Brand Strategy & Design for purposeful businesses
Brand strategy + design for kick-ass purposeful people.
We help founders brand with purpose, helping them build better businesses that are also good for the planet and society.
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Point 2 Surveyors
Point 2 - a leading Rights to Light Consultancy firm. A lot had changed from when they first started. We worked with the team to refresh their brand.
P2 had been in business for four years. They had recently updated their website which had meant that there were now inconsistencies within their brand; too many different materials and styles being used. They needed everything bringing together so that it felt like it all belonged to the same brand. They also strongly felt that their existing branding was no longer representative of who they had become as a business, so they came to us at Studio Change for some advice.
After a few meetings, it was quite clear that the existing branding wasn’t right for where there are now. With over 70 members of staff, some keen on keeping the branding as it was, we needed a way of bringing everyone together. So before even looking at design or making too many assumptions, we ran a couple of Promise of Value workshops.
P2 now have a fully refreshed brand that matches who they really are at this stage of the firm’s growth. All of their materials and documents now tell this story, either through words or through design elements. The team has been aligned with the new approach and this will be used to inform marketing decisions and future campaigns. The visual side of the brand may adapt and change over time, but the core values of the business are now firmly at the heart of how they are presented to the world.
Together with an updated website (produced by their current web agency), the new brand marks the start of a renewed focus and energy to continue their excellent client delivery and future growth.
Services Provided
Design consultancy / Promise of value Workshop / Branding / Graphic Design / Art Direction / Project Management / Print Management / Copy Writing / Template Updates / Internal Signage / Brand Guidelines
Kinetic Capital - imagining new ways to make impact via ESG.
Kinetic Capital are a specialist PBSA lender with over 50 years’ experience in the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector, their team has an unparalleled track record and ability to underwrite PBSA transactions – they have delivered over £7 billion of schemes across 8 countries and 3 continents.
They approached Studio Change with two challenges; the first was to create a new brand identity for the business and associated marketing material and website.
The second was a Project for Change engagement. Lenders are expected to meet certain Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements when funding projects. There is a requirement for reporting from lending source to the finished build to comply with the ESG standards.
The team at Kinetic were keen for this to be more than a standard ‘box-ticking’ exercise, and really want to make an impact with their investments.
We used our Project for Change process to find out what the internal priorities were within the team in regards to social change. We established that the governance element was a given, and well catered for. So we focused on what could be done around the social element.
Due to the current pandemic, we were able to run a scaled-back workshop with the CEO via Zoom. This enabled us to get key information to be able to create a strategy for possible themes and projects that could be implemented at investment sites.
Our research uncovered a number of ways in which Kinetic’s ESG policy could stand out from the competition. As well as suggestions on how to fund projects and collaborate with local organisations around development sites.
We came up with options around support for the community, student and elderly buddy and skill swap schemes, mental health provision for students and the community, providing space for the community.
Services Provided:
Design consultancy / Project for Change / Branding / Graphic Design / Art Direction / Project Management / Copy Writing / Website / Brand Guidelines
One Green Thing
A new brand identity for environmental social enterprise One Green Thing CIC.
We worked with the founders of One Green Thing CIC to create a new identity and tone of voice for their mission.
One Green Thing encourages people to do at least one simple thing per week to help the environment. Over the course of a year, each person taking 52 positive steps creates real change.
As a new start-up, they needed an identity for the project, we avoided cliche imagery and settled on strong typography and text-based messaging.
The project will be launching soon with local events and opportunities to sign up.
Services Provided:
Design consultancy / Branding / Graphic Design / Project Management / Brand Guidelines
Gibbs & Partners - Book Design
Creating a game-changing book on how to build a business that works better for all!
We’ve worked with Kirsten for over 10 years and collaborated on many projects. Kirsten works with small businesses up to 20 people, helping them build businesses that work for everyone, founders, employees and customers.
A regular blogger, Kirsten came to us to work on her new book, it distils years of experience, insight, into clear language, it’s a book that can be used as a guide for building a better, more sustainable business, both in terms of finances, but also impacts on the founders and employees.
We took Kirsten's blog posts and images, and created and sourced, icons, illustrations and images that conveyed the information in an easy to understand way.
Reviews
the project
Branding & Design for Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy
"Studio Change has fast turnaround times, and they always think outside the box."
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 a director at Point 2 Surveyors Ltd. Our company specializes in providing consultancy advice and services, mainly for property developers.
What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Change?
We needed them to improve our brand identity by making it more up-to-date.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Our business was founded seven years ago, so I was tasked with forming a team that would be responsible for updating our brand identity and reviewing our marketing materials to determine the range of content and tech updates that we need.
Studio Change took part in our initial brainstorming sessions, wherein we devised marketing strategies to possibly employ in redoing our brand image, which involved our logo and brand guidelines. Additionally, the process involved selecting striking color schemes and formulating ideas that we could use to creatively generate the rest of our marketing materials.
Apart from their brand design services which we’ve benefited from, Studio Change continues to support us by using content management to boost our social media presence.
What is the team composition?
We mainly work with Rob (Founder & Creative Director).
How did you come to work with Studio Change?
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent about £35,000 (approximately $50,000 USD) so far.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in June 2018, and our partnership is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
While we don’t hold a lot of quantitative data at the moment, I can confidently say that Studio Change has allowed us to present our brand in a more marketable and contemporary manner — we’re now considered as one of the market leaders in our industry. The marketing materials that they’ve updated for us continuously lead us to create professional and sophisticated presentations that impress our clients every time.
How did Studio Change perform from a project management standpoint?
We mainly communicate with Studio Change’s team via email. Rob has also given us access to a Dropbox folder where he uploads everything subject to our approval — from branding content and graphics to helpful site links.
Rob is very accommodating and responsive — he manages to help us overcome difficult situations. I’m pretty certain that the research and implementation process would take longer if it weren’t for Rob’s straightforward and creative approach.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Studio Change has fast turnaround times, and they always think outside the box. They know how to prioritize the tasks we assign them within that all deliverables are given to us in no time. Additionally, the efforts they exert to prove that they value our partnership are riveting.
Are there any areas they could improve?
In hindsight, it would have been good to explore more of the marketing opportunities earlier on in the process; however, our brief at the start of the project was focused on the rebranding. With a company that has multiple stakeholders, decision-making can take a while and so introducing the concept of marketing strategy and how Studio Change can help manage that process for the business during those early discussions may have proven more fruitful.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Allot enough time to take part in open discussions and other important meetings that could take place within your engagement. Apart from that, you just need to trust Studio Change to rethink your marketing approach and make things happen for your business.
the project
Book Designs for Management Consulting Co.
"Their team took my idea to a level I couldn’t have imagined."
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 owner of Gibbs and Partners. My company helps business owners disappear from their businesses when they want to.
What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Change?
We’ve done lots of work together over the years. During our latest engagement, I asked Studio Change to design my book.
What was the scope of their involvement?
I wrote the book, which was essentially a collection of short pieces. I had an idea for how it could look but Studio Change came back with a better proposal. Their team designed a two-page spread for each of the pieces in the book. The spreads illustrated the concepts in the book. They created their designs digitally. During other projects, Studio Change designed brochures, websites, business cards, and more.
What is the team composition?
I’ve only worked with 1–2 people from Studio Change.
How did you come to work with Studio Change?
We initially met 10–12 years ago through networking.
How much have you invested with them?
This last project cost about £3,500–4,000 (approximately $5,000–$5,500 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
In our most recent engagement, we began working together in October 2019. It finished around February 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Studio Change made the book into much more than I originally imagined. There have been a good number of purchases of my book, and everyone has said it was delightful. It’s a small, pocket-sized book that’s very visual. The feedback on the designs has been great. The content’s good too but the designs help make the book awesome.
How did Studio Change perform from a project management standpoint?
We connected via calls and emails, and Studio Change was communicative. Their team performed brilliantly. They were on time and communicative. I wouldn’t carry on working with them if Studio Change wasn’t good.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Studio Change gave me ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of myself. Their team took my idea to a level I couldn’t have imagined.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t have constructive feedback for them.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Go to them as early as you can in your project. What makes them different is that they’re not just designers but are also marketers. Engage them in the strategy stage rather than waiting until the implementation stage.
the project
Graphic Design & Strategy for Nonprofit
"We were spiritually on the same page, and we had a shared mission and vision."
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 local director at a local charity based in Southeast London. We focus on community development, volunteering, supporting local organizations, and encouraging the wider community to help their local area and support local good causes too.
What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Change?
We hired Studio Change to be our go-to graphic design partner.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Studio Change was a strategic partner for us, and they focused on graphic design. They also helped in different areas that support our organization as a whole.
The team’s work started when they designed a logo for one of our projects — a community toilet scheme — and came up with something creative and fresh. After that, we continued to engage with them for their creative ideas and approaches.
They also designed local discount cards for businesses, and they provided suggestions around what makes a great brochure to help users know where they could access discounts.
Studio Change’s work revolved around helping us attract people to engage with local charities. They offered advice and partnership because we had a shared care about our local area. Their most recent design work was a logo design for our COVID-19 response.
What is the team composition?
We worked with three employees but mainly collaborated with Rob (Founder & Creative Director).
How did you come to work with Studio Change?
Studio Change was in a shared workspace with us, and I asked the manager there if they could introduce any design business to me.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around £10,000 (approximately $13,800 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them from January 2018–September 2020, but we still hire them for our design projects.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our discount card used to be for volunteers, but Studio Change did a consultancy project for our organization and developed a paid model. That paid model attracted a new audience and subsequently launched and attracted over £1,000 (approximately $1,300 USD) of new revenue. Overall, they allowed us to generate income from a new funding stream.
How did Studio Change perform from a project management standpoint?
They were responsive and met their deadlines. Studio Change also saw the best course of action during difficult times. We communicated mainly through emails, but we booked our calls through Calendly.
What did you find most impressive about them?
We found a partner who had a particular interest in the charity field. We were spiritually on the same page, and we had a shared mission and vision. I liked that Rob was always thinking about his business’ wider impact on the local community, and finding him was the highlight of our engagement. Above all, he had many aspirations on how we could be a force for good in the community.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t think so.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be open to what Studio Change can offer to your company. Rob has marketing and design skills as well as business management capabilities. He’s quite a well-rounded adviser and designer, so you can utilize his different skills. You’ll get much more out of your engagement than you’ll realize.
the project
Branding & Web Dev for Student Housing Lender
"Studio Change managed to produce materials that were accurately in line with our company's ethos."
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 CEO of Kinetic Capital, a student housing lender.
What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Change?
We needed help with corporate branding and website development.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Studio Change came up with our brand guidelines — they were in charge of creating our logo, choosing fonts, and designing templates and presentations that forwarded our brand to our target market. Apart from their branding work, Studio Change also developed our professional website through Squarespace, incorporating our branding materials and featuring the key services and goals of our business.
As for our process, I gave them directives on what we wanted and envisioned, both for our brand message and our website, and they created development and branding solutions according to those standards.
What is the team composition?
I was in contact with one resource from Studio Change's team.
How did you come to work with Studio Change?
I found their team after searching for possible partners on Google and Bark. Their website looked promising and they had reputable engagements, so I was happy to hire them.
How much have you invested with them?
I spent around $7,000–$14,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our engagement ran from May–June 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’re a B2B company, so I don’t have a lot of online statistics to share. However, I received a lot of anecdotal compliments on how vibrantly striking our brand is, with its carefully chosen colors and the logo that Studio Change created. I'm glad that our brand is both sophisticated and simple — we don't have to try hard in promoting our business through it.
How did Studio Change perform from a project management standpoint?
We mainly communicated via email and had regular meetings on Microsoft Teams. Studio Change was commendable in terms of project management. I was also more at ease during the collaboration as I was only working with one person.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Studio Change managed to produce materials that were accurately in line with our company's ethos. In fact, their owner was an advocate of mental health, so it was easy to bring our themes and values forward as our main focus is also the students' mental health.
Are there any areas they could improve?
It went as smoothly as we expected, and there were no obvious points of improvement.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be upfront about what you want and come prepared with the samples and visuals that you want them to employ in their final work.
Thanks to Studio Change's relentless marketing and design efforts, the client has been rewarded with effective marketing materials, positioning their brand to be both sophisticated and professional. The team delivers high-quality results while staying committed to meet challenging timelines.