Kindly Made Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of a company called Arapaha, and we develop fully circular consumer goods based on biomaterials. We focus on all kinds of interior products made out of natural materials that can be fully recycled. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kindly Made?

The reason I reached out to Kindly Made was that I read a very small article about how they focus on providing graphic design services to companies who are aiming for sustainable development. We asked if they can make our brand work for us, because we were looking for a good logo and a brand book that we can use for all our communications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first assessment of our partnership was to make a brand book containing all kinds of typographies, letterheads, and so on — they finished that by the end of 2019. Then, at the beginning of 2020, we started developing the website which they finished in July. In addition, they also provide us with graphic design services, for content on our social media.

For the logo and brand design, we had a certain idea about what style we wanted for the company, which was a minimalist approach mixed with Japanese and Scandinavian styles. After giving them the information, they started generating ideas around our preferences.

As for web development, it’s still an ongoing process as it is continuously evolving. We then asked them for marketing consultation, so we’re still in close contact with them for future developments.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Timo (Founder), a web developer, and a graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Kindly Made?

As I mentioned before, I read a very small article about Kindly Made and I liked their ideas about the kind of companies he would like to work with. I wasn’t looking for well-known graphic designers, because I was sure that they would understand what we wanted.

I was looking for a company that really understands our economy and sustainability. That ended up becoming one of the factors of my decision to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about €15,000 (approximately $18,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Here in the Netherlands, people can clearly understand the way we express ourselves quite easily. The work from Kindly Made supports our way to communicate, and it’s been well-received in America — the people like the way we use their work.

I get reactions from all over Europe that people like our logo and that they want to be part of our company.

How did Kindly Made perform from a project management standpoint?

Matching our expectations whether their deliverable is ready or not is actually Kindly Made’s weakest point. It always takes 4–6 weeks to deliver their tasks and this is something they should improve on, but I’m aware that they’re a young company.

We don’t use any project management tool to watch them, instead, we have an overview of what we want to pass. Normally, we use email and WhatsApp to communicate with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I like the most is that they focus clearly on what kind of clients they want to work with. I like that because I know that we can have a conversation in a certain direction, and they don’t just work with anybody.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a company, they should focus more on graphic design, rather than building websites. Kindly Made’s strongest point is their graphic design services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would first ask them about their purpose as a company, and then if their purpose fits into Kindly Made’s way of thinking, then I would suggest working with them. You have to have the same mindset as Kindly Made, and not every company is suitable to do that.