A NYC Brand Design Studio
For 25 years, we’ve championed clients we believe in, creating work that solves real-world challenges and drives results that matter. We’ve built decades-long partnerships with organizations ready to stand out by standing up for their core beliefs — from Fortune 500s to nonprofits, New York City government agencies to leading restaurants. We are proud to be a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE)
Focus
Recommended Providers
Portfolio
Barnes and Noble Show Branding
CHALLENGE
Barnes & Noble College hosted an annual sales conference for its 1000-person management team each year in Orlando and since 2004, reitdesign has been tasked with developing a theme, creating the design and building out trade show environment and show elements.
SOLUTION
Each year, Reitdesign developed a unique theme and graphic style for this event. Each theme had its own tagline, focusing on an aspect of the company, employees, and/or culture.
We also created every detail of their interactive presentation space, providing hotel signage and wayfinding, presentation graphics, wall clings, digital screens, printed guides, and even souvenir tote bags for an immersive experience.
OUTCOME
The show was a big success and garnered great feedback from attendees on the attractive and useful tools created for the show.
Barnes and Noble College
CHALLENGE
Barnes & Noble College hosted an annual sales conference for its 1000-person management team each year in Orlando and since 2004, reitdesign has been tasked with developing a theme, creating the design and building out trade show environment and show elements.
SOLUTION
Each year, Reitdesign developed a unique theme and graphic style for this event. Each theme had its own tagline, focusing on an aspect of the company, employees, and/or culture.
We also created every detail of their interactive presentation space, providing hotel signage and wayfinding, presentation graphics, wall clings, digital screens, printed guides, and even souvenir tote bags for an immersive experience.
OUTCOME
The show was a big success and garnered great feedback from attendees on the attractive and useful tools created for the show.
New York International Auto Show 2019 Annual Reviewal Report
With over 1 million annual attendees and a rich 115-year history, the New York International Auto Show ranks as one of the hottest events on the automotive industry’s calendar. It’s where the most coveted cars on the planet — including production, concept and race cars — make their flashy debut. When the show’s marketing team wanted to change up their communications programs, they put reitdesign in the driver’s seat. We revved things up with sleek, easy to read annual review.
Global Pet Expo Mailer Design
Mailer Design
Global Pet Expo Print Design
Animal Assets & Marketing Brochure
Javits Center Sustainability Campaign
Sustainability Efforts
The Javits Centers robust sustainability program has reduced energy consumption by 26%, created a wildlife habitat on the nearly 7-acre green roof and facilitated the donation of thousands of repurposed items after events. We’ve developed a report showcasing these programs and have designed the packaging for Javits honey products produced by the bees on their roof.
Javits Center Social Media
Reitdesign has maintained the Javits Center’s five social media channels since 2015. As a result, they are #1 in followers on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube as compared to other Convention Centers and have seen a 118% increase in all channels since we began.
In addition, we’ve created successful campaigns such as “Working Mothers and Fathers” which featured the parents who work at the Javits Center as well as #IamJavits, highlighting the diverse workforce. We have also worked on LInkedIn and Facebook ads during the holiday season.
Javits Center Website
Website
The overall look was rounded out with application to the Javits website. While the main elements of the campaign were consistent, the site was able to take things further with a brighter palette where needed and the creation of interactive experiences for the user using video and animations.
Javits Center Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor Signage
The Campaign was able to work on a large scale and be altered based on the format needed, whether it was a moving bus or a large scale banner on a building.
Javits Center Ads
Campaign Messaging / Visuals
With our research in hand, reitdesign developed the full campaign to be used in print, digital, outdoor signage, as collateral, and promotions. Messaging and visuals were scalable and worked across multiple platforms.
Our goal was to feature Javits as the “cool” place to be while making the name synonymous with NY. Using dynamic visuals from people and events that have taken place at Javits, we interspersed visuals of NY to further tie the message together. And to build awareness on the Javits mission, facts about The Javits Center were scattered throughout.
Underscore Marketing Brand Architecture
CHALLENGE
With a change in the company structure, Underscore Marketing came to reitdesign looking to connect a series of brands that would be recognized under their master brand.
SOLUTION
We provided the client with multiple brand architecture concepts. Looking at different types of brand architecture, reitdesign ultimately suggested that Underscore move forward with a Brand Endorsement model. This direction allowed for a high degree of branding flexibility, while offering the potential for a good amount of synergy with the brand and between sub-brands. With three sub-brands defined, a brand endorsement structure also allows for multiple future sub-brands. Using a slash graphic motif as a symbolic representation of the brand relationship we were able to highlight the connection to the parent brand as well as using color to further enhance the connection.
OUTCOME
The solution created a Family of Brands, that were clearly identifiable, yet always harking back to the master brand — Underscore. The final solution enabled the organization to add further sub brands and created design assets to be used on all marketing materials from print to digital.
Abaarso School
CHALLENGE
Based in Somaliland — named the most fragile state in the world by The Fund for Peace — the Abaarso School offers a chance for underprivileged children to gain an education and obtain a brighter future. Over the past few years, students have been graduating with full scholarships to universities throughout the world, including Yale, Harvard and MIT in the United States. The school’s achievements have earned it significant press attention: in 2016, Abaarso’s founder was interviewed by Anderson Cooper and the school was featured on ABC’s 60 Minutes.
In the midst of its growing success, the Abaarso School came to reitdesign looking for a refreshed, responsive website to better tell their mission, values and overall story.
SOLUTION
We started with the creation of the campaign “Brilliance Knows No Borders” with a focus on student success stories as rotating headers on the homepage which then that led to more details using text and video testimonials. We incorporated large stats to further identify the challenges for the school while highlighting beautiful photography of the school, students and the surrounding area. Given the confusion surrounding the difference between Somalia and Somaliland, we designed a custom map of Africa and highlighted the school’s precise location. We reorganized and streamlined the site’s content and navigation, while developing a warm color palette incorporating textured pattern to engage the user and reflect the region. An important aspect of any non-profit is its e-commerce component: we ensured that making a donation was a simple procedure, and that all payments were synced with the school’s Paypal account.
OUTCOME
Reitdesign launched the responsive website in 2015. Since then, Abaarso has become a premier 7th-12th grade co-ed boarding school outside Hargeisa, Somaliland that is changing lives and helping to rebuild a nation.
Entrada Branding & Website Design
The new visual brand, website and copy repositioned ENTRADA as the healthcare industry’s go-to partner for breakthrough strategic solutions and digital engagement.
Reviews
the project
Branding & Web Dev for Conservation Nonprofit Organization
“The team members work as hard as they can to fulfill our vision, whether it’s for our branding or our website.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the associate director of communications at the New York City Audubon Society, an affiliate but separate nonprofit organization from the National Audubon Society. We promote environmental conservation and the love of birds throughout the five boroughs of New York. Our organization runs conservation, education, and outreach programs involving the conservation and enjoyment of wildlife in the City.
What challenge were you trying to address with reitdesign?
We originally contacted reitdesign to help us rethink our website. They created a new logo and consulted with us about our branding. After that, we wanted to redesign our website using the new branding that they’d given us. Our website was out of date; it didn’t have a mobile-friendly design and was overall cumbersome to use and update. As a result, we requested a mobile responsive design that matched our new branding. Our team also wanted to use a system that worked well with different platforms.
What was the scope of their involvement?
In the beginning, we showed reitdesign our previous website and gave them a few guidelines. Our team also gave them a sitemap of what the website was going to look like. We didn’t give them too much to go on, so they did much of the envisioning for the website.
As we went ahead, the reitdesign team created new website templates while figuring out how our backend systems would work for our donations and membership programs. The team ensured the homepage showed what we did as an organization. As we were doing the content, other pages came up. As a result, they ended up doing more site templates than we originally required.
For the backend, we’d planned on using WordPress since it was ubiquitous and easy to use. Then, we decided to use NeonCRM, which was designed for nonprofits our size. However, our teams ultimately realized that WordPress wasn’t the best CMS to use with NeonCRM. After researching platforms and frameworks, reitdesign chose Ruby on Rails, which connected better with NeonCRM. For CMS, we chose Spina CMS, which was a new and modern platform.
At present, we’re still working with them. We’re currently thinking about any type of improvements or feature additions that we want for the website going forward. Once we have the right designs for those additions, they’re going to implement them. Moreover, if any issues come up, we talk to them via email.
What is the team composition?
When we worked on the logo, we collaborated with Johanna (Former Senior Designer & Internship Coordinator), who was also involved in designing the initial templates of the website.
At present, I mostly work with Annelle (Project Coordinator), and she’s our main point of contact when discussing anything for the website. She also coordinates with a third-party web development team based in Russia. They’re essentially her web development team for the project. We also have meetings with Liz (Principal & Creative Director). Any time we have a group meeting, she’s there.
How did you come to work with reitdesign?
reitdesign was highly recommended to us by a partner, for whom we retrofitted windows. This partner worked with reitdesign on branding and marketing projects before, so they recommended the team to us.
How much have you invested with them?
Our total investment has been about $50,000. The branding work has cost around $14,500, while the web development project is around $35,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
They designed our logo from July–October 2019. We then started working on the website in January 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
reitdesign has created a site template that suited us and fulfilled our needs. They’ve made the website look great and stand out. It’s now easy to update, and it works well with various platforms. Since we’ve redesigned the website, we’ve seen an increase in traffic, especially on mobile.
On top of that, reitdesign members are highly committed to their work. They’ve been easy to work with and responsive to the questions we’ve had. They’ve put a lot of thought into our logo and branding, and their team has been receptive to our ideas and inputs. Overall, they’ve definitely gone above and beyond in designing our backend systems and website templates.
How did reitdesign perform from a project management standpoint?
I’ve had plenty of questions regarding the project, and Annie and Liz have always been great at getting back to me with answers and checking in with the developers. On top of that, they work quickly; any delays in the project have been on our end as we try to finish up the content. Given that, they’re accepting of the situation, producing great work even though the content hasn’t been quite ready for them.
To communicate, we primarily use emails, and they use Teamwork as the project management system. I also use Teamwork to upload files and create tasks, schedules, and milestones. Through it, the team gains a great idea of everything we’ve discussed. They’ve also posted recordings, how-to videos, and tutorials for us since Spina CMS is a new tool and there isn’t much support for it apart from its core developers.
On top of that, their resources have done plenty of tinkering with the base-level system of Spina CMS. They’ve included many custom modules and showed us how to use all of them. Overall, getting oriented with a brand new system has been helpful to us. Personally, the Spina CMS has made my life easier because I can update things quickly. It has also allowed us to more consistently update our website with different content as needed.
What did you find most impressive about them?
reitdesign’s dedication to doing the best they can is the best part of working with them. The team members are highly thoughtful and put much effort into everything they do. More importantly, every time we go to them, we feel that they’re listening. The team members work as hard as they can to fulfill our vision, whether it’s for our branding or our website. They’ve been truly attentive to what we need.
Overall, they’re devoted to making this project a success even though we’re a small organization on a huge website — they don’t let the scale of the project get in the way of success.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Early on, there was a bit of confusion as to what exactly was needed for every part of the website mostly because we didn’t have our content ready. A little more explanation about the timeline and what was needed at each point would have been helpful to minimize the confusion.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Have a firm vision of your needs in terms of branding because that’s their wheelhouse. They have fantastic designers that do a terrific job. Meanwhile, for website projects, you should also have a firm idea of your needs and content. Make sure that they have those before they begin significant work on the website.
the project
Marketing & Print Ads Design for Automotive Group
"I appreciate the amount of involvement that they are willing to impart in any task that we have for them."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association. We're a trade association that represents 425 car dealers in the metropolitan area of New York. We do educational lobbying and compliance and automotive education training.
What challenge were you trying to address with reitdesign?
We needed their team to help us get the word out about our auto shows and reach out to our exhibitors.
What was the scope of their involvement?
reitdesign collates data on the demographics of our auto shows and helps us put together an annual report on each of them. They keep track of our media reach, including electronic, traditional, and social media engagement, and the number of attendees for each show. Once this pile of information is processed, we are handed a thorough yet digestible report, which we present to our global clients and exhibitors.
During the initial years of our engagement, reitdesign also refurbished our association’s logo to give it a more up-to-date look. Their team also designs the huge entrance banners that we use in each show, depending on our theme for that event.
What is the team composition?
We mainly work with an assigned project manager, while the rest of their resources are assigned to delve into the marketing aspect of our project.
How did you come to work with reitdesign?
reitdesign was strongly recommended to us by our friend who worked at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the place where we held our auto shows.
What is the status of this engagement?
The engagement commenced in April 2013, and it’s ongoing. We haven’t really been able to hold more auto shows because of the pandemic, and we’re working on writing the last event report with their team.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve been told by the automotive industry that our reports are by far the most professional ones they’ve seen, and they’ve been using these to conduct their post-analysis of the New York auto shows — it’s an invaluable service that we’re honored to deliver in the field of business that we’re in. We’ve positioned our group as a credible source of professional show reports, and that’s all thanks to reitdesign’s team.
How did reitdesign perform from a project management standpoint?
We mainly communicate via phone calls and email, while reitdesign also keeps track of all our data through a spreadsheet. They’ve been tremendous in terms of project management. We always look for a partner that can put together our reports nicely and meet our deadlines and communication needs at the same time — reitdesign is that kind of partner to us, and we’re always pleased to be working with their team.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I appreciate the amount of involvement that they are willing to impart in any task that we have for them. reitdesign is definitely a professional team that knows and loves what they’re doing.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t pinpoint an area that needs improvement. Customized design samples and products can be very expensive, but we appreciate how their team manages to compromise and still give us satisfying results.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
reitdesign has the talent to make your business and services appear special to your clientele — you just have to trust their team to create products that represent your company.
the project
Web Development for Emergency Restoration Company
"The thing I found most impressive about Reit Design is their consistency and follow-up."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Maxons Restoration is an emergency restoration company specializing in remediation after a loss from fire, smoke, water, and mold damages.
For what projects/services did your company hire reitdesign, and what were your goals?
We hired Reit Design to build us a new customer website with an elevated look to match the clientele that we serve.
How did you select reitdesign and what were the deciding factors?
We had worked with Reit Design on smaller projects in the past and loved their workflow and communication.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
This project tied in our value proposition to highlight our services. Reit Design provided a wireframe, prototyping, as well as revisions before the final deliverable of the website.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We worked with Lixz, Joanna, and Annie.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
The biggest measurable outcome of this project is the increased traffic to the site. This site has allowed us to build a blog, which helps our SEO rankings.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.
Reit Design's project management style was high communication and quick feedback and updates.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The thing I found most impressive about Reit Design is their consistency and follow-up. Being in the industry Maxons is in, it is very easy for marketing-type projects to get left behind when we get busy. The ladies of Reit Design held us accountable to ensure we weren't delayed.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
n/a