Studio 22 Design

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of Corsair, a computer manufacturing company; we make gaming hardware, cases, computers, and everything that involves computer hardware.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22 Design?

We needed help with further developing our marketing ideas on several fronts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio 22 Design helps us with our marketing needs. We give them our brand guidelines and a brief that describes our intentions for the projects, and they take upon that. In addition to that, they assist us with quick start guides and general print work to get us into compliance with certain locations worldwide.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with Rocky (Founder) and Clark (Lead Creative); they’re my main points of contact.

How did you come to work with Studio 22 Design?

I reviewed several agencies but chose Studio 22 Design because I liked their work and how Rocky saw and approached projects. We started by trying them on a few low-level items, and they did great, so we continued our engagement.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $200,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

We’ve done a series of projects for our new line of keyboards for a specific market, and they’ve been able to do something different outside the realm of what we usually do. They have interesting ideas used on that project and other products because they were cool and interesting.

How did Studio 22 Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been great. In terms of tools, we’ve used phone calls and emails. They were also great at understanding and learning our brand guidelines to support our efforts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re enthusiastic and always interested in working with something new. They help come up with new ideas to break the mold, which is fun for our gaming market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes they take on more work than they can handle.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you approach them with a clear idea of what you’re looking for, they’ll be able to offer you strong ideas that will work in the marketplace.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a financial services firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22 Design?

Our website was outdated, so we wanted to revamp it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio 22 Design redeveloped our WordPress site from scratch; their team has been working directly with our business consultant to make the website changes. In terms of functionalities, the site allows our visitors to learn about what we do and the services we offer through blog posts. We also asked Studio 22 Design’s team for something more modern and mobile-friendly.

Currently, they provide ongoing website maintenance for us.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with Rocky (Founder) and a designer.

How did you come to work with Studio 22 Design?

They were referred to us by our business consultant.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent $13,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

We’ve experienced more web traffic on our site, and the contact option has received more hits from our visitors who want to reach out to us to schedule a meeting. Overall, it's a successful project, and we’ve received a lot of compliments on our new website.

How did Studio 22 Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is great; they’re easy to work with, everything is well explained, and our consultant has enjoyed working with them. In terms of tools, we’ve been using Basecamp, email, and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design skills and ability to stay on task are outstanding; everything has been going smoothly according to our timelines. They’re a good combination of the creative and business sides.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more responsive in their website maintenance tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as responsive as you can. Also, go through the discovery phase with them — you have to be willing to put effort on your side to get the most out of their work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m in corporate marketing for a battery company called QuantumScape. We’re in the process of creating a battery for electric vehicles. We’re a relatively new company; our initial public offering (IPO) came out last November.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22 Design?

We initially approached them with very little lead time. We realized we needed some external branding elements before our IPO.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio 22 has acted as an external resource for graphic and website design, branding, and overall style guidelines. They’ve taken the lead in our brand development.

In the beginning, our VP of sales and CMO gave them the direction, and they took it and created a brand identity for our quick IPO launch. Since then, we’ve met frequently and worked together to decide what we want to convey with our brand.

It’s been less than a year since we’ve been public, and we still work closely with them to develop our brand. We’re constantly defining how we want to be perceived from a style perspective.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with two people. Rocky (Founder & Creative Director) is our primary contact. He works with me to time our different projects and make sure we’re hitting our deadlines. Also, he serves as our proxy for working with other design firms on our projects. Overall, he helps define our brand.

On the other hand, Clark (Lead Creative & Illustrator) is very hands-on in designing and iterations. He understands what we want and provides final concepts and drawings.

How did you come to work with Studio 22 Design?

I wasn’t working at QuantumScape at the time, so I don’t know how we engaged with them. I think our VP of sales brought them in.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been less than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in February 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

What they do goes beyond marketing. It touches investor relations, sales, our executive team, and more. They’ve come to understand our brand. Rocky and Clark have had deep dives into the battery space, and when we provide them a new scope, they take it upon themselves to do the research. We’re always surprised when they come back to us for ideation.

Moreover, we wouldn’t use Studio 22 if they couldn’t translate our technology and chemistry into understandable and straightforward illustrations. Our industry is challenging to explain, and they do a good job. They’ve helped us with many different projects, and our technical team has given them pretty high remarks. Overall, they continue to deliver final products that meet our high standards.

How did Studio 22 Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a database for project management. It’s an online portal where we can put new projects, the deadline, notes, and assign it to Rocky or Clark. If we have examples, we can drop images or links.

It’s very easy to communicate through there, and it saves us many emails and meetings. Also, the portal is convenient for someone like me, who has to supervise many projects. I can keep track of timelines on the dashboard and manage expectations internally.

We talk 3–4 times a week and communicate over email. Their response time is amazing; no other vendor is as responsive as Clark and Rocky.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They truly act as an extension of our team. They’re responsive and understanding. The team knows exactly what we need, and they’re able to iterate on the fly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They probably need to hire more resources. I think they’re working on it, but we’re keeping them busy, although I’m aware that we’re not their only client.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve referred them to a friend who is a CMO for a large company. I recommended them to be clear on what they wanted to achieve and provide some brand direction. Studio 22 can be very autonomous, so they can take that information and run with it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a venture laboratory. We have a fund that we use to invest in ideas that we generate in our lab. We try to investigate hypotheses until they’re able to be spun out into a new company. So, we’re essentially an incubator and a venture fund combined, but we only utilize our own ideas.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22 Design?

When we started our company, we needed an external web presence and some basic branding. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were present from the genesis of our brand. We aren’t experts in visual design. So, they did a lot of the initial curation. We had back-and-forth discussions about what we were trying to convey. Then, they came up with ideas, and we picked the path we liked.

What is the team composition?

We were able to streamline communication with one person. Rocky (Founder & Creative Director) was the main contact.

How did you come to work with Studio 22 Design?

We found them through asking around in our network and doing a bit of web searching. We put together a shortlist of people we wanted to talk with, we got proposals from them, and we ended up selecting Studio 22.

We appreciated their meeting scheduling tool where you can select a time that works for you. Those tools make a big difference when you’re scheduling many initial phone calls with different firms. It was a simple way of engaging, they had availability, and they were quick to get back to me. We had a discussion the next day after I contact them. 

Also, they weren’t the cheapest, but they also weren’t the most expensive. They were also a very competitive price for a Bay-are based company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $20,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May of 2019, and we wrapped up the majority of the project. 

(Our launch timing has changed a bit due to the COVID-19 situation. We finished the heavy lifting a few months ago, and we’ve been waiting to get through this time period before we launch. There have been no delays on their end.)

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

Their services have given our company a whole new level of polish that we didn’t have before. It’s not all polish; there’s also a lot of substance to the branding. They used just the right amount of substance and polish to convey the brand message we were looking for. 

It’s also been super helpful for recruiting and making sure vendors take us seriously. At the end of the day, little signals like having a logo and website matter a lot.

How did Studio 22 Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We used Basecamp to keep track of the project itself. They kept it up to date, and they were very organized. It was handy to transfer proofs back and forth and keep track of different ideas. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Rocky’s level of personal commitment to the project was a big deal for me. He was willing to help us learn and didn’t act like we were already experts. Still, he treated our ideas with interest and took them seriously. He’s very personable and really gets to know his clients. We’ve built a great relationship over the course of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?
 
It was a lot smoother than I thought it would be. All bottlenecks were on our side — they were always prepared and completely on top of things. They didn’t get impatient with us, either. They were completely supportive of the pace that we wanted to move at.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Rocky is a very creative guy. You should bounce all of your marketing strategies off of him. He has a lot of talent in that space, and he’s willing to let you pick his brain about different ideas. He’s a great strategic mind to utilize about general ideas you’re coming up with.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CSO of a tech company that acts as a middleman between content creators and users who want to access the content to accomplish tasks. We’ve been in business for about 14 years.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22 Design?

We’re completely rebranding everything from our logo to all aspects of our website. Because of that, we wanted to relaunch the platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled the construction of all parts of the frontend design, logo creation, and naming responsibilities. That also involved undertaking all the UI/UX work. In order to accomplish this, they interviewed us, taking a look at what we had done before. The rebranding effort involved us switching our URL, so they spent time examining the changes we wanted to make. They also handled copywriting, so we could see how our new messaging would fit with their copy and designs.

It took about three weeks to decide upon a final name for us. For the original name we chose, we were unable to acquire a .com for our URL, so we had to come up with a second set of naming options. Aside from that, the process was fairly seamless.  

What is the team composition?

We interfaced with two of their resources.

How did you come to work with Studio 22 Design?

We interviewed several potential vendor options. Initially, we interviewed companies that would serve as turnkey solutions for us, with the capability of developing the front- and backend. We considered companies in the United States and offshore.

In the end, we decided that it would be best to have Studio 22 Design work on the frontend while another organization should take care of the backend. It was an exhaustive search, which took 3–6 months to narrow it down to one company.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost about $60,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from March–October 2019.

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

Because we’re still working on the backend design, I don’t have any hard metrics to share. However, they truly spent a lot of time understanding our business and software. We have a complicated solution. Despite that, they were able to comprehend and enhance our design solutions. It took longer than expected, but the partnership yielded a better end product.  

How did Studio 22 Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We dealt directly with a design lead, which allowed us to take on the project without needing to work through a middleman. The design turnaround turned around very quickly that way. They accepted our input and designed accordingly. It was a quick, straightforward process.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to handle a complicated project effectively made them stand out. Between naming and messaging, it’s not typical for a company to be able to do it all well. From the start, they knew that they had to keep peeling back layers with patience. That understanding allowed them to get to the bottom of what we needed to do to improve. 

We’ve worked with other design and messaging partners what just weren’t the right fit for us, so it was refreshing to experience this change.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d appreciate it if they could run an audit on our site to come up with the number of pages that would have to be redesigned. We had a very complicated site, so it would’ve been helpful to do a thorough audit for a better understanding of our scope. They underestimated the work, but they charged us accordingly. We appreciated that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you have them do an audit of all your pages in the beginning. That will help you manage expectations from both ends at the start.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing and communications associate for a strategic nonprofit.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22 Design?

We hired Studio 22 Design to provide website development services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio 22 Design managed four WordPress website launches over a span of three-years. The first project their team oversaw involved our main company website. At the time, the platform hadn’t been updated in a few years. Not using most of the existing components, Studio 22 Design rebuilt the whole site. Their team created all of the graphics including a dynamic, animated homepage image. They also came up with a creative way to display our leadership who weren’t comfortable having their real images online. Their team designed cute photos to represent our executive staff. For another project, Studio 22 Design built an entirely original website.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with one individual from Studio 22 Design.

How did you come to work with Studio 22 Design?

Studio 22 Design was hired before I started here, so I can’t speak to why they were chosen.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$200,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in June 2016. We’ve been working together ever since.

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

We've experienced a huge increase in the number of visitors across all four of the websites that Studio 22 Design built. It was a huge win to create an entirely new website. Since it was launched, the platform has gained a lot of traction. Also, the homepage graphic that their team created has been referenced many times. In fact, we’ve had clients wanting to print and frame the picture. We’ve really enjoyed working with Studio 22 Design.

How did Studio 22 Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve used Basecamp to manage the projects. As far as deadlines and moving projects along quickly, Studio 22 Design has been fantastic. If anything, we’ve been a pain to them because we’re slow with our responses. They’ve been on top of their responsibilities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide a great bang for your buck. Not only do they provide quality work, but they’re also affordable and extremely easy to work with. They've been professional and given timely responses. Overall, we’ve had a great experience working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It might be easier for them if they had more people.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Even if you just have a vague idea, Studio 22 Design has a great way of making it come to life. Their team has given suggestions that we didn’t even know we wanted or needed.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

John Gross: I’m the owner and founder of Abrydge, a startup company. Our goal is to help college students prepare better for job interviews and smooth the transition from academia to a professional work environment. We sell research-based information online and provide school programs to individual colleges. 

Ariana Kempis: I’m the operations manager. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22?

AK: We wanted help with our branding, logo, and naming process. We had still been going by our LLC name and needed a new one to go to market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

AK:  We went through multiple rounds of revisions with Studio 22 to develop our logo and refine the feel our brand emits. They were very much involved in helping us picture how our website would look. After we had our web developer make those changes, we went back to Rocky (Founder and Creative Director, Studio 22) for UX/UI advice. From there, we’d continue to make those revisions. They’ve definitely helped us improve our site. 
 
What is the team composition? 

AK: We mostly worked with Rocky. His wife, Monica (Account Manager/Project Coordinator, Studio 22) was present for most of our communications. She took on a project manager role while Rocky handled the creative side. 

How did you come to work with Studio 22?

AK: I searched online for the top branding firms in the Bay Area. I had spoken to a career counselor at Santa Clara University who mentioned being pleased with Studio 22 when they worked together. We compared and contrasted the best consultants to help us with this whole process. Part of the reason we chose them was their specific experience working with schools. They had expanded upon their work with different universities in the bay area. 

JG: We interviewed and cross-compared five different firms for this project. Studio 22 wasn’t the cheapest, but the cost wasn’t our primary concern. We were focused on quality and experience. Rocky made us feel like partners from day one. He was very interested in our project, rather than just a number of paid project hours. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $27,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–July 2018. 

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

AK: Regarding actual deliverables, Studio 22 provided very thorough examples of their work aesthetically before we committed to them and that was very helpful. We loved the aesthetic they designed. It aligned perfectly with what we eventually wanted to achieve. 

JG:  Studio 22 provided a significantly higher value for the cost than other consultants, web designers, and marketing firms we’ve used. We just opened the third week of August. Since then, we’ve tested the name, logo, concepts, colors, and bylines they developed for us with family and friends. All the feedback has been exceptionally positive.

How did Studio 22 perform from a project management standpoint?

AK: I mostly corresponded with Rocky because we are both based in San Jose. We had meetings over the phone and in person. Studio 22 was very responsive and timely. We always had ongoing communication and never had to push them to respond. They used Basecamp and ensured we were familiar and comfortable with the tool. We felt like they really took an interest in our business’s success. They managed time effectively and made sure we all felt like one big team. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

JG: Studio 22 is very specialized in the work they contributed for us. They were excellent. I can’t say enough about how pleased I was with them. After they did such a great job for us, we were hoping to use them for online advertising and social media. Unfortunately, they don’t offer those services. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

JG: No. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

AK: We worked really well with them because we’re also a very small team. I got the feeling they preferred working with smaller clients and having access to people who make decisions. They like to keep things moving. Smaller or flatter organizations are a great fit for Studio 22. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of NAD Grid, a startup in the technology space. We have a team of five people working on upgrading the current electrical grid with more intelligent software. We are also a blockchain company. A part of our solution includes a blockchain that tracks energy origins.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22?

We had built our first website ourselves and needed to update and improve the UX/UI. We were also new to marketing/branding, and none of us had expertise in the field. We were looking to work with an agency that could help us with all of the above.

What was the scope of their involvement?

In an overall rebrand, Studio 22 has provided logo and website redesign, PowerPoint pitch templates, white-paper documents, and all other graphics associated with our business. We’re looking to engage them further on the design of our actual product and user application in moving forward.

In the beginning of the project, we provided details on what we were trying to achieve with the website. A part of our product involves blockchain technology, and we had previously done a fundraiser using cryptocurrencies. Studio 22 conducted huge amounts of research on blockchains and cryptocurrencies, and the website they created has served as a primary tool in getting better acquainted with the crypto-community.

We’re currently preparing to the seventh version of the site, and all of their proposals have been very impressive. I believe that they built the site on WordPress. Additionally, we worked with a video company in producing an informational video for the website. Studio 22 worked with them directly to make sure that the style of the video aligned with our overall brand.

What is the team composition?

Rocky (Director and CEO, Studio 22) served as our primary point of contact, and he worked with the whole Studio 22 team to make sure everyone was always on the same page. We also worked with their account manager on payments and other administrative tasks.

How did you come to work with Studio 22?

We researched possible companies online and narrowed them down to a list of four. Studio 22 was the most flexible and reasonably priced on the list. They also agreed to work within our somewhat aggressive timeline. Other candidates were looking to sell us a package with a number of services we didn’t really need, while Studio 22 was willing to break payment down and charge us for only what we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $25,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Studio 22 at the end of February 2018. We needed to launch the site in March of this year, in time for a major event we participated in. The second version of the website was launched on March 13, and we’re continuing to work on improved iterations.

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

We have a plugin on the website for gathering metrics, but I don’t have the data available at the moment. However, everyone who’s seen the second version of the website has complimented its layout and design.

Our company deals with very complex concepts in managing the coordination of different assets on electric grids. It’s difficult to explain these concepts, but Studio 22 was able to lay them out in intuitive diagrams and simple animations. The entire website has worked well for people who are completely unfamiliar with the services we provide. It’s also worked well with industry experts—people that work with utility companies and the blockchain community.

Since our work with Studio 22, our site traffic has increased significantly. People who’d seen the website referred others to it, but we’ve also done some SEO work independently.

How did Studio 22 perform from a project management standpoint?

They were able to complete the project on our extremely aggressive timeline, which speaks volumes in terms of their management of the project. Throughout the process, Rocky asked substantive questions to better understand our business. He was very responsive and willing to collaborate on any ideas we had. I don’t know how they managed everything behind the scenes, but all the deadlines were hit.

We’ve used Jira internally for tracking the project and communicated with Rocky primarily via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are willing to put in extra time and conduct research on their own. Rocky not only researched blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, but also watched a 2-hour documentary on the electrical grid.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Rocky and Studio 22 are very flexible, so nothing in particular comes to mind. They’re capable of working well with anyone. Rocky has some impressive experience, and he can lead project management and project delivery. We didn’t run into any issues with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Roof Structures Incorporated is a construction company and subcontractor. I am the controller and CFO of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22?

We needed an update and redesign of our outdated site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio 22 redesigned our site to feature photos of various completed projects. They updated to smoother UX/UI and constructively formatted the showcasing of our projects. Rocky Tilney (Founder, Studio 22) advised on how to present our services and format information to be organized. He talked through the process, gave us feedback through our concerns, and then created a framework to work with. They also developed a quick fact page for our site, allowing efficient access to information. They continue to oversee the website whenever problems arise.

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with Rocky throughout the project and spoke with another associate for the initial phone calls.

How did you come to work with Studio 22?

I was referred to Studio 22 by the director of a marketing department where I was previously employed. Their referral held a lot of weight in my decision.  

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $14,000 in the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

I have worked with them from November 2017 through February 2018.

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

They developed a quick facts page that allows contractors to see our worker's comp experience mod rate, bonding capacity, and other information without calling us. Their redesign has made our website cleaner, smoother, and is a visual improvement over the old site.

How did Studio 22 perform from a project management standpoint?

I have absolutely no complaints. Studio 22 and Rocky was organized, timely, and actively engaged. He was attentive to even minor changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Rocky was always communicating with me and adhering to project requests or changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I thought they were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would tell potential customers to rely on Rocky’s expertise and listen closely to his feedback.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and principal interior designer for an interior architecture design firm. My work includes residential and commercial design in the D.C. area, as well as remotely with clients out of the area.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 22?

The challenge was to redevelop my web presence and business brand as my company grew.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve worked with them twice to redesign my website. The first time was seven years ago, and then again six months ago. They redeveloped my logo and branding to match my marketing goals. The site is now mobile friendly and able to keep up with rapid changes to technology and devices. They’re very knowledgeable on the latest technologies, and they helped us chose the right hosting company. I had very specific ideas, with particular graphics and typeface in mind. I provided examples of websites I liked. I wanted a clean, simple-to-navigate website that reflects my design work. Studio 22 really nailed it. They chose the right platform for my firm and provided me exactly what I was looking for and more.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Rocky [Founder & CEO, Studio 22] and Monica [Sr. Account Manager, Studio 22] worked with me. They made topic and graphics suggestions, and they may have had other people involved on their side.

How did you come to work with Studio 22?

We had a mutual business associate who used them for his website and recommended Rocky. I used to live in Silicon Valley, so we had an initial meeting in person. After that we communicated primarily via email and text. Now we use Dropbox to share photos.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was very reasonable.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the redesign of my website August 2017 and was completed in October 2017.

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

My website and social media are all linked and I can track engagement and analytics from all platforms. My site has generated very positive feedback and is a catalyst to generate additional interest in using my design company.

How did Studio 22 perform from a project management standpoint?

They respond quickly and manage the workload efficiently. Once the development is complete, they give instructions and information on managing the website. Even when the site is done, they’re still willing to communicate and assist.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very professional and pleasant to work with. When I had additional tweaks or changes, they were very responsive. They are extremely knowledgeable about web design and development. Having a web designer who is surrounded by top technology in Silicon Valley is a real advantage.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly don’t have anything negative to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on your goals up front. They will work with you to efficiently and effectively achieve those goals throughout the web design process.