Conjure

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief growth officer of a coffee startup. We empower students to launch and operate our brand on their campuses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Conjure?

We needed to refresh our brand, especially visually, as we grew to more campuses and expanded our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an initial meeting to discuss what we liked about our existing brand and what customers said about the brand in interviews we’d done.

After 1–2 rounds of feedback, Conjure delivered a package of brand fundamentals. The team refreshed our logo, copy, and tagline. They also provided new textures and brand colors.

What is the team composition?

My team worked with Chris (Owner, Conjure), Braden (Senior Designer, Conjure), and Chelsea (Senior Designer, Conjure). They brought in a consultant to do the copy work.

How did you come to work with Conjure?

One of our mentors in Chicago had previously worked with Conjure. We met a bunch of different branding firms in-person and ultimately chose Conjure because we enjoyed our meeting with them and their team dynamic. Their prior work was also really good, and the price was right.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

This rebranding took place in the summer of 2018, but we’re still contracting them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Conjure delivered our brand fundamentals package in 4–5 weeks, and their work was excellent. They did a great job using what we stood for and what we’d learned about our customers to refresh the brand and make it beautiful.

Anecdotally, people love the new branding; we’ve only gotten positive feedback. Their work has helped generate buy-ins and impressions, not only from our team members but also from investors, partners, and pretty much all stakeholders involved in the business.

How did Conjure perform from a project management standpoint?

They always responded to us within 24 hours. We communicated via email and text, and we also had a bunch of in-person meetings. They never missed a deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they’re a small team and provide a personalized experience. We’ve really gotten to know them. Because of their size, they were flexible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

Any advice for potential customers?

What they’re really good at is visuals and the art that goes into branding. If you need copy, I’d talk to them first, since our experience was more informed by the visual aspect of branding.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of LIMITLESS, an innovative beverage company focusing on selling Lightly Caffeinated Sparkling Water in grocery stores and mass retailers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Conjure?

I hired Conjure to help create our brand identity but then aply that identity to a variety of consumer products packages.

What were your goals for this project?

The primary goal was to have a memorable "glyph" or icon. Secondary goal was a sexy identity that communicated our brand promise.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have known Conjure for years and have used on a variety of projects.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Their scope focused on understanding our consumer but also delving deep in to the category - which at the time started with coffee. Conjure then had to apply a consistent brand identity across a wide variety of SKUs.

What was the team composition?

The team was led by Chris Froeter and consisted of two lead designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Conjure's design work (specifically on the LIMITLESS brand) has won numerous awards and has helped me create a memorable, lasting brand that consumers are starting to recognize and industry-insiders revere.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Since I have known Chris for a while, we have developed a mutual respect and therefore are comfortable pushing one another.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed by their desire and willingness to dive in. They'll work with entrepreneurs and owners, which are sometimes a challenging group to work with!

Are there any areas for improvement?

I suppose one are would be for the diversity of designs in initial work - in other words, when presenting the initial concepts, many of them look very similar.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Communications manager for a paper manufacturer headquartered in Ohio. My main responsibilities include the promotional strategy for our specialty and packaging papers product lines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Conjure?

We hired Conjure to help us create a professional identity for our specialty and packaging product lines and determine the more effective way to communicate that identity through print and digital.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to establish our company as a leader in specialty papers and create consistency in the portrayal of our product lines.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with Conjure for many years on our graphic paper product line and have been extremely impressed with their work. They take the time to understand our products and strategy, and their work is always high quality and very effective with our audiences.

Describe the project in detail.

The entire project has been a very collaborative process, with us explaining our specialty and packaging offerings and Conjure probing to understand the strategy and goals of each line. Conjure provided us with several good options to consider and we brought in individuals from each business unit to review and weigh-in. We very quickly decided on an illustrative approach and after some back and forth, we are final with our design. Conjure made sure we understand the impacts of all of our requests/decisions and everyone was very happy with the final results.

What was the team composition?

I worked primarily with the project manager but the owner was also involved. Both added different elements to the project which made the final result that much better. I never spoke with the illustrator but my project manager was excellent in conveying our feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we haven't rolled out our new identities yet, I am confident that they will be received enthusiastically but our sales team and customer base. The representatives from the various business units that we reviewed the final proposal with were extremely happy with the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Conjure is very easy to work with and they are excellent communicators. I always knew where the project stood and never felt like it wasn't moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The talent and personalities of their team are wonderful! I've worked with vendors in the past that care more about checking a box than actually satisfying the customer. Conjure is all about customer satisfaction and they will work hard to make sure you're happy with the end product. It feels as if it means as much to them that I'm successful than it does to me.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'm sure there are areas that could be improved but, compared to other vendors I've worked with, I can't think of any!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Operations for a distillery located in Frankfort, IN. We produce and bottle vodka and bourbon under the Big Gun brand name.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Conjure?

Gem City Spirits was a turnaround and re-brand of a former distillery name, T and T Distillery. Services required for the re-branding were: New company logo, vodka 750ml bottle and 1.75L bottle labels as well as 750 bourbon bottle labels. Box design for shipping and display with retailers for all size bottles. In-store POS and display units were designed to match new branding.

What were your goals for this project?

Goals of the project were to quickly and effectively transform the brand from T and T Distillery to Gem City Spirits in a timely manner. A lot of moving parts needed to happen at the same time to launch the new branded product into the marketplace.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Their work with other brands, their ability to listen and execute in a timely manner and the attention to detail is why we decided to work with Conjure. We looked at a number of other possible vendors, as well as individuals, but the passion for the product and willing to work closely with us helped in our decision.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Old product was delivered to the client so they could see what issues we had previously in the retail environment. We then discussed why the name change and the re-branding that would need to accompany the the name change. What elements were important to use were conveyed to Conjure and they began the conceptual design process and presented and number of initial concepts to gauge the direction we were looking at.

The project was broken into multiple smaller project in the order of importance:

1. Label concepts for Vodka and Bourbon
2. Gem City Spirits logo and branding
3. Shipping and display boxes
4. POS/display units

Working with the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) can be daunting and Conjure worked with us along all the steps required to get federal approval of the bottle labels. Conjure was constantly evolving the design to match our exact needs, while providing input and suggestions to make sure we were meeting our end goal, delivering the best looking product that will stand out on the retail shelf.

Conjure delivered all files required for manufacturing of printing plates and dies for the printing of labels and boxes and files for logo design. Conjure also help communicate the final product desire with our printing vendors.

What was the team composition?

The team was kept small ( 3 people) throughout the process to keep things moving in a positive direction. From Gem City Spirits the Dir. of Operations was the point person and we worked with the President of Conjure and their lead designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The re-design and branding has been very well received by all members of the Gem City Spirits team and our retail partners. It is still early in the project deployment, but we are sure the changes will only have positive impact on our brand recognition and sales.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Gem City Spirits is located in a town outside Indianapolis and Conjure is in Chicago, the communication between the two companies could not have been better. The design teams quick response to concerns and design changes were impressive.

We relied on Conjure to help provide direction and expected them to push back when design changes we requested that did not meet our end goal. The honest and tactful feedback was always appreciated, on the other hand they listened to things that were important for us to incorporate into the design and figured out the best possible way to make it happen without distracting from the end goal.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We enjoy the creative approach that Conjure brings to the table. Willingness to be part of our team, not just a vendor.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Since this is a new relationship for us and a big change in direction of how things were previously done at Gem City Spirits, we are very happy with how they worked with us. Only thing that we will work on moving forward is incorporating more face to face meetings.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the VP of communications and strategy at a company that provides construction services across and a broad range of products for building, transportations, and water.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Conjure?

We needed to completely overhaul our corporate website and hired Conjure for the task.

What were your goals for this project?

The website needed to accurately reflect our broad range of services, exemplify our utter professionalism and work seamlessly across multiple devices.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were most impressed with their design sensibility, technical prowess, and collaborative spirit, so we chose them for the job.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Conjure designed and developed a fully-functional website, including a CMS.

What was the team composition?

Three people worked on our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We now have a website that truly reflects who we are and how we operate, and it’s the center of our marketing strategy.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We met all deadlines as well as all production and quality marks. Conjure was very easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Conjure is a small firm that’s highly sophisticated with extremely attentive and responsive people.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's nothing they need to improve.