Brandman Design

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Novative, a Polish construction company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brandman Design Co.?

I was looking to start my own company and knew that the digital space was necessary for marketing. I was looking for someone to create a logo and identify for the company.

The main challenge was that I needed to find more customers. Most of the work I do is based on referrals. We needed branding, social media marketing, and web development services. We knew everything needed to be prepared before launch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first went to Brandman Design Co. for logo design. They then introduced us to the ideas of brand strategy, developing customer profiles, and finding our target audience. We had 2–3 days of meetings, talking about how to define the attributes of the company and the clients we were looking for. After that, we tackled brand identity.

Their team created several logo suggestions, and we picked the one we thought would be the most functional. We then developed the fonts, typography, and color scheme. They created business cards and stationery.

After this, we started working on the website. Their team helped find us a domain, set up the company email addresses, and offered hosting. We discussed what the pages needed to have and look like, and they created its architecture. Their team built the wireframes, and we created the site step by step.

During the engagement, I felt that they could even help with social media marketing by setting up our accounts and posting.

What is the team composition?

All my communication was with Marcin (CEO), and I know he had a team helping him.

How did you come to work with Brandman Design Co.?

We’re based in a small city, and we knew a few companies that could help. We also asked friends and family for their advice. We thought we’d give Brandman Design Co. a try for the logo design because of their past project experience.

We had a meeting with Marcin, and I didn’t feel like he was trying to upsell us. Marcin showed us what to do and when, and let me choose between delegating the work to them or having them teach us how to do it. I really liked that about Brandman Design Co.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$14,000 so far, but we expect the whole project to be around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Brandman Design Co. around March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was finished by the end of March, but we still need to post pictures of my previous works on it. Despite not having a lot of content on the site, we’ve had some visitors.

We’re still launching the company, doing all of the paperwork. We’ve shared the new business cards with local contacts, and I’ve shown all the designs to my previous boss. We’ve received 2–3 contracts, and I’d count that as a success. We’ve posted some content on Instagram and Facebook, and we’ve received some traffic through that.

How did Brandman Design Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of our meetings are through Zoom. We knew upfront how long each stage would take, and they stuck to the schedule. After each task was done, we set up a meeting. Our timeline for the website and brand identity was about two months, but they were finished after one.

After the initial meetings, they gave me access to a portal where I could see what they’re doing in more detail, and they sent us a presentation where the whole process was explained. I was happy with the communication.

They created a mood board with type sets for the logo creation, explaining the different directions we could take. For example, if we wanted to be bold and energetic, we had one image to use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It felt like I was working with a friend. That made the entire engagement easy to answer difficult questions about what I wanted visually. If I didn’t know the answer, they would guide me, and we’d find an answer together.

At the beginning of the collaboration, they told me our engagement would be like visiting the doctors’ office. I should tell them what’s wrong, and we’d find a solution together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing on my mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to treat them like friends rather than a business. It’s much easier to find answers having coffee with a friend.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I host a cultural & historical tour in New York called the CubaNYC Experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brandman Design Co.?

The project was building a brand identity. The services Brandman provided were brand research & strategy, merchandising, design, & marketing collateral.

What were your goals for this project?

To create an identity for the CubaNYC Experience that consumers would recognize and that I could sell products based upon.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I first heard of Brandman Design in a Facebook group created by a famed entrepreneur. I began speaking with Marcin and telling him about my business needs, and he said his company was more than capable of addressing them. After seeing samples of his work, I was sold very quickly.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The project took place entirely through Skype calls. We had a short strategy session where we discussed my business goals, challenges, developed brand attributes, voice & tone and created two customer profiles.

Based on these profiles, Brandman was able to craft my brand identity, including my company logo and some print collateral such as

• business cards
• a guide ID card
• my letterhead
• a poster
• three t-shirt designs

I contributed feedback along the way and spoke to what I wanted the brand to feel like.

What was the team composition?

For this project I worked only with Marcin, the CEO. We had multiple strategy sessions to discuss needs via Skype.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The main measure of success was my booking rate. Since utilizing Brandman to build a brand identity, my bookings have increased threefold.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very streamlined and turnaround times were very fast. Brandman internalized feedback and iterated quickly and effectively.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team communicated better than any other company I've worked with in the past. The service was white glove, and I could always get in touch with Marcin personally if necessary.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly I thought Brandman did a stellar job. I felt that I received premium service for a less than premium price.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Woko Loco, a restaurant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brandman Vision?

I wanted to get more sales by engaging Instagram followers and building more trust with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brandman Vision built our Instagram site and strategy. It was very simple; they created guidelines for using Instagram to effectively grow our audience in order to bring the restaurant more sales. 

Based on my values and purpose, we adjusted our Instagram strategy, including how we post, communicate with followers, and do daily tasks to increase that following and engage with the audience. 

What is the team composition?

I work with Marcin (CEO, Brandman Vision).

How did you come to work with Brandman Vision?

Marcin reached out to me via LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $1,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in September 2019. I plan to engage them to work on my website, but I’m waiting on some things to happen first.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brandman Vision’s work gave us more clarity and structure as to how we should manage our Instagram. We have grown our followers a lot. Marcin did a very clever three-part strategy to engage with customers and followers, and it’s working. We’ve seen people in the store mention the promotion we’re launching in an organic way. They like the consistency of the content we’re posting. 

How did Brandman Vision perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp. Marcin was very responsive. He was always available, unless he was sleeping.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Marcin was professional and creative. Everything he delivered was structured. His thought process was very clear, and he was very good at understanding my vision and putting it on paper. He was also very creative and knowledgeable about what was trending in the marketing industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing to improve upon.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear and concise about what you want. The clearer you are, the better job they can do for you.