Ramotion

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an internet company and our main product is a video calling app. I am the product manager of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We have designers, but they are not very familiar with the preferences of international users in terms of color and style. The initial logo, layout, and color scheme of the platform were designed by our internal team. After reaching 10 million users, we decided to focus on branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We explained the core values around the app to their team. Based on this, they helped us create our new branding. The redesign was intended to reach more people and bring a more professional image to our company. Although our platform is Chinese, it’s aimed at connecting people from around the world. We discussed the core difference between our app and other products on the market, and why users choose ours.

They also designed a new logo for us. They initially proposed altering the old version, making it more colorful, and giving it a more 3D look. After an internal discussion, we decided to develop a different logo altogether. Designing it took two months, during which time we had constant communication with Ramotion. They updated their designs based on our feedback.

What is the team composition?

They mainly interacted with me, given that our other team members don’t speak English. I only communicated with their team leader, so I don’t know how many designers were involved.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

We found them at the Facebook F8 Developer Conference held in San Jose. They have designed logos for many well-known apps, including Bitmoji. Our CEO met with them at their office and reviewed their past work. He determined that their work was on par with what we wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000–$30,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ramotion in June 2017. After the main project ended, we bought an additional 120 hours from them. The main branding and design work has been implemented, but we’re continuing to make modifications based on user feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t received a lot of feedback for the new logo, but we consider it to be a good choice.

One of our competing apps had a logo change that received a lot of negative feedback from users on app stores and was a bit of a disaster for them. We haven’t encountered this problem, but there also haven’t been many positive comments about the logo. We haven’t seen a dramatic change in terms of statistics, either. Our shareholders, however, have said that the new logo looks more professional.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email and used Dropbox for document exchanges. Given that we were rebranding an existing app, we didn’t set up strict timelines. The old version was still usable, so we let them work at their own pace. The budget wasn’t exceeded.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

We haven’t worked with other design firms, but we appreciated their ability to deliver multiple design options. We received 13–14 alternatives to choose from and we were asked to provide reasons for our choices. We found their approach to communication to be impressive—it’s different to that of Chinese teams.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We gave their design team the freedom to create certain parts in any way they wanted. There were also some parts that we wanted done in particular ways, with no room for deviation. We’ve had to repeat certain requirements a couple of times to them. It may have been a problem with the communication, given that we couldn’t talk over the phone. The emails we sent them may not have represented our needs fully so it’s not entirely their fault-it’s a limitation of having an email collaboration.