CHALLENGE Studio

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am PR and branding specialist working at Rage Quit Games, mobile games developer from Poland, specializing in creating graphically advanced online games.

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

Rage Quit Games has grown by about 40 employees over the past year, and one of the main problems in recruiting has been the company's low visibility in the market. One of the ways we solved this challenge was to prepare a new visual identity that strongly distinguished us from our competitors.

How did you select this vendor?

We found several companies whose portfolios met our expectations. The choice fell on Challange because of their experience in projects for other companies in the game industry and the quality of the work done so far.

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

The work was divided into several stages including design thinking workshops with key employees of our company, during which we defined the challenges, needs and expectations of Rage Quit Games in relation to the new identity.

First we worked on a new company logo, where during the process we initially based on moodboards prepared by Challange based on the workshops, and then we got 5 logo proposals. The next step was to prepare key visuals for the new identity and here, too, the process was similar. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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

I worked directly with the company owner and project manager.

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

We are currently working on implementing a new identity for the company. Partially it has already been consulted with external partners and PR agencies that we work with on a daily basis. In each case we received very positive feedback and assurance that the new logo meets our basic assumptions - it strongly distinguishes us from our competitors.

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

Communication with Challange in my opinion was exemplary from the beginning. We received very accurate and specific pricing and a work schedule. We were provided with a communication tool (teamwork), all changes in the project and next steps were consulted during Skype calls.

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

The most impressive thing about working with Challange was the ease with which the company was able to find its way in the complicated world of games and they present such creatives that met our expectations and at the same time were not cliché.

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

The only challenge was working during a pandemic and not being able to meet live. This is not the contractor's fault, but I think it would have made the process even more efficient.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Chief architects on the investor's side. ReShape is an innovative, user-centric fitness and wellness facility located in Zabrze, Poland.

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

The ReShape project involved revitalization of the post-industrial area and designing a new interior both of which were done by me. CHALLENGE Studio was responsible for brand design covering naming, visual identity, web design and print materials. The goal was to design modern and professional visual identification that will go along business and architectural concept (Gym / wellness facility where a person is transformed / reshaped).

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for local companies in Silesia and CHALLENGE was the best of them.

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

The story of this place dates over a hundred years back. In the 20th century it used to be a part of thriving meat processing facility "MAĆKO". At the very beginning of the 21st century the company declared bankruptcy and from that moment the slow process of the area's degeneration begun. In 2021 the area became a property of MULTUS company. New owners decided to breathe a new life into an old, derelict space. Due to their deep interest in sports and fitness they have decided to transform a significant part of the area into a place which launched in 2012 as the most innovative widely available fitness and wellness facility in Poland.

The investor teamed up with me and CHALLENGE to develop a long-term revitalization plan that would the initial vision. My task was to create a design which would incorporate new functions into existing urban tissue and give it a new character. The goal was achieved by interlacing heavy and solid industrial elements such as pillar grid, ceiling joists and roof construction with light, delicate and round elements inspired by a curled sheet of paper. Warm colour scheme refers to both brand strategy as well as original interiors of the meat processing facility.

CHALLENGE Studio was invited in order to design a name and visual identification system which would appropriately represent the brand in physical and digital space. After initial exploration of concepts CHALLENGE decided to emphasize the transformation road theme due to its presence across every level of the project. After accepting the name (ReShape) proposed by CHALLENGE, the designers from this studio started work on: logo, key visual, dozens marketing materials and finally UX and UI design of our website.

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

The CHALLENGE team consisted of project manager, art director, copywriter, brand designer and UX/UI designer.

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

Since the lunch of ReShape we won plenty of awards in architectural, design and digital competitions. Not only brand image designed by CHALLENGE was top-notch, but it helps to get international recognition.

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

Communication was flawless, not only because of the fact that CHALLENGE Studio office is in the neighbour city. Project manager Iwona was always available and took care of our interests well. We have used: - phone calls and skype for quick chats - Active Collab for overall project organization

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

Creativity. We were impressed and convinced that we made the right choice from the moment we saw the proposed name and first projects.

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

We wish the whole project could take less time but in the same time we knew how big a deal it was.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chairman at BNI Global Chapter, an international business organization chapter.

What challenge were you trying to address with CHALLENGE Studio?

We needed help with brand design.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at CHALLENGE Studio made a brochure presenting our company. They did the graphics for our Facebook, using the content that we provided. They also designed our logo.

They’re also working on our PowerPoint project, which will be finished this month.

What is the team composition?

We work with Dawid (Owner), a project manager, and a designer.

How did you come to work with CHALLENGE Studio?

Someone recommended them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €10,000 (approximately $12,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with CHALLENGE Studio started in January 2021.

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

We’re an organization that associates with about 40 companies. We’re not sure if all the work that they did will give us extra money and promote our chapter. As a chapter, we earned an extra 40 million zloty (approximately $10 million USD). The whole chapter earned more.

It’s not only the promotion of our chapter but all the work we’re doing as a chapter by meeting new companies and organizing the meetings. The quality of work is very high, and it was done perfectly. It’s premium quality and service that we’re delighted by.

How did CHALLENGE Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication is great. We’ve had face-to-face contact, telephone calls, and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The design is very nice. As we considered all the work that they’re doing, this is something that’s extraordinary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As we consider our Polish background, they’re more expensive than other firms. But you do pay higher prices for a very good service.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Everything is great. I can’t say anything bad about cooperating with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for a web hosting company that’s growing and expanding around Europe. We’re one of the bigger web hosting companies in Poland.

What challenge were you trying to address with CHALLENGE Studio?

The project itself was small but very important for our organization. It was a milestone in our transformation into a new brand. As a new web hosting company, we have taken over many competitors and their brands.

It happened that we had 12 to 15 brands, but it was a lot to organize. We decided that one first is stronger than five fingers, so we wanted to join the brands together and develop one strong brand instead of 12 or 15 weaker brands.

We went to CHALLENGE Studio, and we had all the key visuals and naming, but our main challenge was designing our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was more of a workshop project, and the result was the initial set of two or three lo-fi views. At our scale, with over 100,000 customers, it was a big issue for us to design a good website because there were different segments of customers from the competitors we took over with different needs. It was rather challenging for us, so we decided to go for external support in the field of user experience.

We wanted to have lo-fi views of the UX design. They designed every page of the website and every element of that page, along with the elements' order. It was difficult because there were dozens of pages because we had a lot of information we wanted to share with our customers. This phase was small but effective. We had a workshop during which they taught us how to think about the user experience, designing the website, and the tools we needed.

They gave us an initial push into this thinking about web design, which was very useful. With only very little help from CHALLENGE Studio, we could design all the pages that we wanted by ourselves.

Once we had a set of 30 or 40 pages with these lo-fi views prepared, it was pretty solid documentation to go to another agency and create the final graphic design and then process it further.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Dawid (CEO) as my main contact. He also involved two of his colleagues in the workshop. There were a few subcontractors and agencies involved in this whole project.

How did you come to work with CHALLENGE Studio?

I asked a few friends if they knew of a good agency for web and UX design. CHALLENGE Studio was recommended to me by a friend who is in the SEO world.

How much have you invested with them?

I can’t remember the exact moment, but it was less than $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them in August 2019. It took maybe two or three weeks.

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

Without CHALLENGE Studio’s help, we would have spent a lot more time designing these pages and figuring out how to design them by ourselves. They taught us exactly how to do it and shared their experience with us. They showed us some mistakes we made initially and then how we could avoid these mistakes in the future. It was a fruitful workshop.

We had a small phase at the beginning of the project. The website itself is pretty big, and it has some unique tools. It felt like a better choice to go with another agency for graphic design. I think it might’ve been disappointing for CHALLENGE Studio, but they didn’t hold a grudge, and they are very comfortable with us.

In the following months, their team was happy to see the final result. They congratulated us and said it was a great project and that they were happy to be a part of it. They recommend us as a web hosting provider to their customers and friends. I took two or three calls from people, and Dawid had recommended us to them.

Right now, we have a very warm relationship. It was a very nice experience. I thought they wouldn’t be as eager to recommend us when we chose someone else, but it wasn’t that way.

How did CHALLENGE Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We had one big meeting, and then the rest was done remotely. For communication, we used email to exchange documents. We had phone calls, two or three Skype calls and used Facebook Messenger for smaller pieces of information.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team has great UX competencies and knowledge. They were good at teaching us. They didn’t just give us results, but they taught us to think about design and UX. This educational value was a pretty big piece of the result itself.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard to say. After speaking with Dawid, my first impression was very, very good, and the result of the workshop we did with them was also very good.

Their graphic design skills are very good. Both CHALLENGE Studio and the one we chose for the graphic design are beautiful, but it is very subjective. It doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t recommend CHALLENGE Studio as a design studio. The other agency we chose was just better suited for this project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

CHALLENGE Studio designs are very beautiful, and I think they are great. I would recommend everyone talk to them, give them a chance, and see if they like the design. They are very professional.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm CEO of Fooz - Rock Solid WordPress Agency. We’ve implemented over 100 websites based on WordPress CMS for clients from all over Europe.

For what projects/services did your company hire CHALLENGE Studio?

We worked with Challenge Studio for our client who needed to refresh their website, which was implemented 6 years ago. We were looking for graphic agency able to deliver creative and interesting web design. Their portfolio convinced us that they are a good choice for this task.

What were your goals for this project?

When choosing the Challenge Studio for this particular project, we were looking for original design, which will stand out from the competition and meet customer’s requirements at the same time. The main objective for the agency was to combine creative design with company values in subject to convey information in an interesting and simple way.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for the company through Clutch.co. I found three agencies with interesting background and portfolios. Then, I’ve sent a message with a short brief describing the project, guidelines and asked for a high level estimation on effort and a quote.

The response from Challenge Studio was very quick, and their creative process suited our needs and vision. We’ve set up a meeting to talk about every aspect of the site, which confirmed my belief that Challenge Studio will be a good choice.

Describe the project in detail.

After estimation acceptance, we processed the contract. During the next, workshop phase, we’ve discussed the project thoroughly. Next, Challenge Studio delivered wireframes and first mockups, on the agreed date.

The next step for Challenge Studio was to prepare final web design based on accepted mockups. This phase took around 2-3 weeks, which was fine for us. We had a couple of comments to the design, which were implemented during the week.

What was the team composition?

While implementing the project with Challenge Studio we’ve cooperated with Project Manager and Graphic Designer. The communication in a whole was swift and professional.

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

The client was so satisfied with the implementation of the website and design itself that he recommended us to an another company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Challenge studio has set up a schedule, which gave us an opportunity to plan our work carefully. We were using tools like Trello in order to keep communication and general workflow on required level. We were very satisfied with both.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The biggest advantage of Challenge Studio is the quick and efficient communication. They think outside the box with a can-do attitude.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At the moment, I can’t think of any areas to improve. We can recommend Challenge Studio as a trusted business partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for a software company.

What challenge were you trying to address with CHALLENGE Studio?

We needed someone to develop our website and give a fresh perspective on our goals. In addition to that, we wanted to generate new leads and conversions.

What was the scope of their involvement?

CHALLENGE Studio designed and developed our website using WordPress. The frontend was developed using HTML.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the owner as well as a copywriter, designer, and developer.

How did you come to work with CHALLENGE Studio?

They were recommended by a colleague.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September–December 2019.

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

Our users now spend more time on the website. They also provided feedback that the platform is user-friendly on mobile, which was one of our original goals.

How did CHALLENGE Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The development took longer than expected by a few weeks. It wasn’t perfect, but overall, we feel good about the product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

CHALLENGE Studio conducted research on what our target customer would need. They had a good vision of our goals as well as good ideas for concept.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on accelerating development time. Unfortunately, they weren’t as fast as we had expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise them to be open to CHALLENGE Studio’s suggestions and to read the contract carefully. Make sure to cooperate with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at a game publishing company in Poland. My role is player support, but I also do some work on our website.

What challenge were you trying to address with CHALLENGE Studio?

We wanted to create a really nice website to represent our company at the highest level.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a custom website for us from scratch, starting with the basic set of requirements that we provided to them and developing all of the designs, wireframes, and backend coding from there.

What is the team composition?

At any given time, we worked with between 5–7 members of their team, including graphic designers, web developers, SEO specialists, and copywriters.

How did you come to work with CHALLENGE Studio?

Our CEO had worked with them at her previous company and really liked their work, so we decided to work with them again.

What is the status of this engagement?

Project discussions started in July 2019 and we just wrapped up in January 2020.

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

We don’t have a lot of hard evidence of the impact their work had, but in terms of anecdotal feedback, we have been incredibly happy with the work they provided to us. Their team knew we had high expectations for their design work, and they completely followed through on those.

Since they have worked in the game industry for quite some time, they were able to provide suggestions for ways to improve our game, but they were also very open to our feedback. Working with them was incredibly helpful in developing the best final product that we could.

How did CHALLENGE Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very well organized throughout our work with them. All of our timelines were adhered to which helped us to keep our progress on track and develop an even better final product in the end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest advantage for us was the comprehensiveness of their service. Depending on what questions or requests, we had, we were always able to talk directly with whoever had the necessary expertise to solve our problem, whether that were graphic designers, technical people, or copywriters. Their service was complex and helped to address everything quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really think their service was perfect.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to rely on their ideas, because they have a lot to contribute to your product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an e-commerce manager at Pitbull Promotion Sp. z o.o. Our company specializes in online and stationary sales. We run four online stores. Pitbull.pl Pitbullcity.pl Pitbulloutlet.com and Skullhead.pl which Challenge Studio designed.

For what projects/services did your company hire CHALLENGE Studio?

We were encouraged to cooperate with challenge studio by the company's previous projects. Their experience and presented creations. Due to the planning of opening another online store, we needed an experienced team of designers who would develop the graphic form of both the website and the entire Skullhead brand. Our goal was to create a website unlike any other. Matching the customers to whom it will be addressed. Of course, the website, its usability had to be user-friendly.

How did you select this vendor?

We decided to choose the Challenge agency on the basis of their previous great projects.

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

The first stage of cooperation were talks regarding the valuation and time frames of the project. Then we smoothly moved to a two-day workshop at our company's headquarters. The next stage was the presentation of Hi-Fi mockups and brand logos developed during the workshop. In the next stages, visualization of subpages, presentation of graphics made for marketing purposes and stickers. Then the Blog, newsletter design, video recordings of interviews, a photo session from the opening of a stationary store and cooperation with a developer implementing the developed graphic form into the website store system.

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

DAVID CEO. EXPERT IN BRANDING AND INTERACTIVE SOLUTIONS PRZEMYSŁAW OPERATIONS DIRECTOR & PROJECT MANAGER. EXPERT IN PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO AND ANIMATION. and ŁUKASZ COPYWRITER

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

The best example of our cooperation is the skullhead.pl website. In addition, the agency has developed for us the skullhead brand logo, keyvisual, visualization of a stationary store, marketing branding, branding of shipping materials and future clothing projects. Additionally, we used the services of a copywriter and photographer. In the future, we have already produced but unpublished video interviews with the ambassadors. Below, in the links, graphics with the challenge agency. https://challengestudio.pl/preview/skullhead/skullhead_keyvisual_final… https://challengestudio.pl/preview/skullhead/skullhead_www_stronaglowna… http://challengestudio.pl/preview/skullhead/skullhead_www_listaprodukto… http://challengestudio.pl/preview/skullhead/skullhead_www_marka_1680_v3… http://challengestudio.pl/preview/skullhead/skullhead_www_produkt_1680_…

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The form of cooperation with the challenge agency was very well organized. In addition to stationary workshops, at the beginning of cooperation and exchanging e-mails, we used the teamwork tool. Periodic Skype video meetings helped us to improve the project.

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

The most impressive for us was the professionalism of people cooperating with us and their unlimited creativity. Understanding the needs and the speed of implementing them.

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

In retrospect and cooperation, I do not see any areas for improvement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am co-founder of estruktorzy. We build successful ecommerce businesses.

For what projects/services did your company hire CHALLENGE Studio?

On behalf of our client, LaMania, we invited CHALLENGE to design (both UX and UI) new version of LaMania Fashion online store.

How did you select this vendor?

We have checked different studios but CHALLENGE caught our attention with great e-commerce projects they did (Koszulkowo, 8a.pl)

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

The project started with discovery and research stage which was held alongside with specialist from Estruktorzy. We moved to conceptual works which resulted in lo-fi and hi-fi wireframes.

The new store designed by CHALLENGE was developed on Magento 2 by a group of specialists from MONOGO. To maintain the appropriate proportions and readability, CHALLENGE based the website on a dedicated grid, which allowed to scale the store very freely at different resolutions. The previous problem of LaMania was almost zero conversion on mobile devices, which was caused by scattered RWD and a poorly conducted shopping path.

An important new feature in the new store was the use of product mapping to increase conversions. According to research, customers were more willing to add products to the basket having a preview of how they look at the large and accurate photo of the model.

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

Project manager, Art director, UX/UI designer

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

The first results a month after the implementation of the new LaMania online store: - Conversion Rate +96,5% - Average session time +36,5% - Page / session ratio +35% - Increase in mobile conversion +398% - The number of transactions carried out in the first three days after the visit increased by 39%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We did not encounter any major problems. We used CHALLENGE Studio Trello as the main communication platform. We also had regular Skype calls.

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

They have an extensive understanding and knowledge of e-commerce.

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

Nothing comes to mind at this moment

Please describe your company and your position there.

At that time I was Vice President of the Board and CEO at Toyota Bielany. Toyota Bielany is authorized Toyota Showroom and Service Center. We service and sell new, used and fleet cars. As a five-time Dealer of the Year 2014 - 2018, we know perfectly well how to respond to the needs of our clients.

For what projects/services did your company hire CHALLENGE Studio?

UX design of website for the sale and purchase of used cars

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked with CHALLENGE on the different project in the past so that they were my first choice.

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

After initial calls we have established the scope of work:

• UX workshops in order to define business goals / needs (including target audience) and design lo-fi wireframes.
• Analysis of google keywords / SEO
• Preparation of hi-fi wireframes for the home page, product card, product list and wishlist
• Preparation of detailed report / documentation of the entire result of the work

After the workshops, we went according to the plan. Everything was smooth. We were using the CHALLENGE Studio Teamwork project management platform.

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

Project manager, Art director, SEO specialist and UX designer

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

Thanks to the workshops and Challenge studio expertise we were able to define new killer features for our website. It was definitely the key moment of the entire cooperation.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There were no communication and cooperation problems.

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

They have great business knowledge in general, which resulted in significant improvements for our initial ideas.

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

Not for the moment