What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
It has obviously given us a much more visible presence and one that we can easily refer people to. Internally, it’s also helped change the way we present our ideas to clients. For a number of years- and especially when we’ve been working with multinationals - we’ve frequently adopted our clients’ own house style. This is the first time we’ve truly imprinted our own sensibility onto projects - in terms of graphic usage and the way the work is flowing. In both digital and physical form, it’s given us something tangible that we can stand behind.
The biggest difference has been to change how we approach projects. It allowed us to develop what we wanted to achieve and give that a visual language, which, despite the amount of visual work we’d done in the past, wasn’t something we’d really considered for ourselves. As much as in any direct business sense, it’s impacted more the way we’ll work in the future.
How did Design & Practice perform from a project management standpoint?
We communicate over email, video, and in-person meetings.
We’ve always worked with structured timelines, and if there was anything unforeseen, I was kept updated. They were much more responsible than many other project managers I’ve dealt with - they’re very good at dealing with stuff themselves when there’s no need to disturb the client.
One of the key things was that - since it was as much a visual design exercise as anything else - their feedback was communicated visually. It was massively helpful and helped guide the project in a way that wouldn’t have been possible using written communication alone. We could literally see the project shaping up and developing over time. We had a number of different phases – probably 6–7 iterations.
There was a willingness to try every avenue available to get the best result possible. For example, there was a chance that the site design we all wanted to achieve wouldn’t work on the platform, but they found suitable away around it.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I’ve worked with a number of agencies where people think that once they’ve come up with a concept, their job is done. Design & Practice, on the other hand, focuses on what the output is, whether it’s in physical form or digital. They look all the way to the end product; it’s truly rare and refreshing. They define something that everyone agrees is the best possible outcome, and then find ways to achieve it.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They’ve been particularly good on this project. I can’t pick out something that could be specifically bettered.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Make sure you’re actually working together with them. It’s a massive benefit. From the initial brief, give them a chance to reform it in such a way that allows them to develop the project further and lead to a better outcome. The early stages are the ones that matter so much in this type of work – and that make it so much easier to proceed later on.
Thanks to Design & Practice's work, the client enjoyed a surge in traffic, especially on their case studies pages. Their new articles and designs have received increasing attention. The team paid special attention to the story behind their branding elements. They could improve their web-based UX/UI.