Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a nonprofit retail shop that offers strictly children’s items. The Fox Library benefits from the proceeds of the organization and it’s based in Arlington. We are unique in the sense that we are located in an actual library and all of our donations come from the community. Moreover, almost all of our workers are volunteers. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC?

We needed a name for our company because we had the same look for over 10 years. The shop had outgrown our look and feel. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team spearheaded the logo, colors, and new signage for the shop. It started 10 years from nothing, but people brought in donations and borrowed shelving and other things. We encountered busy moms with little kids and if people need stuff done, they call us to do things for them. 

We were the kind of shop that people couldn’t live without. When we closed the library, many people contacted us on our reopening date. They also asked if they could drop-off donations. 

Initially, we had a bit of an identity crisis with the new name we wanted to achieve, but we were able to hash that all out. Then, we shared our goals, where we were, and the industry we were in. We also told them who our target customers were. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jeff (President & Creative Director). He’s a dad at the school where my kids are, so I knew him prior to the engagement. We also had three people on our team, but Jeff led us from start to finish. 

How did you come to work with Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC?

I put a request on our local town Facebook group hoping to find somebody that was working from home or looking to take someone that was out of the industry because they were with kids or for whatever reason. We just wanted someone who could take on the project. Then, a mutual acquaintance put us in touch with Ora.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $3,200–$3,400. They gave us a discount. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership ran from March–October 2020. It was a long process, partly because of everything that happened over the course of the year. 

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

The team was able to put together a great branding kit. The quality of their work was top-notch. We were really happy with the deliverables they have us. The end result really showed that they understood where we were coming from and what our goals were. 

How did Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC   perform from a project management standpoint?

We had several meetings with Jeff and he would often ask us questions. Then, he would present us with written feedback which I highly appreciated. 

Everything went well. I don’t think they missed any deadlines, it was probably us that held the project more than anything. They were always on time and they exceeded expectations. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their listening skills were amazing. We sat down and discussed things. We never felt rushed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be organized and have clear goals in mind. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Abilyn’s Frozen Bakery. We produce a line of gluten-free and clean label ice cream cakes. We’re in about 350 retail outlets with our products today.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC?

Our biggest challenge was messaging to our consumers. We underwent a brand change due to a large national company filing for the naming rights of our previous brands.

We engaged Ora Brand Strategy + Design for our rebranding strategy. They also helped us figure out how to position ourselves with our consumers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we decided that we would have to rebrand, we tore up the playbook to work closely with them on a new branding strategy. We decided how we wanted to position ourselves and which consumers we wanted to target.

We worked with Ora Brand Strategy + Design on a lot of package design, ad layouts, and coupon imaging. They helped out with marketing strategy and messaging, as well. The team assisted with our online messaging on social media and revamping our Squarespace website.

What is the team composition?

Our engagement was solely with Jeff (President & Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC?

We had a retail ice cream store. One day, Jeff and his kids came by because they lived in the community. We struck up a conversation, and one thing led to another.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent at least $20,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2017. Our last repackaging project ended with them in May 2020.

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

We’ve been very pleased with the work that they’ve done. Since our brand refresh, our product velocity in-store is up about 40%.

How did Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They exceeded our expectations. From a project management standpoint, they laid out a concise timeline. Their deliverables were always on time. Their team gave us plenty of time for review. We were able to go back and forth and provide feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were very impressed with their ability to listen to our ideas and then incorporate their ideas. It felt like a collaboration.

The team outlined their thought process, giving us multiple alternatives and recommending multiple solutions. They allowed us to pick what we thought was best and never forced an idea on us. We were very happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing really comes to mind. We were very satisfied with the turnaround on the project and their sense of urgency. It felt like a true collaboration all along.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Jeff is a very good listener. He’s had a lot of experience in consumer package goods. I would tell anyone that Jeff is thoughtful, creative, and an outstanding listener. He works hard to understand the problem and challenges before offering a solution. I think that works very well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at a company called Ampion. We provide billing and customized physician services for community solar. We’re able to plug people into solar fields and buy renewable energy.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ora Brand Strategy + Design?

We were looking to create a totally new brand for ourselves. Our original logo and website were made years ago by a junior designer. We wanted to create a new brand that includes the logo, name, and all marketing materials.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was a clean slate—he came up the logo, the name, and the website. We’ve been involved with Jeff (President) extensively over the last five years. He designed our logo and came up with the name. He also redesigned our marketing materials once we transitioned from a B2B-only to include B2C.  

It was a collaborative process, but Jeff is also capable of working on his own. He’s pulled everything together and done a lot of his own research. He also built an enrollment form that helps us gain customers. He designed the UI and interface for that.

What is the team composition?

I’ve only worked with Jeff.

How did you come to work with Ora Brand Strategy + Design?

Multiple friends that I trust recommended Jeff. He was previously a marketing vice-president at a large company.

How much have you invested with them?

It will be around $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started sometime in 2015. We paused the work but invited him back in the fall of 2019 to help with our B2C redesign. That is ongoing.

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

I’m very pleased with Jeff. He knows design very well. In addition, he understands marketing and the customers we have. His skills are very multifaceted — he can do illustrations, content, and web design. He’s been able to deliver a one-stop-shop for us. We’ve gotten positive feedback on the website and logo from friends and clients. With the enrollment form, he showed he’s good with web architecture and UI design as well.

How did Ora Brand Strategy + Design perform from a project management standpoint?

He’s very responsive and gets back to me quickly. If I need something, I can send him a text and he’ll respond right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Jeff is a very nice person and has a genuine desire to do a good job for you. He’s fair with pricing, a well-versed designer, and a good person to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure there is good communication. If you have a plan at the beginning, that ensure the project will run smoothly. We had some issues where he’d go ahead with the design and we wouldn’t provide feedback, meaning that he had to go back. Having a clear strategy is important.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a nonprofit that creates energy-efficient technologies, particularly in the lighting space.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC?

We wanted to spin a regional energy efficiency project out from another nonprofit. In response to that, we brought on their team to handle a new brand strategy and brand identity for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We originally had another creative team working on the rebrand. After finding that they wouldn’t be the right fit for us, we brought in their team to manage brand strategy and identity. At that time, we handled a lot of research. They were in charge of design and execution. 

In addition to the brand development, Jeff (President, Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC) project managed a website redesign for us that reflected the new brand, imaging, and language. As part of that, they worked with us on value propositions to all of our stakeholders that we could use as part of the website as well. In this case, they focused mainly on design. Once that was complete, we sent the work over to an IT firm for development. 

At this point, they’re still doing branding work for us. For each of our platforms, we have a different logo. They work with us to design and update those logos. Additionally, we’re planning to undertake another redesign of the website in the near future. 

What is the team composition?

I worked primarily with Jeff on the project.

How did you come to work with Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC?

I knew him while he was working in a prior role. After talking him through the pain points I was experiencing with my branding team at the time, I asked if he would be able to take on the work.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000 over the course of our engagement. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the summer of 2016, and they still doing branding work for us now. Moving forward, we expect to continue working with them.

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

We don’t have any metrics on the success of the brand. However, our communication style is now more appreciated by stakeholders. We’ve nearly doubled in size in terms of usage and finances since we started working with Jeff. Our website was an extremely technical tool for a niche audience. Our goal was to make it simpler and easier to access.  

At this point, we average about 30,000 unique users each month. We have a very robust communication platform, so we’ve been much more successful in terms of engagement and ease of use of our tools and materials.

How did Ora Brand Strategy + Design, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

If there’s anything wrong, we know that we can just send them an email for help. There haven’t been any issues with communication. We did use a pretty comprehensive project management board during the site redesign. That involved a great amount of IT project management on his end. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

He’s been a great advisor in terms of figuring out journey mapping, user feedback, and how to prioritize stakeholders. He’s calm and available to brainstorm. While we’re a large non-profit, we don’t have a marketing team in a traditional sense.

So, no one on my team has ever undertaken journey mapping exercises before. He brings great ideas to us that are informed by his experience in the industry. We appreciated his insight into how to do tasks that aren’t in the toolbelt of a typical engineer. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

He’s a creative guy, but there were a few technical things that were missed in the web redesign. That wasn’t too surprising, because this was a technical project and I had a team of engineers going through it. He’s been very good at updating and designing all branding assets.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be realistic about the time that your partner needs to complete a task. He’s a small shop, so he doesn’t have endless flexibility with taking on unexpected work. Allow him to budget his time but presenting your needs upfront.