LESS+MORE

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a digital marketing agency focused on SEO. I’m the co-founder and director of search.

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

The brand we had wasn’t accurately portraying who we were, so we needed help with a brand refresh.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us develop or voice and brand, along with the language on our site. They also helped us with our logo, business cards, and email signature.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Mike (Chief Strategic Officer) and Steve (Chief Strategy Officer).

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

I came across their website and thought they would be a good fit based on our shared values.

How much have you invested with them?

The total came out to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019, and we wrapped up in February 2020.

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

Overall, we’re extremely excited. We’re confident that our branding accurately portrays our expertise. The feedback from clients and friends has been phenomenal. Everyone is very impressed, especially in presentations, since our point gets across much easier.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a detailed timeline of all of the deliverables. There were no surprises and things were very collaborative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were streamlined and efficient. They had great questions that forced us to look at our business in a way we hadn’t before. It was a key component in crafting a new brand image. Their branding concepts truly represented who we are and each one was well thought out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, it was a very easy process. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a chair of donor development and our external affairs committee. We're a small non-profit located in California, with operations in Eastern Congo.

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

We wanted help with a rebrand and a five-year strategic plan. That came with a vision brochure to market to our donors and explain our mission and vision.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our website and the vision brochure I mentioned. I've worked with a lot of agencies, and this kind of branding process takes hours and hours to explain ourselves to the marketing company. They walked us through the process and came back to us with two or three options to discuss our brand identity. We refined those ideas into the final outcome. It's a completely different brand to what we had before.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three principals the entire time.

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

They were referred by another agency that we work with. We interviewed them and one other agency, and decided to hire LESS+MORE.

How much have you invested with them?

Our contract cost was $84,000 for the work we asked them to do.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started speaking with them in late summer 2018, and we signed a contract in November 2018. The process is ongoing, and we plan to renew the contract for 2020.

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

We're just now getting quantitative metrics and returns from our website. Donor feedback is awesome, and the messaging is well received. The branding explains our organization and mission, and LESS+MORE's work really clarifies the drive behind our initiatives. We send monthly email blasts about success stories, and we're starting to see donation responses.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very easy to communicate with, and they always follow up within an hour. We have bi-weekly calls, and we interact on Basecamp. We also have quarterly on-site meetings. It's a hands-on collaboration, and things move fast. They always keep up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity and their ability to articulate the message are really good. It's hard to find an agency at their level, but they craft appropriate copy with the right imagery. They listen well and are engaged, and they care about our organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Knowing this business, cycle time is a challenge. It's usually something on our side that slows us down, but that is something we could all look at. For the work they do, I don't think there is anything major they should improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We had a good process with them, so do what we did. Have clear goals and timelines, and be transparent with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a wholesale bakery. We operate more like a bread factory than a corner bakery with around 70 employees.

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

We’ve been in business for 40 years and have had four generations running the place. A lot of our visual and verbal identity was outdated.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought our key people in for a meeting. Their team spent time getting a feel for who we are as people and as a company. They put us through relevant exercises to see what makes us unique, what our challenges are, and what our strategy is.

LESS+MORE came up with two different approaches, bringing in slides and proof of concepts. They pushed us out of our comfort zone, allowing us to explore and see how far we wanted to go in different directions. We put together a report for them with our feedback, making tweaks to the palette, specific words and ideas.

After the feedback, they gave another presentation. It felt from a verbal and visual standpoint that we were almost there. We wanted to play with the colors a bit more, and their team explored different options. In the end, we found a final palette. All the other aspects came together wonderfully.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one of the principals in the company.

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

I received a recommendation from someone in the industry. Their website looked great, and their ethos made us believe that they’re someone we wanted to be allied with.  At the end of the day, we were really excited to work with them.

It got down to two companies, and our team felt that they could relate to LESS+MORE. The other company didn’t feel like the right fit and were going to do what they wanted. LESS+MORE was going to do what we wanted. They understood that we were paying for the work and were going to have to live with the results.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first meeting took place around April–May 2019. The project ended in late-July 2019.

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

Their team was open and honest. When LESS+MORE first presented what they’d come up with for the verbal identity, it felt like they nailed it on the first try. It was awesome to see our company and team represented genuinely. Their team answers questions, going above and beyond to make sure we’re taken care of. 

LESS+MORE drafted it with simple and thoughtful words that represented us strategically. They were extremely patient and accommodating with us. On our side, we had employees on vacation and someone out on maternity leave. The rollout could’ve been quicker without that challenge. LESS+MORE was willing to put the project on hold and support us in whatever was necessary.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was professional, responsive, and on top of work. I mainly worked with two experienced partners. The other provider I looked at was going to assign me a recent college grad who had worked there for two months, which wasn’t what I wanted. I don’t think the collaboration with LESS+MORE could’ve gone better.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s comfortable to talk to their easy-going team. Their team is approachable. No one from our team felt like they didn’t connect to LESS+MORE. Their work was also excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that I can think of. They were on point.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients are in good hands. They should trust LESS+MORE with their process, and they’ll get where they want to go.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a founder and partner of the RMD Group, a hospitality management, development, and consulting company based in San Diego.

For what projects/services did your company hire LESS+MORE?

We are opening a multi-level, multi-concept project in the San Diego Gaslamp District. We have worked with LESS+MORE in the past, and knew they had the forward-thinking, high-level, artistic experience we needed to help us create multiple brands within one location. LESS+MORE helped us develop our Brand Identity through concept and content development, as well as Brand Experience through print, web, and packaging design.

What were your goals for this project?

Our project includes two separate restaurant concepts and a private event space. Going into it, the question was: do we create a brand that connected all the concepts, or do we create individualized brands for each? This was a question we posed to Mike, Steve, and their team. We ultimately decided it would be most beneficial to create a separate brand for each concept, which also meant we needed two completely different brand packages that still needed to work together within the same venue.

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked with Mike and Steve in the past, before starting RMD Group. Their level of work, creativity, and professionalism is at the top of their industry. They are always able to provide much needed direction, and we trust in their ability to deliver extraordinary and unique ideas and content.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we decided we needed separate brands for our multi-concept project, we began the naming process. They were able to provide us with multiple name options, availability/infringement research, and exploration of brand visual identity through style boards. LESS+MORE then provided us with a brand positioning statement, logo, proof of concepts (website, menus, merchandise, signage, etc), as well as brand messaging, strategies, and guidelines. Once the brands were identified, the LESS+MORE team delivered unique pre and post open campaigns as well as Grand Opening materials.

What was the team composition?

Our internal marketing and design team worked closely with both Mike (Chief Strategic Officer) and Steve (Chief Creative Officer) to produce two unique brands.

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

Our restaurants will be opening in Fall 2019. Since working with LESS+MORE, we have been able to lead a successful pre-opening campaign, building awareness and buzz around the brands, gaining press and social media coverage, and creating a strong network of hopeful job candidates.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The LESS+MORE team communicates efficiently and timely, ensuring our projects move forward and stay on track. We often have multiple people looking over and giving feedback on design and marketing projects. Mike and Steve have the patience and structure to be able to organize this feedback and produce exceptional products.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

LESS+MORE is able to create the most clever and creative ideas for brands and campaigns. However, they are equal parts artistic and strategic. They are able to brilliantly combine eye-catching designs with a strong strategy and thoughtful function.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We always find it most difficult to organize the feedback process. However, LESS+MORE did a great job making this easier on us, while still trying to meet deadlines and turn projects over in a timely manner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of 117 West Sprints, a small-batch distillery.

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

We were trying to get our distillery’s logo and brand established.

What was the scope of their involvement?

LESS+MORE started the work from scratch. Their team created our logo and developed labels for our products. They gave our team choices, and from there, we stuck to a specific idea for the branding.

Their team also set up the entry page on our website, making it legal for only customers 21 and up to enter the site. They continue to produce labels for all our newly-released distilled products.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Mike (Partner/Chief Strategic Officer, LESS+MORE), Steve (Partner/Chief Creative Officer, LESS+MORE), and Tyson (Senior Art Director, LESS+MORE).

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

I’m also a teacher, and Mike is a former student's parent. He offered up his services after hearing about our product.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with LESS+MORE in September 2017, and the work is ongoing.

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

We've received lots and lots of positive feedback from our customers about how much they enjoy the layout of the labels.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is amazing. LESS+MORE is extremely responsive and gives us finished products extremely fast. We were the ones who lagged on making decisions. Mike and Steve helped with initial concepts, and Tyson mastered the graphic design work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism and responsiveness are highlights. LESS+MORE understands their industry and how to get products out on time. Their team’s efficiency is much higher than any company we worked with before. I was blown away by LESS+MORE’s professionalism.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing on their end. I wish we had a larger budget to keep their team on a much more regular basis.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend LESS+MORE to any company. Their responsive team is willing to branch out into different industries. They do incredible work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the COO of a credit repair company.

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

We’ve been in the market for over a year and were in need of a brand redesign. We wanted to re-enter the market in a big way with fresh branding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team gave us four options for a brand that we narrowed down to two before we decided on a final product. They assisted in the UX/UI design aspect of the project which involved designing the seven-page website. They also strategized a marketing plan for five months.

What is the team composition?

The team is comprised of about five people and led by the project manager, Steve. We’ve had interactions with all team members in some capacity.

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

The project manager is an old friend of mine and we decided to interview his company along with others in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. We decided to go through with LESS+MORE for the project because we felt comfortable with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $50,000 in this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018 and are putting the finishing touches on the website that should launch in the coming weeks

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

We have not launched our website yet, but based on our competitors, I am very confident our website will stand out.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very punctual with responding and are almost ahead of the calendar. There is never a lack of communication. They will reach out to us for clarification on the vision we may have, but they have a strong grasp on the project. Our point of contact ensured that the project ran smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They enjoyed the project and were very passionate about it. They seemed excited about what we were building especially in person. We were able to talk about different ideas and they were very creative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would suggest outlining the scope in a clearer way and adding more details. The process was smooth overall, but it would be nice to have a more detailed scope.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Play an active role in the creative process, but also give the team space and let the creators come up with ideas.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Owner of F7 Productions, a conference and event planning firm.

For what projects/services did your company hire LESS+MORE?

We selected LESS+MORE initially for marketing and branding - with their help we engaged in ground-up brand design, website design, and various collateral, (pre-event marketing, and on-site event materials) across a variety of mediums.

What were your goals for this project?

As we were working on a new event, branding was incredibly important - we had to get our name out there in order to attract potential attendees. We're in a market with strong demand, but one in which we could easily be overshadowed by existing players. We had to create a way to stand out; to be professional, but also fun & attractive, which is a difficult balance to strike. Also, ideally, this would be an agency with whom we could build a long-term relationship.

How did you select this vendor?

We did several months of research, looking at dozens of firms on paper. LESS+MORE bubbled up as one of two firms who we actively engaged with and interviewed. It was obvious from the start that the folks at LESS+MORE had the heart & soul to take on this challenge. Their own staff shared the same passions we did, which has made all the difference in the world.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We created a full brand strategy and identity, which lead into a website design project, as well as ongoing production of marketing collateral and event materials.

What was the team composition?

I've worked with the agency’s partners and directors the entire time, along with individual staff members on specific parts of our engagements.

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

I think I got more than I paid for, to be honest. They exhibited a real passion for the event we were producing, and it came through in their work. Their initial ideas hit our almost perfectly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was always exceptionally responsive and easy to communicate with. Updates were regular and meetings were effective. If we needed certain things prioritized, they made them happen.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their passion and commitment to the project stood out to us. They quickly started to feel like an extension of my own staff, and they've always been there to address any needs that have come up, even at the last minute.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'm someone who can nitpick about anything, but these guys haven't let me down in any way. I’m constantly finding new ways of keeping them involved in my projects.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm one of the owners of a casual fine dining restaurant called Protégé in Palo Alto, Calif.

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

We were looking for a branding and design agency to help my partner and I channel our personalities into our brand. We wanted something simple and clean, yet welcoming.

What was the scope of their involvement?

LESS+MORE helped us strategize our brand direction from the start. They collaborated with us to conceptualize an investor deck, which helped attract investment opportunities to help us open the restaurant. They developed our logos, brand, ethos, and overall approach for delivering our message.

They're now in the process of helping us develop our menu concepts and design, as well as some additional web pages and marketing collateral (e.g. business cards, newsletters).

What is the team composition?

I mostly work directly with the owners, Steve (Partner/Chief Creative Officer, LESS+MORE) and Mike (Partner/Chief Strategic Officer, LESS+MORE).

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

We've been attracted to their work for a while, including the branding and designs they've created for a handful of restaurants in San Diego.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested between $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since around March or April 2016 and we're still heavily engaged with their team.

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

Everything they've designed has been well received by our investors, guests, and colleagues. They have a very high reference point for quality design work and present very sound material. Their designs are spot on—contemporary, clean, and approachable.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

LESS+MORE's responsiveness around our demanding schedule has been great. Whenever a glitch pops up, they handle it almost immediately. We appreciate their ability to work with a sense of urgency.

We stay in regular contact through email, phone, and over conference calls. We've visited their office in San Diego and wish they were closer because working with them in-person is such a pleasure.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by their desire to get to know our philosophy, our goals, and our vision. They took all the information they gathered and created something we could never have conceived ourselves. Besides being incredibly thoughtful, they are creative, organized, and professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They've been amazing and we're very happy with the results. We'll continue to work with them on any projects moving forward and would recommend them to anyone opening up a restaurant.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest the time upfront to have in-depth conversations with their team. Their ability to read clients is amazing, so allow them the creative freedom to present some options based on the framework you provide for your vision.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing and brand strategy for The Greg Norman Company, which focuses on a mixture of consumer-facing and B2B businesses. 

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

We were launching a new business called Wake Park, which involves wakeboarding on a lake. We wanted to build a differentiated brand for the business in order to scale and differentiate it from our competitors. We don’t have any in-house creative services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided LESS+MORE with a defined creative brief and some sites that we liked visually. They took on the project from start to finish. We needed them to deliver a brand identity and the look and feel of the site. Deliverables included fonts, color palettes, a logo, as well as a brand voice and a brand identity statement. There were also a few additional creative deliverables like a template print and banner ad and some designs for apparel. The project was more about defining a strategy of who we’re speaking to, how we want to differentiate ourselves, what we want to look like, and how we want to sound. We didn’t use LESS+MORE for video or digital. We weren’t executing a media plan against this, so we didn’t need those services.

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

The business owner of the park had seen some of LESS+MORE’s work for a restaurant, and we got their name through them. I have a few agencies that I work with regularly, but I liked LESS+MORE’s smaller feel. They were conscious of our limited budget. The fact that they were from Southern California helped because they were close to the watersport culture that we wanted to tap into.

How much have you invested with LESS+MORE?

We spent around $40,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January of 2016, and the work was completed in April of 2016. I wanted to use them for another business, but we joined with a company that had internal resources, so I wasn’t able to use LESS+MORE. We’ll definitely look for any opportunity to work with them again. 

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

We’ve been able to establish differences in the brand in the market that we’ve opened and among our competitors. We are able to scale very easily. We opened a food and beverage center called The Shark Shack, and we were able to leverage their creativity for that. We’ve also been able to extend to an apparel line. LESS+MORE helped us establish a foundation and got us to a point where we can use a freelance graphic designer to extend the brand really successfully without a huge budget.

The biggest win was internal. This was a new process for them, and they realized the value of building that foundation based on consumer insights and positioning versus putting a logo and creative together ourselves. It taught us the value of building our brand identity up front. LESS+MORE did a good job of educating our team during the process. They gave us options and were flexible in taking our feedback and incorporating it. They also gave us their opinion on why they did what they did. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from consumers.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic. Mike [Partner and Creative Director, LESS+MORE] was phenomenal, and everyone else was great. The team was very organized and timeline-driven yet flexible. They incorporated our feedback.

What did you find most impressive about LESS+MORE?

I’ve worked with so many agencies that have a standard look and feel, but LESS+MORE gave us a diverse selection so we could get a sense of direction. The creative breadth and depth of what they can do are impressive. They were an absolute pleasure to work with. They were friendly, took feedback, and were great at project management. I’ve worked with great agencies and others that have been challenging. LESS+MORE adapted to our corporate culture, which is key in driving an agency relationship.

Are there any areas LESS+MORE could improve?

I hope to work with them again. I have nothing but positive things to say about them. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The RMD Group is a nightlife company located in San Diego, California. We own restaurants and nightclubs. I’m one of the owners of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with LESS+MORE?

We first approached LESS+MORE over ten years ago, when we were creating a new brand and marketing campaign for a nightclub we were opening.

What was the scope of their involvement?

For a period of time after that first engagement, LESS+MORE was our agency of record, and they did everything for us. If we need a new brand, logos, flyers, whatever, LESS+MORE did it for us. They also did the execution of all the assets related to any brand which included: flyers, social media content, and all that. Then we grew bigger, and they grew bigger, so we decided to bring art and marketing in-house. They helped us hire people for that, so we now have a full marketing and art department.

We still maintain our relationship with LESS+MORE for larger projects. For example, we launched a loyalty app last year. We wanted a fresh brand campaign and all the collateral to go with it, so they worked with our in-house team to create it. Over the years, we’ve worked on about eight major projects with them.

We like to use them when we’re creating a new logo, new ID package, or a new campaign. So, we’re starting something completely from scratch, and we want a big idea. They give us the strategy, and then we do most of the implementation. We concentrate our advertising on print, social media, and outdoor. They’ve created billboards for us. We had a really fun campaign that was on the side of a construction site when we were building a new venue. We don’t do any TV or radio, so we don’t use them for that.

They also developed a website for us. We had an existing site, but we wanted to make our new loyalty app the mainstay of that site. We changed the functionality and everything, putting the app at the forefront. LESS+MORE oversaw the design, development, and a little SEO [search engine optimization].

How did you come to work with LESS+MORE?

When one of their partners, Steve, was working as an independent about 15 years ago, we used him as a graphic designer on small projects. We remained close, and then LESS+MORE started their company. We needed their services, so we interviewed LESS+MORE and a few other companies. We liked the pitch they gave us, so we went with them. We’ve maintained a close personal relationship with them since.

How much have you invested with LESS+MORE?

We’ve spent between $50,000 and $200,000 over the course of the relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started working with LESS+MORE in 2006, and the most recent project was completed in September of 2016.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our goal for the loyalty app was to get 1,000 active users after the first year, and we actually got 2,500 active users in that time. We’re at about 4,000 now. That was a big accomplishment. LESS+MORE created everything you see on our social media and on our website.

Over the years, the collateral they’ve created has been well-received by our audience. The app is one indication of that. Our brand is recognizable. People comment on the look and feel of our brand, and LESS+MORE are the ones to thank for that.

How did LESS+MORE perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done a great job evolving over the years. The last project was super organized. They took the lead on managing the schedule and deliverables, and they ran all the meetings. As a company, we normally like to keep control. However, with all the other things we have going on, it was nice to know that they were at the steering wheel, driving that project. We just showed up to meetings and made decisions. It was great.

LESS+MORE met all their deadlines. If a deadline was missed, it was because we were slow in making decisions. They quoted one price, and that was the price we paid. There were no surprises with the cost. In my world, things never come in at the price as they should. I agreed on the price up front and felt like it was a good value.

What did you find most impressive about LESS+MORE?

LESS+MORE has a very creative team. For the app project, we had some ideas on what we thought it should be, and they presented completely different ideas that we liked better. They are the experts, which is what you want. They didn’t just run with our idea; they presented additional ideas that were better. They’re good at what they do, and they can show it.

Are there any areas LESS+MORE could improve?

I don’t have anything to suggest.