Hersick + Webster Creative Partners

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the co-interim director for the Office of Community Health Systems and Health Promotion and Director of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease for West Virginia’s Bureau for Public Health, but I retired a few months ago. The State Health Department facilitates many issues in health promotion, chronic disease management, and prevention.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick+Webster?

They work on web development and branding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hersick+Webster has done branding, marketing strategy, and print design for us. They did the logo and website for a particular project, and then we gave them more projects.

What is the team composition?

We worked with James (Principal & Director of Strategy and Design Impact) and Laurel (Principal & Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Hersick+Webster?

James was at a planning meeting regarding our Community Recognition Awards, and I was honestly surprised to have a media agency participating. It turned out that he was there because a fellow community member had invited him. He was very involved within the community and had many different perspectives about a healthy community.

I’ve learned that in the process of planning, pulling people together, doing thinktanks, and finding out the gaps to meet a goal, we’re bound to work with the people that are already involved. Therefore, we trusted Hersick+Webster to take on the project and move forward.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been roughly $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in the fall of 2019. Although I retired, the relationship is ongoing.

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

Our work routes through approval processes and we learned quickly what works and what does not. All the work Hersick+Webster has done has been excellent. They’ve listened carefully to our wants and needs, provided input, and participated in a couple of other efforts.

For example, we have a community recognition award, and they helped facilitate the economic impact of a healthy community to elected officials. Being able to reword and promote what we’re doing in a way that makes sense to stakeholders is a critical issue to get funding. Also, health equity is now very important, and there’s an emphasis in this area. Laurel participants in our committee to see how our award can also address health equity.

Additionally, Hersick+Webster received a national award for the logo and community recognition project. Overall, we’ve looked into our relationship with them, how people react to their work, and how they go ahead and use their community involvement to meet our criteria. For our diabetes action plan, they helped lay it out in an understandable way and designed it according to their branding for our division. They did an infographic with all the strategies, and I think all except one were actually passed in our legislature in 2021.

How did Hersick+Webster perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done well. They have a process, and they’ve provided a way to capture all ideas and laid them out for us to understand easily. Also, Hersick+Webter has been able to do everything virtually in the past two years, and they’ve kept up with timelines.

Moreover, they’re flexible at using whatever tools we have access to communicate with ease.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve taken the time to build a relationship with us. Hersick+Webster has involved themselves in our organization; they’ve attended our meetings to hear and learn about what we do in order to promote our work and put together communication strategies to meet our goal.

Also, facilitating discussions with the right people has been one of their strengths. We need to talk in a way that makes sense to the people in economic development — they have their own terminology, so we have to use words that are meaningful to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been able to take their personal experiences as people involved with their health and their community’s health to drive our efforts and make a better impact.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hersick+Webster is open to working with anyone; you just need to connect with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the executive director at Martinsburg-Berkeley Visitors Bureau.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick+Webster?

We were looking to rebrand our association to give it a more updated look. It had been several years since we created the initial branding and it was out of date.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hersick+Webster provided branding services for us. They helped us analyze our existing brand and expand upon it. They created a branding book, which contains different fonts, color schemes, and seasonal changes that can be made to our branding. 

Then, their team updated the look of our magazine advertising, website, and social media channels. We built our website in-house, but they applied the new branding to the design. They polished up our Facebook and Instagram and handled some posting until we got the hang of it. They also developed social media templates for us to make it easy for us to continue unassisted. They ensured that anywhere you come into contact with our brand, whether it’s an ad or a brochure, it all looks the same.

What is the team composition?

My main points of contact were James (Principle & Director of Strategy and Design Impact) and Laurel (Principal & Creative Director). 

How did you come to work with Hersick+Webster?

We interviewed several firms but decided on Hersick+Webster because the scope of work they provided was comprehensive.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial investment was $10,000, but we liked it so much we boosted it to the $15,000 package.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ran from October 2019–January 2021.

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

We saw a 6% increase in website traffic, and it’s continuing to grow. Our website is easier to use and much more interactive. We’ve received great feedback from the general public, including city and county leadership, on our new branding, especially the pops of color.

How did Hersick+Webster perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via phone and email. They would email us at least once every two weeks to let us know the status of the project. Eventually, our emails became more spaced out as we got a better handle on the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Hersick+Webster listened to what we wanted to be done. We asked for their feedback since they have experience. Their ability to combine our vision with their expertise resulted in a successful project. They are willing to cooperate and listen to what the client wants.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re very satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want, but even if you don’t, they’ll be happy to guide you. They really gt to know the community at hand through research, which allows them to create such unique results.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Be Well Counseling. It’s a mental health counseling agency that provides services to clients who are struggling with any variety of mental health situations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick+Webster?

I was looking for marketing and branding help as I grew. They originally did my website when I first changed my name. As I’m adding other therapists to my business, I needed to rebrand. This effort included redoing our WordPress website and changing the branding from being solely focused on me to adding what my therapists are able to offer to the community as well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hersick+Webster created my original logo and for this rebrand, they only removed the “Betterment” part so our logo now reflects Be Well Counseling. They created my rack and business cards. When I switched to telehealth because of the pandemic, their team helped me a bit with social media marketing. However, the majority of their work is branding.

What is the team composition?

Laurel (Principal & Creative Director) is our primary contact and James (Principal & Director of Strategy & Design Impact) is also involved.

How did you come to work with Hersick+Webster?

I met James at a conference. Laurel and James are both very invested in our community. They have a good pulse on what our community needs and how to connect with people.

I chose them because of their drive to be connected to community resources. Additionally, I felt that my brand meshed well with their brand. They have an emphasis on wellness, getting outdoors, and an all-around holistic health perspective.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in March 2015.

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

I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from my clients that they enjoy going to the website and seeing what we’re about. I’ve also received feedback about our name, and that wasn’t an easy project. I wanted the name to fit me and it’s clear that Hersick+Webster really listened to everything I said.

They made sure my company name portrayed who I was as a business owner. We get a lot of referrals through our website. About 50% of people find me through the website. The website does a great job of helping our clients gain trust in us.

How did Hersick+Webster perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent and always on top of project management. Their team responds quickly and is timely. If I have any questions, they get back to me immediately. They’re great with meeting deadlines and helping me keep deadlines too. We typically communicate through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It has to be their authenticity. Hersick+Webster wants their clients to feel that they can be who they are. Part of the branding process was illustrating and sharing what I feel. They got to know me and how I want to be portrayed. Their team was great at the discovery process. Hersick+Webster is detail-oriented and client-centered. They really care and genuinely wanted me to be successful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I wouldn’t say there’s anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be willing to open up and trust them. Show up as much as you can as yourself. Get ready to pull up your sleeves and dig in.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the campaign manager for a governor’s race in West Virginia.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick+Webster?

We contracted Hersick+Webster to build the website for our campaign.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an initial consultation call with them where we walked them through the functionalities we were seeking. They built us an initial template, and after a few rounds of review, they launched the WordPress website.

They also created the central branding for our campaign, including the logo we still use. While we gave them some ideas and examples for what wanted, they basically created everything from scratch. This was also an iterative process, where they delivered batches of designs before we finalized one.

They delivered a style guide for us to adhere to in all future efforts. They defined our color palette, fonts, and other stylistic elements that we’d use to create the rest of our promotional materials. 

They continue to provide ongoing maintenance, which means that they deliver additional materials every quarter. This could be in the form of new digital content or a new site plugin. They recently built out an events page for our site and integrated a specific plug-in we wanted.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people, and my main point of contact was Laurel (Principal & Creative Director, Hersick+Webster).

How did you come to work with Hersick+Webster?

We had a set of criteria for our ideal vendor, who would ideally be a smaller business that included people from a range of identities. We looked primarily at women- and minority-owned businesses. After shortlisting 3­–4 candidates that we found online or through recommendations, we saw Hersick+Webster’s proposal and decided to go with it.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $5000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September of 2018, and we have them on an ongoing contract.

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

We’ve seen other candidates pick up our campaign design to replicate or rework it to fit theirs. We’re excited to see this branding echo—which is happening organically—spread among the groups that we work closely with. We think it’s a testament to how visually memorable their work is.

Hersick+Webster won a national design award for the work they did for us. They were exceptional about not only branding our campaign but defining the style guide we’d continue to adhere to. They did a wonderful job of integrating our campaign-specific materials into the scalable, larger work we’d been building.

Our site constantly receives compliments both internally and externally—particularly about how user-friendly it is. It’s easy for our volunteers to find the things they need.

How did Hersick+Webster perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve truly been a breeze to work with. Laurel’s incredibly responsive, and we’re grateful for that since campaigns move really quickly. Whenever we need new materials or help with the site, she’s on it. Even during odd hours, Laurel reacts to issues quickly and thoroughly. The team has been phenomenal at navigating our varying levels of literacy in design and web development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s been amazingly simple working with them because they don’t oversell or make unnecessary suggestions. They’re very clear about what they can and can’t do, as well as about how much things will cost. I never feel like I’m in the dark about what our options are.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t think so, no.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more you can have written down and pre-formed before you work with them, the better off you’ll be. Coming in with a plan for what you want can be helpful.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director at the Society for Advanced Body Imaging.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick+Webster?

We changed our name and logo so we were interested in having someone help us with the messaging. We wanted to show the world we’re not the same company that we were 25 years ago.

What was the scope of their involvement?

James (Principal, Director of Strategy & Design Impact) and Laurel (Creative Director) put together a presentation after doing research and looked at a variety of names. They researched the meaning of the names that we came up with and looked at the impact one word may have had over another. After they presented to the board, they came back with a lot of questions, ideas, and suggestions.

When they put together the logo, we told them we wanted to pay homage to the history, but also look to the future and the new goals and objectives. They came up with a variety of new logos, and everyone pretty much agreed on one. Working with our president, they put together a PowerPoint guide that contained everything needed for a new website. They helped us choose a new skin, and provided all the fonts and colors. Along with a writer, they worked with us to develop a tagline. After we had our design, they put together templates for PowerPoint, stationery, and business cards. They also created social media graphics.

When we rolled this out to the senior founders and rest of the members, they were online with us the whole time making sure that our website updated instantaneously to the new name. They checked in and helped our president. As a follow-up, they got back in touch and came up with a template for our annual meeting brochure. They also did all of my digital ads for a digital marketing company that we did.

What is the team composition?

We worked with James and Laurel who actually teamed up with another company that had a professional writer.

How did you come to work with Hersick+Webster?

When I was looking for a company, I talked to a wide variety of small and large companies. Somebody told me about a person who wrote articles for medical magazines and I was intrigued because a large part of our rebranding was messaging. I reached out to that person, but they didn’t feel comfortable with graphics. They knew Hersick+Webster from someplace else, so they partnered up and came to me. They put together a proposal and projects they did for other companies, which were excellent.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $15,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July 2019–March 2020.

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

The new brand has been really well-received. I was particularly worried about the people that founded this society, but they love the new logo, new name, and everything about it. I haven’t received any negative feedback. People have reengaged with the society which is great. My president got a standing ovation at the end of their report and that has never happened.

How did Hersick+Webster perform from a project management standpoint?

They were wonderful. They were so responsive; I sent an email and got one right back. Being a smaller organization, it’s easy for us to sometimes get things lost in the crack, but they never let us do that. Weekly, they checked in and everyone really managed everything incredibly well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did so much for such a low price compared to other places in my experience and the work delivered was of high quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the freedom to do what they do best.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and director of Social Studio, a local neighborhood atelier that holds art classes and workshops.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick + Webster?

My business is very new, and my background is in teaching; I had no sense of professional marketing. I decided to defer to branding experts to delineate and reflect my vision.

What was the scope of their involvement?

James (Creative Director, Hersick + Webster) and Laurel (Art Director, Hersick + Webster) engaged me in extensive conversations to help discover my professional identity.

They first met with me to learn about my business and the space I work in. An initial deliverable that I’d wanted was a new logo, but they used the design process to not only arrive at a logo but to help me figure out what direction I wanted to take with my business.

We had weekly meetings to produce different branding elements for my business. They delivered a comprehensive brand strategy to clarify our target audience. They helped me choose on-brand language to reflect my business values. The partners delivered different branding options for me to choose from, and every stage of the process was iterative and fluid.

In the end, they delivered a logo, a website, and a variety of collateral brand elements, like internal and external décor for my workshop. 

What is the team composition?

I just worked with James and Laurel.

How did you come to work with Hersick + Webster?

They were recommended to me by my good friend and advisor. She works in the marketing department of the University of Maryland, so even though I hesitated to seek professional assistance, I trusted her recommendation. I was also attracted to Hersick + Webster because they have a history of working with companies for social good.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent somewhere under $10,000. I expect that the collateral materials, like Mailchimp templates, flyers, and notes will cost me an additional amount.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August of 2019, and the work is ongoing. My business opened in September, but the roll-out of the branding elements has been gradual.

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

They’ve done exceptional, thorough, and thoughtful work. Thanks to them, I was able to truly discover who I want to be, as a business. They’re outstanding at what they do—and the goal of community-building, which is an integral component of my business, came naturally to them.

The conversations we had were extremely valuable because they legitimized some of my half-formed ideas. My clients love their work and the interactivity of their designs. I’ve received great feedback from both children and adults. The designs have both a playful appeal as well as sophistication. I would never have arrived at these designs by myself, so I’m very grateful.

How did perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great because they were very transparent about delineating the timeline and explaining how the process works. We held weekly meetings through video call. They were reachable through text and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were phenomenal to work with; they transcended the traditional client relationship to really partner with me. They never tried to sell me anything, they really collaborated with me to push me towards actualizing my professional identity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Other than wanting them to live closer to me, I don’t have any complaints. They handled a long-distance engagement exceptionally well; they visited me for in-person meetings and made me feel very close to them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their process, and don’t hold back with your ideas. They’re the ones who can help you execute and visualize your dreams in a way that no one could do on their own.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bridges Inc. has a long history in federal contracting in the cybersecurity and big data space. We also have a new commercial venture.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick+Webster? 

They helped us with a complete rebrand of our company. They worked on everything from the logo and messaging to graphic design and style guide.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Hersick+Webster started with research through focus groups specifically designed to capture different perspectives in our company. Participants included both technical and office positions, as well as staff that have been here long- and short-term. They asked questions such as what excites them about the industry. They exposed them to different media to find out what they thought looked more like us. 

The focus group helped us hone in on the right digital identity, voice, and tone. They worked closely with us to develop a recommendation options, which we shared some with a multi-functional team. We got internal feedback and then brought final recommendations to the CEO and a small group of stakeholders to make the final choice. 

What is the team composition?

We usually worked with about three people.

How did you come to work with Hersick+Webster? 

I'd worked with them in a previous role. We put out an RFP. They were one of several to respond, and they were chosen by our leadership team. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in February 2017 and was completed in March 2018. The overall relationship is ongoing because the rebranding project then flowed out into all new opportunities.

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

Their work for us won awards, so they delivered an award-winning campaign. It received a resounding favorable response from our internal and external communities. We were named a top workplace by the Baltimore Sun in 2018 right after the rebranding. 

How did Hersick+Webster perform from a project management standpoint?

Hersick+Webster was very responsive and communication was so easy. We typically used email. If anything was urgent, we'd text or call. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

It feels like they're part of our family. Hersick+Webster is our right hand, go-to resource. They’re very involved with us with us on projects so it doesn't feel like we're using an outside contractor. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, not off the top of my head. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Be clear on what's a "must" and then leave open what's not. That's their space to come up with ideas.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work with a nonprofit that has a statewide footprint in West Virginia.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hersick+Webster?

We needed a creative agency on retainer to support us in all kinds our projects and communications that are geared towards increasing our impact and reach, so we hire Hersick+Webster.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began by providing Hersick+Webster with documentation of our past work. The team also interviewed us to get a better sense of our brand, which they then went on to incorporate into our brand and PR strategy. Hersick+Webster also did graphic design for our organization, creating content for our social media pages and designing the visual elements of our brand.

What is the team composition?

All members of Hersick+Webster supported our in-house communications and programming team.

How did you come to work with Hersick+Webster?

We put together an RFP, which Hersick+Webster responded to. We decided to work with them because we knew that their values were in line with ours and that they had the capabilities we needed. We also saw that the team was producing creative products that met and exceeded best practices.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership lasted from April 2020–April 2021.

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

We don’t have any valuation for what Hersick+Webster did for us.

How did Hersick+Webster perform from a project management standpoint?

The team exceeded my expectations in terms of project management. We communicated via email and held meetings regularly through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Hersick+Webster showed a passion for our work and the way that they created designs for us was really excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything to share.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can approach Hersick+Webster with rough ideas because they’re really good at helping you think through them to bring them to life. Trust them to offer you creative support of any kind.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Owner

For what projects/services did your company hire Hersick+Webster?

Rebranding and Website Development and Design

What were your goals for this project?

Create a timeless website and logo design with more mobile capability.

How did you select Hersick+Webster?

I wanted to work with people I knew.

Describe the project in detail.

We worked closely on branding designs, and then started website development. The website development worked around the conceptual layout with ease of use and call to action being critical components. We finalized text and imagery to match our goal.

What was the team composition?

Me working directly with the two owners.

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

We noticed a significant increase in our New Appointment Request directly correlated to our website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Timely and thorough.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their communication is impressive. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

Publications editor at a large academic medical center and 14-hospital system.

For what projects/services did your company hire Hersick+Webster?

Design of a quarterly physician-facing print publication.

What were your goals for this project?

Appeal to physicians, readability, flexibility for revisions.

How did you select this vendor?

My predecessor selected this vendor. I am happy to continue, as they are responsive to our needs and do a great job.

Describe the project in detail.

I submit text, photography and any other content, they provide a proof, and based on client input, we can expect to have two more rounds before they provide files for our print-mailing vendor.

What was the team composition?

I am the only one on our team who communicates directly with the vendor. I coordinate all other activities on our end by our photographers, in-house creative director, marketing and communications staff and faculty physicians.

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

A recent article, after publication, is believed to have resulted in more than 100 referrals of patients to the physician interviewed in the article.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective on their end. They turn around corrections and proofs very quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their good communication, collegiality, and ability to solve any problems—and most importantly, their good design.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.