time was not wasted, and they considered my time.

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

the ideas are great... they are also great at capturing what I envisioned in my head that I cannot translate to words or pictures

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

None really

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Brik, a marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Backbone Company?

We needed help creating a brand from scratch for a client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by having a brainstorming session with The Backbone Company, where we talked about the client and their goals and brand. After this discovery phase, The Backbone Company did some brainstorming on their own and came back with a general direction. From there, we discussed their proposal, and they iterated on it twice based on our conversations. 

From there, they created a mood board and a Google Slides presentation for us to see their ideas visually. The team did follow-up presentations for each iteration and a final mood board showing different assets like colors and themes. After that, they went through 1–2 iterations of the final branding materials, including logos and a brand book. They also helped define the brand guidelines.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Frances (Designer) and another teammate from The Backbone Company. 

How did you come to work with The Backbone Company?

We found them through word of mouth. They had worked with mutual friends who were working on similar projects. The Backbone Company came up, and I liked their previous work, which fit with the direction I wanted to go with for this project. Additionally, the chemistry was there when we talked, so it made sense for us to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $2,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from June–August 2019. Even though we haven’t had any more projects, we still consult with each other.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of The Backbone Company’s work was great. Everything they did fit the messaging we’d created and what we were trying to accomplish with that brand. When we gave feedback, their adjustments were spot on. Even though our client’s brand marketing didn’t hit the mark, that had nothing to do with the team’s work. 

I really liked the way the team presented the brand, set up the mood, and laid it out so that the client and we could understand why they were making their decisions. They did an excellent job distilling down information in a way that made sense to us. Overall, working with The Backbone Company was a great experience, and they hit the mark. 

How did The Backbone Company perform from a project management standpoint?

We had no issues with their project management; they hit all the deadlines. We had weekly video calls, and they would send over a presentation so we could see their progress and what they were working on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with how The Backbone Company viewed challenges and approached design. The way they created things was unique. As a result, their visual output was fresh, friendly, and approachable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing they needed to improve jumped out at me. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give The Backbone Company as much artistic freedom as possible. Let them do their thing, and do your best not to stifle their creativity so they can work their magic.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive of Talking Stories

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Life story recording.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Backbone to accomplish?

• Brand identity
• Brand identity visuals

SOLUTION

How did you find The Backbone?

Online Search

Why did you select The Backbone over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from The Backbone were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The branding was for my new business that was in the process of establishing. The key deliverables were to finalise a logo, and the brand identity.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have a solid portfolio of brand visuals and an impressive brand kit.

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

Yes, they delivered on time. They were vigilant and quick to respond.

What was your primary form of communication with The Backbone?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed by their work and deliverables. They were prompt, and I'm really impressed with the assets.

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

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Your Story Immigration Consulting Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Canadian immigration consulting

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Backbone to accomplish?

• Branding

SOLUTION

How did you find The Backbone?

Referral

Why did you select The Backbone over others?

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

How many teammates from The Backbone were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

I asked The Backbone to conceptualize and create my brand. The company created a design package which included a logo, color scheme, font combinations, and ideas to grow my brand.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of deliverables and adherence to the timeline.

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

They delivered early which was great and they are very responsive. They very open to constructive feedback which made it easier and comfortable to share my vision of what my company would become.

What was your primary form of communication with The Backbone?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Part of their process is to understand the industry and what makes my company’s services stand out. This was incredibly helpful in creating the overall brand.

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

I am very satisfied with the service so I have none to say.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Start up founder

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Backbone Company, and what were your goals?

Our start up needed full branding services. We wanted to someone to translate our thoughts and imaginings into design.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found it through recommendations from different people in Cebu,philippines

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

The created our logo and color scheme. They created our taglines. They helped us zero in on our target audience. They were very thorough.

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

We dealt mainly with Em S..

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right now our start up is in preparation for launch. We have 2M in seed funding and ready to go.

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

They were very thorough. They brought structure and discipline to our very "rough" ideas at that time. They took care of everything that we didnt need to worry too much on follow ups and deadlines. We were able to focus on developing our trchnology and prototype.

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

They commit to the project and they see it through. They seem like they genuinely care about our success and our project. It seemed like we werent a transaction to them. And we appreciated that alot.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager of novoMOF AG. We are a technology company in the field of advanced materials with a focus on the production and commercialization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Backbone Company, and what were your goals?

We needed help with developing Brand Guidelines for our company. These guidelines aim to ensure that our brand is communicated consistently to our target audience on all our channels of communication.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found 10 companies online. Once we interviewed and received proposals, we went with TBC because of their skills, expertise, communication and price point.

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

Brand Guidelines to include:

• Logo
• Font
• Color Palette
• Imagery
• Business Cards
• 3D Brand Mascot

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

I worked directly with their Co-creator.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

By implementing the new brand guidelines, we can promote a uniquely recognizable brand identity to stand out from competitors, and remain memorable in the minds of our customers.

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

We had regular meetings, but also we communicated regularly over email. Feedback was implemented in time, and they also finished the work in the expected timeline.

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

Their out-of-the-box thinking and creative approach in developing the 3D brand mascot were amazing!

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

Nothing! It was a pleasure working with Emem.