DBC

Please describe your company and your position there.

Chariot Software develops software for moving companies to make it radically easier to run a successful moving business and deliver great customer experience. I am Co-Founder and CEO.

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

After launching our company, we needed to quickly develop a logo that could convey our brand and our professionalism to prospective employees, advisors, and customers. We hired DBC with the goal of developing a logo as well as some high level style guidelines that could inform the future visual direction of our product and company brand.

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked with Carlos and several of his team members in a previous role at a consulting firm, and had followed the successful trajectory of DBC for several years after its launch.

As a result, I could already attest to the quality and professionalism that DBC would bring to the table. Still, we interviewed several other designers who were recommended to us to see what other services were available. At the end, it was clear that DBC was the right chose given their track record with major companies/ brands, organized processes, and reasonable pricing.

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

DBC began by interviewing my co-founder and I to learn about our business, vision, and initial ideas for branding. It was clear that they were genuinely interested in understanding our company's motivations and business objectives and incorporating this into their visual design choices.

After this kickoff they started the design process. They used a software tool so that we could review design concepts and provide feedback in a single platform and were communicative and responsive throughout the process.

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

We worked directly with Carlos and several of his team members to launch the project, and then worked closely with 2-3 of their designers on the tactical elements of the project.

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

We're extremely happy with our logo. It reflects our initial ideas but improves upon them greatly, and we've received a number of compliments from prospective employees and advisors. The logo and style guide have also already proven useful as a starting place for designing other corporate collateral and our software itself.

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

We communicated regularly with DBC throughout the project, at first by email and zoom calls and then through their central project management software during the tactical design process. Their team was proactive about sharing expected timing and was prompt in replying to our questions.

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

I think DBC has a very unique mix of strengths. They were capable of working with large enterprises and startups alike and can handle everything from logo/ branding to events and product design. They have an excellent team and set of processes in place to make sure their customers are successful.

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

Nothing in particular comes to mind. We expect to work with them again in the future.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand and product marketing manager at Spotify, an audio streaming platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with DBC?

We needed help with rebranding and renaming one of our projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DBC initially helped us rebrand and rename our project. First, we gave them our previous name and our problems with it. After getting to know our company and our industry, the team came up with a new brand and name for our effort. DBS is now our full-time design partner.

What is the team composition?

We work with the founder of the company, who has been really instrumental to the project. Additionally, we work with a designer. 

How did you come to work with DBC?

I met the founder through a networking event.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000–$60,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in June 2020 and is ongoing.

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

Thanks to DBC’s work, our audience has been much more excited about our efforts — the team really helped us drive up engagement with their creative solutions. The momentum they’ve built for us is impressive.

How did DBC perform from a project management standpoint?

We assign tasks every week and communicate every day. The DBC team is highly flexible and willing to pivot with us when we need to. Furthermore, the team has introduced us to some valuable tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DBC always goes above and beyond to fulfill our needs. They have a deep love for the music industry, so they know exactly what questions to ask to help us move forward. We’re confident that we can trust them to produce high-quality work. Overall, it’s been a strategic partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on keeping track of all our projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give as much background information as you can, and then give them the space to be creative.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an associate architect and partner in progress at Forte Architects, Inc.

What challenge were you trying to address with DBC?

We needed someone to design a logo for one of our clients. This was a unique project that went beyond our regular scope and we didn’t feel comfortable providing that for them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Not only did DBC design the 2D logo for us, but they also provided 3D integration work. So, they integrated their design right into the work we were already doing for the client.

What is the team composition?

Carlos (Founder & Creative Director, DBC) and one other teammate were my direct points of contact.

How did you come to work with DBC?

A company I used to work for hired them, so I was familiar with their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $2,500 on design services. They gave us a really good deal, but the client paid more for their whole project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2019–January 2020.

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

There were surveys handed out in the community where the new logo is and all of the feedback has been very positive.

How did DBC perform from a project management standpoint?

From what I experienced, it was really great. I know they tried to provide really good service and they worked very quickly and efficiently. They listened to both our feedback and the client’s.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by their ability to integrate with our systems. They did a really nice job and that’s not something you see with graphics and branding firms all the time. It takes a lot of time and effort to do that and they did a really good job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I know it is a really fast-paced company and everyone has limited schedules, but some of the calls felt rushed. That's a pretty minimal issue though since everyone was still very happy with the product.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

DBC really likes the back and forth of the design process. If someone is just looking for a consultant to throw ideas, I don’t think DBC is the right fit. They’re looking to listen and looking to work. I think that’s what makes them a really special branding agency. If you’re looking for an authentic experience and custom product, they’re the way to go.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder & CEO of Visionary Business Strategies LLC, a business consultancy. I’ve been a consultant for many years but this is a new endeavor where I’m focusing on young entrepreneurs. My focus will be helping these young entrepreneurs with budgets, cash flow and business strategy, marketing, restructuring, expansion, HR, and more. I started this part-time business because I’m retired and just having fun.

What challenge were you trying to address with DBC?

I had designed a logo and branding but wanted a second opinion.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DBC helped me refine my branding and logo. I showed my initial designs to Carlos (Founder & Creative Director, DBC), who helped me move towards a more modern look. He put a look and color configuration together for our logo and print collateral, including business cards. 

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Carlos. He’s very aware of who my clientele is so he knows exactly how to approach my branding.

How did you come to work with DBC?

I was aware of Carlos’ work with others in the space. He’s brought sound advice to many of his sitting around the table. When I needed an outside opinion, I knew to go to him.

How much have you invested with them?

I have invested between $3,000–$4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ran from July 2018–January 2019.

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

Whenever I hand someone a business card, they tend to stop and comment on the design. I get a positive reaction from many folks, it’s a very professional business card. 

How did DBC perform from a project management standpoint?

Carlos has enough energy to power the state of New Jersey for about a month. He is able to assess a situation and draw a conclusion very quickly. Not everybody can do that. He’s very talented in a way you can’t teach. We primarily communicate face-to-face and via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Carlos surrounds himself with people who are very talented. The whole DBC team is confident in their field.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s not critical, but when Carlos is busy it gets harder to communicate with him. He listened to me and improved his communication. He’s incredibly responsive now. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to Carlos. He’s not just your average branding guy, he knows how to keep up with trends.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former aviation planning group manager and project manager for Dowl, a civil engineering firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with DBC?

We were working with an airport client that didn’t have a website presence or any branding. We brought DBC to help us create branding materials for them, such as a logo and color palette, as well as a website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DBC built a website and a logo. They also did SEO and create a framework for content and asked us to provide some of the material. In addition, they provided guidance for pulling other content together in the future.

What is the team composition?

I worked with at least two people. One was the lead designer, and I worked with Carlos (Founder & Creative Director, DBC) directly, who served a project manager role. I’m sure there were others behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with DBC?

I’ve known the founder for 15 years. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $3,500. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018 and wrapped up in March 2019. We also relied on them for support for a while.

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

The website has been live for almost a year now. Everyone was pleased, and the airport was impressed with the value that they got and the quick turnaround. DBC was responsive whenever our client or we had a question. Our part in the project is still ongoing, but I anticipate the client’s traffic will increase once it’s finished.

How did DBC perform from a project management standpoint?

To me, responsiveness and quality of work are the important things when I’m working with a third-party vendor. DBC accomplished both of those qualities. They also were able to turn around work quickly and respond to questions in less than 20 minutes. They even went back to fix errors on the website when they didn’t have to. We had an initial phone and then communicated via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and high-quality work were what really made this project a success for me. I just hired DBC for another project, and they’ve been able to work quickly on that as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We were really pleased with their role.

Any advice for potential customers?

The more information you give them upfront, the better your project will do. I should have created a list of information that we knew we wanted on the site instead of waiting for DBC to ask me. If you’re organized and prepared on your side, you’ll make their job a lot easier and get going on the project that much faster.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the executive director of an organization called StuyHealth, which is an advocacy and outreach nonprofit that does work with young adults who were affected by the World Trade Center cleanup.

What challenge were you trying to address with DBC?

We had been set up on a pretty ad hoc basis, so we didn't have any sort of branding that would allow people online to identify us from any random collection of students. We approached DBC not only for help with some of our graphics, but also to talk through how we wanted the group brand identity as a whole to look and feel.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Essentially, they helped us develop a visual identity for the brand. From there, they did our logo and graphic design and provided us all of the assets to go along with that, both physically and on all of our social accounts to make sure we were completely aligned and executed.

What is the team composition?

I believe there were about three people on their team working with us. We had one project manager and then a couple of designers working with him.

How did you come to work with DBC?

One of the students that we were working with as a part of the mission of our organization is an employee there, so that was how we came into contact with them and then we decided to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

They did the work for us pro-bono because of our status as a nonprofit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–April 2018 on the original branding.

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

Their work absolutely increased our online engagement, both in terms of our brand recognition among our target population but also in terms of our ability to collaborate with other organizations. Without a clear identity, it was very difficult for others to identify our previous work. This project allowed us to appear more legitimate to larger organizations that have the resources to take on larger tasks than we have the ability to handle alone.

How did DBC perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a great experience with their project management. They were always responsive and worked quickly but without sacrificing on quality. I always felt like they were keeping me in the loop on every aspect of the process, from where we were on specific deliverables to when they would need feedback from me to move forward.

For the initial few meetings, we talked over the phone and through email, but when we began working on the more visual elements of the brand, I started going to their office to talk through different options.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As someone who doesn't work in marketing, I thought they were tremendously helpful in guiding me through that process. They are a great company for anyone who doesn't want the burden of learning everything there is to know about marketing and developing a brand. I always felt involved in the process in the right ways so that I could be helpful without being overly burdened.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't believe there is anything that could have significantly improved the process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would just be to ask them a lot of questions about the scope of their services and what they can do for you. I didn't really know going in how much they could do, and it could be helpful to have a better picture of that going in.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Project Manager at American Express.

For what projects/services did your company hire DBC?

My project was to improve the design and UX of some of our high-volume emails. We hired DBC for creative consulting, copywriting, and design.

What were your goals for this project?

Our KPIs were customer satisfaction, digital engagement, and call rate.

How did you select this vendor?

We considered a variety of creative agencies, looking especially for firms that could provide us with fresh email insights and innovative ideas. Ultimately, DBC stood out because of the quality of their pitch, because they were comfortable with Design Thinking and Agile methodologies, and because could provide on-site services.

Describe the project in detail.

DBC provided creative consulting, and helped us:

• review behavior metrics in emails (ex. open rate, click through rate, call rate, etc)
•  ideate solutions for impacting those metrics
• design AB tests to validate the proposed solutions
• align with internal stakeholders like brand, legal, compliance, and technology 
• redesign 1.2 billion servicing emails that we send to our customers
• create a set of standards and guidelines for future emails

What was the team composition?

From DBC, we were assigned a Creative Director, a Copywriter, and a Visual Designer.

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

DBC delivered high quality work and positive results --- when I presented their work to our senior leadership team, I literally got a standing ovation. We continued to renew DBC's contract for 6 quarters.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

DBC’s SOW was clearly outlined from the start. They did not go over budget, and quite reliably delivered on schedule.There were no hidden costs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They really gave us their full attention and effort.

Are there any areas for improvement?

When new creatives were on-boarded, it took them a bit of time to understand the particular nuances of the finance industry. Nonetheless, we were very satisfied with the final product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was Head of Corporate Development and Strategy, which included responsibility for Corporate Communications (as well as other functions). I have no internal resources dedicate to Communications.

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

My CEO mandated a Corporate Branding re-do in conjunction with an important market update. The purpose of the update was to

1. share new data
2. set forth a new strategy
3. signify a refreshed management team and elevated corporate path forward.

For the later goal, he wanted a brand-refresh, allowing 6 weeks between his request and market update. With no personal experience in Comms or internal resources, I approach DBC for help.

How did you select this vendor?

DBC founder is ex-Bain. He was recommended to me via the Bain network. After initial outreach, he responded within a few hours and I had a proposal within 48 hours. Carlos understood the need and pressure I was under, and responded appropriately.

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

• New branding (while respecting some non-negotiable historical aspects)
• New fonts and scientific icons
• Slide design and simplification for public audience
• Converted a working document into the new template (in parallel to content generation and under tight timelines)
• Final work products with instructions for organizational roll-outs

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

2 -CEO and another executive

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

CEO was very pleased - which is a tough bar to meet!

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

Weekly meetings, additional check-ins if needed Shared electronic drafts ahead of the meeting, allowing pre-read time Created options, with rationale for each, rather than a single product Highly responsive to "urgent" issues and version-control issues

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

Speed Quality Service-orientation

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

Hard to identify any, given the challenge presented to DBC and the action-oriented mindset

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an Architect and Partner at an architecture and Design firm located in NYC.

For what projects/services did your company hire DBC?

We needed help with our branding and messaging and standardizing it across all platforms.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create messaging that could communicate our company's core values Our core values include incorporating simplicity in our design approach, integrating sustainable practices, providing innovative solutions using technology and materials and fostering an interdisciplinary approach, to our target customers.

How did you select DBC?

DBC was highly recommended by an acquaintance who had worked with them previously.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We worked with StudioDBC to develop a visual identity that could express our core values. They began the process by interviewing the partners to understand our backgrounds and stories and why we started our practice. DBC developed a style guide and messaging materials to standardize our identity across all platforms.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with Carlos Williams who was very insightful and helpful in helping us understand the process and return on investment.

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

Our updated website, presentations and design materials have received many recommendations from clients and other professionals. We have also seen our visitor traffic increase on our website and Instagram pages.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

DBC provided a schedule for the work and we met biweekly to review and provide feedback. They were very prompt in getting back to us with helpful suggestions and pivots when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

DBC has very creative team that is able to think outside the box and provide innovative solutions. The also took to time to understand our industry and the target market that we wanted to address. They had a unique approach; they used data to substantiate the designs and solve problems.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Studio DBC did not have a lot of experience in the architecture & interior design industry. We wanted a company that could provide a fresh insight and hoped they would bring their experience and insight from other industries. We were not disappointed.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing & Branding Director.

For what projects/services did your company hire DBC?

We had a major presentation needed which required all different forms of graphic, branding and design services.

What were your goals for this project?

To impressive a corporate client.

How did you select this vendor?

We've worked with DBC in the past and were proud of the work they produced.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Extensive design services.

What was the team composition?

Three team members.

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

The presentation was incredibly successful and our goal was achieved.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective and professional.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We loved their design ability. They were very effective communicators.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None, they are great.