McLean

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of a beverage company. We manufacture iced tea and lemonade.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

We were rebranding our company’s logo and beverage label for five different SKUs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we provided McLean with several existing brand assets, including the logo and label files. We gave them a rundown of the look and feel we wanted to achieve for the brand. Basically, we hired them to guide us through the process and create a new look.

We had an initial meeting, and then they gave us a proposal based on what we could afford and how much time we could put into it. Afterward, they gave us several different concepts. McLean did a lot of research about our industry to create the concepts based on various brand fields. We initially didn’t feel strongly about anything, so they took some of our comments and new approaches to give us more options. From there, 2–3 options stuck out, and they refined them more. We kept going through the design process until we narrowed it down to the final product.

What is the team composition?

We initially met with Jeff (Director of Marketing Creative Services); he gave us the quotation and prepared the proposal. After that, we moved on to a project manager. Other people were on the conference call, but we mainly interacted with them. Finally, Ian (President & Founder) did most of the leg work on the design.

How did you come to work with McLean?

They did some work for another iced tea brand. I was really impressed by it when I saw it sitting on the shelf at a store. I searched on Google, and they came up because they had it on their portfolio on their website. Then, I started looking through all the other projects they’d done, and I thought they were the experts I was looking for.

What is the status of this engagement?

They kicked the project off in December 2021 and were done by February 2022.

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

We’ve worked with designers for a couple of decades, so we recognize that the work will be worth it in the long run. We wouldn’t have gotten the expertise and quality they had with a local designer. McLean asked the right questions regarding the brand, the feel of the beverage, and how it relates to the consumer. Also, they were knowledgeable about how psychology works when the consumer reviews the product and package, especially in the beverage industry.

Overall, they were top-tier designers; they knocked it out of the park with a great product. We liked the direction they took. Also, we received many compliments from customers, friends, and family.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a very structured process; they did their concepts, put them together, and sent them our way. When the phase was done, there were no questions about it. Nothing got muddled regarding costs, and they always delivered what they promised. Overall, everything was well laid out. 

We mainly used Teams meetings, virtual calls, and emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their portfolio was really impressive; everything was so well done. Also, they were very particular about color. In the end, they sent us hard proofs of the label to provide to our printer so they could match it. Not many designers care that much about it or are adamant about giving the documents to ensure the printer follows through with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president emeritus of Healthy Brand Builders. We’re a 37-years-old strategic consulting firm that does brand building in the consumer packaged goods space for food and beverages.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

We typically hire them to do creative work regarding branding and name recognition. They’re one of six branding agencies we go to for new product development and creative branding, mainly in the beverage space.

What was the scope of their involvement?

McLean has developed the brand architecture and principles surrounding names for end clients. They determine the name alongside the client and then move forward. For example, if we think about the creative process as a pyramid, we develop a hierarchal platform of inclusive things to support the brand and brand name. Then, we create a list of things that don’t support it, so we build a solid wall outside the pyramid. The terminology and definitions that we use, brand essence, emotional appeal, and psychographic and demographic orientation about the product are all included in the pyramid. McLean helps the client determine that.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with several people in the agency, including Ian (Founder) and Jeff (Business Development Director).

How did you come to work with McLean?

Ian and I spoke at the same conference, and we really enjoyed listening to each other. I was born and raised in San Francisco, so my career was there for a long time. Once we met, we began to build a relationship. He was in Walnut Creek, so we were pretty close to one another. One thing led to another, and we eventually added him to our cadre of creative genius entities.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them over the last 20 years.

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

Without exception, every client that we’ve taken to McLean has been exceedingly thrilled with their work. There’s no such thing as 100% satisfaction, but generally speaking, the crew is great at listening, processing information, and feeding it back through a creative process. They do an excellent job on naming recognition and brand building — all the architectural components needed to put a brand on the map are well within the purview of their deliverables.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good at sticking to deliverables and timelines. They set up a strong architecture around the deliverable schedule, which is shared and agreed to with the client so they can be aware of McLean’s work in the background at any given time. The deliverables usually come at intervals.

We communicate through telephone and emails depending on the depth and breadth of what needs to be shared.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ian is the leading creative brain in the agency, and he has a keen understanding of the marketplace. Also, he’s very strong-willed in his opinions. Moreover, McLean is very insightful with clients that have been at the head of the curve. They often do rebranding for clients who just need a new update or facade; they’re great at it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In general, they do a great job; I don’t see a need for retooling their operation. If anything, sometimes Ian is a little hardheaded and has a feeling of how something should happen. It can be rough around the edges with clients, particularly if they’re not used to dealing with somebody as straightforward as he is. How we deliver has a lot to do with the acceptance level on the client’s end, so we can all learn a few things about how to deliver something to somebody. However, I like Ian’s honesty and how he thinks — it’s one of the reasons why we see eye to eye.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the interim COO of an on-demand home services marketplace, particularly providing housekeeping services to residences and luxury apartment buildings. They work with the property owners to offer a turnkey service, allowing residents to instantly arrange services like housekeeping, pet care, and laundry from an app.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

Our brand used to be more literal, using the butler theme, so we knew that we needed to rebrand ourselves. We wanted a more aspirational and less literal brand to eliminate the butler theme, which was overdone. Thus, we needed help to create a new name and brand identity.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, I provided McLean with a brand brief I produced that was tied to what we were trying to achieve, including customer feedback and industry research information I gathered. Then, we had various conversations to help drive the rebranding process.

During this process, we went through a lot of naming options, considering the different trademarks we would have to fight through if we chose certain names. Once we chose a name, we revised a few options for the logo and branding. The final deliverable was an entire branding kit.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Ian (President & Founder), Angela (Director of Client Services), a designer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with McLean?

I brought in someone I had worked with in the past who helped with the day-to-day mechanics of the RFP process. During the process, we ended up researching for branding agencies, including those that friends and acquaintances referred.

We looked at around 30 different agencies, asked for information from 20, and got into further discussions with 5–10. After going through the proposals we received, we narrowed our options to three companies, ultimately choosing McLean.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–June 2019.

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

McLean helped us come up with a great brand that really fit us, which was very important. It was well-received by customers, and it helped position us for the rapid expansion the company is now experiencing.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

McLean performed really well. They were very organized, helping us meet our timeline within our budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

McLean was very approachable and easy to work with. Additionally, they were very patient regarding the various iterations involved in the process. I also really liked their creative thought process, which helped us find a balance in a brand intended to be more aspirational and feeling-evocative without it being too nondescriptive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any particular advice.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and creative director of a plant-powered energy drink company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

We hired McLean to help us with our graphic design and branding needs. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

McLean helped us with the package design, providing us with design suggestions. On top of that, the team audited our status in the marketplace, where we’d been, and where we were going. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Ian (President & Founder) and some project managers. 

How did you come to work with McLean?

I knew about McLean through an online search. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $10,000–$30,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from December 2019–January 2020.

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

We were pleased with how the project ended up being — it was aligned with what we wanted and where we needed to go. We got our message across; it wasn’t cluttered, and it was easy to understand.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. Their resources were efficient; they stayed on top of everything. If one of them couldn’t take our call, somebody else would step in and take care of it. We typically communicated through emails, phone calls, Zoom presentations, and in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience and industry-specific knowledge were great. They understood the consumer packaged goods market and were highly intuitive and astute. We were also grateful for their ability to take on this engagement even though it was something they didn’t usually do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. They challenged our preconceptions in a good way, and they had great teamwork as we came up with a solution. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be curious and challenge McLean — push back. That way, you’ll get the most out of the engagement. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal at SHR Perceptual Branding. We started in 1970 as a graphic design and corporate identity firm and then evolved into a brand strategy firm by adding consumer research to our interests. Our unique approach involves understanding and managing perceptions in the consumer’s mind. 

We’re also part owners of a high-end coffee company based in Bogota, Colombia.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

Our firm initially attracted the owner of our coffee company because of our brand strategy experience. The coffee company had never launched the product outside of Colombia, and we partnered with them to introduce the coffee in the United States. We needed help with packaging design, so we hired McLean.

What was the scope of their involvement?

McLean started by auditing our copy. They also analyzed other brands in the high-end specialty coffee arena, including a thorough overview of the competition. Their team identified 5–6 brands that stood out, which became a point of discussion in our collaboration. 

From our branding firm's side, we offered McLean the research we'd done, what we felt was true to our coffee brand, meaningful to our customers, and what made us distinctive. We also gave them our brand story. 

From there, they came to us with brand platform tools. These tools included talking points, positioning statements, desired customer takeaway, as well as brand pillars, pyramid, voice, and manifesto. 

We expanded the program based on our discovery, adding logo and name exploration. Specifically, they helped us identify typography and the look and feel when combining the name and logo. 

Then, McLean did a package design exercise in which they presented several options for us. After we chose a design, the McLean team delivered the mechanical designs with all the necessary details. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jeff (Business Developer), who had a team of people to help manage the process, and schedule phone calls. Ian (Founder) was also involved.

How did you come to work with McLean?

I was aware of them over the years through my brand strategy firm, and I'd always wanted to work with McLean because I admired their various solutions, so we called them. Since we're not a big brand, we weren't sure if they'd be interested in helping us or if we could afford them. As it turned out, they were interested, and their pricing was very fair.

We also got proposals from other packaging design firms, but many were too process-oriented. McLean's proposal felt purer in its creativity. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000–$65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–October 2020.

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

We're getting great initial reactions to the packaging McLean designed. Whenever I present the package to people, they're wowed by its exclusive look and the high quality of the copy. Since our product is expensive, we wanted to position ourselves in the high-end market and justify the cost of our coffee with our package design as well as its quality. McLean's work helps position our product with a design that has the look of exclusivity and quality we were looking for.

Additionally, internal stakeholders were really taken by the depth of McLean's exploration and their professionalism. For example, the number of package design concepts they presented to us was exceptional. We expected 4–5 options, but McLean presented around 10 design explorations, all beautifully executed. They also clarified every aspect of the designs for us.

The functionality of the packaging box was also remarkable. From the design stage, the McLean team thought ahead about the feasibility of production and whether the box could be on the shelf at a grocery store. They were always one step ahead, thinking about good choices that were functional and executable.

The final mechanical design delivery was also excellent. Packaging is complicated, and McLean communicated how the packaging was intended to be built to the manufacturer. It took us a while to produce the packaging because we wanted everything made in Colombia for brand authenticity reasons. Our goal this year is to promote the product at scale, so we'll know more about results in a year.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always fully prepared for each call with us; they had a well-crafted presentation that outlined and supported their process. Each meeting we had with McLean built upon the previous session, which I appreciated for the continuity of thought. As we went, everything became clearer, more committed to what we found together, and our collaboration became more focused.

In terms of scheduling, we had to be patient and wait for them because they couldn't jump right into our project due to their client cycle. We were willing to wait for them, though. Then, the  COVID-19 pandemic started during our process and slowed down the work, which wasn't their fault.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by McLean's thoroughness and preparedness for every presentation. They were always one step ahead of us in their thinking, so we never felt anguish about where we would go next. The fact that meetings had continuity eliminated issues as they came up. Their approach took the anxiety out of the discovery phase and made it a fun experience for us. 

Clients often wonder if they'll get their money's worth from a vendor or whether the solution will work. In this regard, McLean over-delivered; they always brought something new to the table that was unexpected and helpful in decision-making. They were also very fair with pricing when we expanded the project. 

Ian's involvement was also remarkable. Many prominent providers exclude their founders, but Ian was sufficiently involved and delegated to talented people in the right way. He's passionate about his ideas, and he'll fight for them, which I appreciated. 

Additionally, they had a very thorough process that they took us through. McLean's process and brainpower distilled any fuzziness we might have had into a very sharp point of view.

At the same time, their approach is very creative. Other vendors can be too process-oriented, so clients might not get a super creative solution. McLean gave us a fresh, creative expression of our brand, with an underpinning of thoughtfulness for production and how we might display our packaging in the store. Overall, McLean delivered with excellence. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they need to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Any branding organization appreciates when clients can articulate what they have and want for their brand. Often, clients come to providers for clarification or sharpening of those ideas, though they might not know that. Giving McLean our brand perspective, story, and thoughts helped them focus on who we were as a brand. 

I recommend you come to McLean with as many thoughts as possible about what you're trying to achieve. Give them clarity about who you are, your target audience, and what's meaningful to that audience. Knowing who your competitors are and the brands you most admire is also helpful.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Steve and I’m the founder and CEO of RxSugar, the world’s best tasting, healthiest, natural, plant-based sugar and syrup. The company was started in May 2019.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

McLean was brought into this project because they are the best in class relative to creating the visuals, packaging, and medium by which we can convey the message, in which we can spur adoption and accelerate traction to the masses. We feel that McLean is peerless in that regard.

What was the scope of their involvement?

What McLean was able to do was take food as a medicine and our brand name RxSugar, to provide the packaging asset that would allow that messaging to spring forth from the variety of different products that we have.

We have two primary classes of products. We have dry products, which is a standard crystal sugar, and liquid products which are organic, liquid sugar pancake syrup. The project consists of working with three different form factors — a 16-ounce canister, stick packs in a cardboard carton, and the standard film or sleeve, that would surround a bottle full of liquid.

McLean took on all three to bring forth best-in-class visuals relative to art, photography, font style, and placement, in terms of optimizing the messaging.

What is the team composition?

I don’t have full transparency into their team of artisans, but I work closely with Ian (Founder & Creative Director), as he’s involved in every step of the way.

How did you come to work with McLean?

I was introduced to Ian years ago, as part of a former project. Because of the extraordinary insight he had, we actually rebranded the entire product based on his suggestions. I knew he was a quality person who was a subject matter expert, so when I launched this company in May 2019, he was top of mind and first in line.

How much have you invested with them?

The amount of investment is close to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing partnership started in January 2020.

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

Not only do we consistently, if not, unanimously get feedback on the packaging, but there’s also an inherent enthusiasm — we don’t just receive simple vernacular, it’s always over the top hyperbole. Our brand stands apart because as I’ve told Ian, my golden rule in business is that in order to be seen as best, you must first be seen as different, and that’s where McLean resonates and overachieves.

We have that perfect blend of having food as a medicine prescriptive solution to solving the world’s biggest problem, which is sugar, and doing it in a manner that conveys meaningfulness that people and consumers have resonated towards. We’re approaching 10,000 stores, we’ve sold out on QVC in eight minutes which they’re inviting us back to, and we’re in every lifetime fitness facility in the country.

The combination of retail growth, online traction, and selling out on QVC speaks volumes to just how appealing the packaging is, and that’s a direct result of Ian and his team’s work.

It’s really quite affirming as to where and how McLean works with clients. Ian is basically renowned as North America’s number one leader in this field. For him to be involved with a relatively small company like RxSugar is endearing and quite meaningful to us. Ian never disappoints — I have very high expectations and he forever exceeds those.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

The best part about Ian and his team is that they’re dedicated to delivering on time and under budget. McLean does a masterful job of understanding the requirements, and utilizing their decades of experience to gauge what resources are needed within the timeline. I’m accountable to a balance sheet and income statement, so it’s meaningful to me that I can rely on such partners to be economically rational and accountable.

They have a number of relationship managers who do an outstanding job relative to the organization of the project. They understand where the cost constraints are, and where we need to be operating within both cost and timeline.

Additionally, they do a nice job of laying out everything in PDF format. They provide me with PDF summaries, they’re constantly in touch, and they’re always showing up on time for conference calls. They’re also very good at sharing updates incrementally.

What did you find most impressive about them?

People don’t care how much you know, until you know how much they care — and McLean has an abundance of care. Ian is always on the call, appears on every video, and always so focused and enthusiastic. More than that, he’s the most transparent and straightforward person, so he’s never just trying to agree with you and go along with what might appease you.

If he has an insight that he wants to share, there’s no constraint, and there’s no better attribute than that one. No one surpasses Ian relative to being super smart and super transparent — he really is a remarkable gentleman.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nary a concern. I would literally have to dive into my cranium and concoct something because there’s not a thing I would ask for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best advice I could give is to recognize that Ian is a disciple of honesty, truth, candor, and transparency. It would not make sense to enter into the relationship and hold back or worry about ruffling feathers, because that’s emotive stuff that gets in the way of progress.

Just be prepared, open, honest, and lay out every card. Because the more information you provide his team, the better they are at helping you.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are  the world’s most drinkable kombucha, delicious tasting, low in sugar, loaded with probiotics, and always alcohol free. Founded in 2009 by kombucha enthusiasts, the company is one the largest, fastest growing, and beloved kombucha brands in the world.

From the company’s early days brewing in the founders’ kitchen through its movement to a full-scale brewery, Our Kombucha has remained focused on great taste, accessibility, and overall wellness because health and happiness go hand-in-hand. We can be found in stores and restaurants in all 50 States and in Canada.

Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, we created the world’s first Kombucha tap room in 2013 and welcomes visitors to grab and experience the tastiest kombucha around. 

For what projects/services did your company hire McLean?

Hired McLean to develop evolve brand packaging design as well as develop strategy, positioning and designs for new innovation. Brand strategy: understand the competitive marketplace and developed platform and positioning work to position brand to win at shelf

Understand brand equity and how to make major changes and extend brand while leveraging what makes brand special and its true essence Designs rooted in strategy Creativity and range of designs: over-delivered on concepts with a wide range of designs Skilled Structure evaluation and design

What were your goals for this project?

• Improve brand impact and recognition on shelf
• Establish stronger visual foundation and brand block
• Create a highly flexible and identifiable flavor system
• Create line extension separation as needed
• Identification and design of new bottles and can sizes
• Appeal to the masses as the deliciously drinkable refreshing kombucha (without the vinegar bite) that is healthy and makes you feel good.
• Overcome perceived barriers that are keeping people from drinking kombucha: lack of understanding (afraid of the product), taste (think it tastes gross/bad, skeptical of the health benefits.

How did you select this vendor?

We hired a beverage marketing consultant to develop our brief, identify agencies with related experience, and then we sent a RFP. Upon review of portfolio, RFP responses, and understanding of the assignment, we hired McLean.

Describe the project in detail.

• Phase 1: Brand Strategy, Data intake, review and processing/distillation - Perform audits on consumers/category/competition, Kombucha brands, Healthy/mainstream beverages, Structures
• Phase 2 – Design Exploration, Brand & packaging family solutions, 5-7 concepts, 4 items (1/segment), front panel (PDP) only
• Phase 3 – Design Revision, Revisions to 1-2 selected lead concepts, 3-4 items, PDP only
• Phase 4 –Refinements & Initial Zero Extensions, Minor refinements to lead concept, Extend flavor system to 2 additional items, PDP only, Design secondary panel, 1 item
• Phase 5 – Complete Extensions and Finalization, Minor refinements to secondary panel, Finalize all 3 items, all panels
• Phase 6 – Mechanical Art
• What was the team composition?

Humm: Jamie, CEO, Matt, President, John, VP of Marketing, René, Director of Marketing, Alice, Project Manager, Travis, Designer McLean: Ian, Founder and Chief Creative, Director of Strategy, Caryn, Director of Client Services, Angela (functioned as main point of contact for the workflow), and several designers.

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

Feedback and press have been extremely positive. We met our distribution and shipping goal deadline of late March.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seamless. They have top notch project management and are very proactive about deliverables and deadlines. They were helpful, responsive, and respectful – true partners.

They made recommendations on how to streamline and save time given our tight timelines. We had a large team of decision makers and McLean very helpful in getting alignment from the team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Experience in the category. Responsiveness. They care about our business and success and are true partners. Even after project was complete/before started 2nd project still there for team involved with outside suppliers – glass design because McLean cares about client and doing what’s best for the brand.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for a food company.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

We wanted to create new labels for our olive oil. We hoped to better reflect what our consumers were looking for.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided a proposal and statement of work with exact timing, the details of each phase, and pricing. We went through the process step by step, and we explored different design options. We narrowed those options and made revisions to the designs they provided. We ultimately chose one, and we iterated until we had the colors and icons solidified.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one main point of contact, and I also interacted with another team member for more difficult aspects.

How did you come to work with McLean?

We were introduced through a mutual contact, and we had a kickoff call to discuss the issue.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around May 2019 and concluded in August 2019.

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

We haven't launched the new packaging yet, but the internal response is great. Everyone—from our marketing team to our executive level—is impressed by the design and the new look. The final result matches the rest of our brand, and we're very happy with the outcome.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well, and our contacts were on top of everything. They were responsive, understanding, and friendly, and we felt comfortable approaching them with our questions. We had to move very fast in the end, and they worked very quickly in the last weeks of the project. We communicated every two or three days, depending on the phase. During the crunch at the end, we spoke a couple of times each day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very dedicated to our project, and they understood our issues and our timelines. They rolled up their sleeves and were very involved. Their professionalism, knowledge, and responsiveness are impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they should improve; they were great to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open about your project and share your constraints and concerns. Provide them as much information as possible for them to deliver a strong final product.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a bakery. We make clean label, allergen-free cookies that are sold in a variety of grocery stores.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

We were going through a rebrand and were changing our packaging and our company name.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed a new logo and packaging while maintaining some of the existing elements. We didn't want there to be a shocking difference from our previous imagery, so they were sensitive to that. We worked together through an aggressive timeline. We gave them some of the new names we were considering, and they gave us their input. Once we selected the new name, they designed the logo and incorporated it into new design elements.

What is the team composition?

Primarily, I work with the designer and the account contact. I know there are several more people involved behind the scenes, including the founder and a photographer.

How did you come to work with McLean?

My friend used them for another rebranding project. We considered other companies, but McLean was my favorite by far. I knew I wanted to work with them based on their portfolio and the look and feel of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

I've invested around $27,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started right at the end of July 2019, and the whole timeline took place over about 30 days. I think that's atypical for their process, but we didn't want to miss important launches with grocery stores that were fast approaching.

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

The new branding is still about two weeks away from appearing on shelves. We have all the packaging, but we don't have any performance data yet. My distributor and buyers love the look of everything, and the materials look much more professional.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

They're excellent project managers and are very organized. Over the course of about four weeks, we spoke a couple of times each week through emails or scheduled weekly calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail was amazing. They brought up things I hadn't thought of, and the finished product looks wonderful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they should improve. Balancing the artistic look with the information that needs to appear on the bag is tricky, but that's the case with any design firm.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them and be very clear about your budget or timeline constraints. They're very receptive, and they're not at all condescending.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and owner of Snowflakes Candy, which is a sugar-free confection company out of Clayton, California.

What challenge were you trying to address with McLean?

We were primarily facing packaging concerns. There were a couple of retailers who were interested in carrying the product, but the sticking point was really our previous packaging. McLean was hired to completely redesign that element of our product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we walked into McLean, the conversation was immediately around how to communicate with our target customers. They really went above and beyond in taking our project under their wing and creating an entire brand and logo for us.

They researched our consumer psychology, who our target customer was, and how to target them. They created our sell sheets and our trade show booth. Having all of that come from one place established continuity for our entire brand.

What is the team composition?

I have one primary point of contact on their team, but it really felt like a team effort all the way down. Any time we had a meeting with their team there were 3–4 people ready to talk to us. I really appreciated having multiple points of view in that regard.

How did you come to work with McLean?

We were looking at working with a company out in Colorado but realized we wanted to have a partnership with someone close by so that it would be easier to meet in person. We found McLean online and they are only 15 minutes away from our office, so we set up a meeting just to see how things went. All of their previous work really resonated with what we wanted to do, especially in terms of simplicity, so we went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we’ve spent around $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and wrapped up in May 2018.

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

Once we finished the design work with McLean, we called back a lot of the same companies and retail distributors, and the response was a complete 180. Within the first seven days, we sold 30,000 units and picked up a ton of new vendors and distributors.

We now have brokers and wholesalers cold calling us because they saw the packaging on social media, without even knowing what we’re selling. It has been an absolutely critical pivot for our brand.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was what I was most impressed with. They work with billion-dollar brands so I was worried we might fall pretty low in the pecking order, but it actually felt like I was their only customer. They were always responsive over email, returning my messages within 24 hours. I never felt left behind or forgotten about, and the process felt very seamless the entire way.

The first day we were in there was the coolest part of the process; we went in and talked to them for hours about some of the most minute details of our business, and then they came back to us with a ton of information and a ton of visuals on our competition and customers and how we needed to differentiate ourselves.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The one thing they do incredibly well is understanding the consumer and how to gain their attention. Just because you think something is nice doesn’t mean the end consumer is going to think it’s great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can honestly say I’m thrilled with the way everything went. I don’t have anything bad to say.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is just don’t overthink it. They’re professionals in their space and they know what to do, so give them full reign in the process and you won’t regret it.