studio~humm

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the communications manager for Creathor Ventures, an experienced venture capital firm that invests in early-stage tech and healthcare start-ups across Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire studio~humm?

Our website was outdated, so we needed a new site that better represented our goal to invest in technological pioneers.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a modern and visually-appealing website that would give visitors (especially founders and potential fund investors) a good first impression of who we are and what we're doing, without overloading the pages with too much content. Technically, we needed a CMS that would allow us to easily implement future changes ourselves.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our porfolio companies recommended studio~humm. We had quotes from 5–6 other agencies, but their price/performance ratio and the general first impression made us choose them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

After an initial kick-off workshop to discuss our goals and expectations in detail and give them a better understanding of our company, they developed a styleboard and created simple wireframes we agreed upon. At the same time, we jointly worked on the photographic imagery and video content. We had feedback calls at least once a week while they developed the website with Webflow. They finished the partnership with a workshop to teach us how to work with the Webflow CMS.

What was the team composition?

The project team consisted of a project manager, web developer, imagery specialist, and a few other developers, as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We're happy with the results and have received positive feedback after the relaunch. The site is exactly what we had in mind when looking for an agency.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project management was good; they never caused any major delays. We used appear.in for regular video calls, and emails and Google Docs for status updates and task lists.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were Webflow experts and had a clear idea on where to take the website, design-wise. They requested structured feedback after the completion of the project to further improve collaboration in the future.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Documentation could've improved. We agreed that short written summaries of next steps after our calls would've helped. Apart from that, there wasn't much need for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of technologies at a financial technology company. We work with a financial services provider for rapidly growing online businesses that are under-served by mainstream banks. We worked with studio~humm on that company's website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire studio~humm?

We needed to design and implement a new brand, then incorporate it into a website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a defined visual representation of the brand and a corresponding website ready by the planned launch date.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We considered several companies but ultimately chose studio~humm following an internal recommendation.

Describe the project in detail.

After we established project timelines, we had an initial briefing to discuss the ideas, goals, and values we wanted in the website. We used mood boards to create a cohesive look and feel. Then, studio~humm submitted a proposal for the homepage. We requested a few adjustments, and they made the changes. Once both sides were happy with the style, their team built the rest of the pages.

The studio~humm team redefined the sites UX/UI with their design strategies, improving the digital client onboarding process and the online banking interface. Their branding elements were also incorporated in company presentations, marketing collateral, and event materials. We continue to work with studio~humm to maintain these efforts.

What was the team composition?

We had a main point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were able to launch the website and the business at the same time. The site gained traction in the market and helped new customers learn about the company and their service offerings. The studio~humm team’s work helped strengthen brand awareness.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team is responsive and communicative at all times. They manage a smooth process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were transparent, patient, and thoughtful, which really helped us define our values and strategies.

Are there any areas for improvement?

When we have urgent projects, there’s sometimes a delay because they have other clients. It’s important for us to agree on timelines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm Director of Communications across the Middle East and Africa for a cloud-based technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with studio~humm?

We needed adaptation and localization of key visual content. It needed to be locally relevant across a range of countries based on our brand guidelines and completed on quick turnaround times. We had also expanded our communication channels to include digital and social, of which visual is a key part. We didn’t have those competencies within the team and we needed it done on a realistic budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with studio~humm on a retainer basis for both consultancy and project delivery. They function as part of our internal team allowing us to integrate their brand, creative, and visual capabilities into the team. They will often serve as a sounding board or even like an artistic director. They also create content and execute, applying our brand guidelines to internally-facing projects like stakeholder presentations or materials and externally-facing projects like regional social channels. We’ve completed five or six projects with them at this point.

What is the team composition?

We work with two of the founding partners.

How did you come to work with studio~humm?

I was previously at Oracle where I worked with one of the partners as a self-employed contractor before he founded studio~humm. I wanted to establish the same model of support as I had had at Oracle.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to put a price on visual brand. I think about it as the cost of not having done it. Within our corporate communications team, if we didn’t have studio~humm, we wouldn’t have that competency in-house. A lot of things we do wouldn’t happen. For example, we can all look at third-party data about how social campaigns require compelling, optimized, and bespoke images. Without this relationship with studio~humm, we wouldn’t have that.

Another way to look at it is that, if I didn’t have studio~humm—and I had to build the capacity in-house—it would be significantly more expensive. It would likewise cost more if I had to use our existing brand or marketing agencies, who have incredibly high markups and aren’t interested in that type of quick turnaround work. studio~humm delivers quality for less budget than outsourcing to other agencies.

How did studio~humm perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack and Trello. We run everything through an agile framework with two-week sprints.

We’re a small internal team working hard across a large number of projects. They’re responsive in terms of being part of internal team calls. They communicate if they’re not getting what they need. If something is holding them up, they’re open about the impact that’s having on their delivery. They’re very proactive.
 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because you’re dealing with the owners, the people you’re dealing with have a strong interest in the client relationship. The person I’ve given the brief to is the person that will primarily work on it. At the same time, you’re dealing with the people who do strategy as well as execution. Their speed of delivery is impressive. They understand visual frameworks and identifies. Their body of knowledge around brand representation is solid.

They also understand the internal guidelines that you sometimes have to work within. The first idea might be more creatively exciting but the second idea is more feasible. They understand the approval processes and internal demands placed upon us to choose the second idea over the first.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We use them in a very defined way. They may, though, need to consider as they grow their business to take on significantly larger projects. They’ll need to scale to meet demand while maintaining strong personal relationships with clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clearly defined brief and allow studio~humm to give you feedback on that brief. Unless you’re a graphic design visual expert, they know more than you. Treat them as the experts that they are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At Solvemate, we provide a solution that automates companies’ customer support systems. Our virtual agents are easy to integrate and deliver around-the-clock service. As the chief revenue officer, I’m responsible for the commercial side of the business by predominantly focusing on sales, partnerships, and overseeing customer accessibility.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with studio~humm?

We had a low-quality website that needed to be revamped. It had horrible illustrations and I never wanted to show it to enterprise prospects. Even our logo was just an icon found on another site. We had to continually credit its designer. Additionally, our company name was unprofessional and misrepresented what we do. I reached out to studio~humm so they could refresh our web presence, create a new company name, and design a new logo.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We couldn’t sell our enterprise software without a professional-looking platform, so our first priority was for studio~humm to redesign our website. To do this, they interviewed our executive staff to establish our brand essence, define the mission we wanted to accomplish, and identify how we differentiate ourselves from competitors. Then, we went through a series of interactive workshops. They produced summaries of the sessions and submitted design suggestions for additional feedback. They essentially built a proposal around our company’s messaging and brand voice before moving into the website work. This approach was necessary to create a coherent brand design.

They implemented the new site design and assigned a copywriter to produce some of our web content. Once that was complete, they began working on the company name and logo. Studio~humm built on the information they had already gathered and engaged in a regimented process to create the branding materials we required. Additionally, they designed our sales collateral and helped revise our client presentations.

What is the team composition?

Dan (Co-founder, studio~humm) was our primary point of contact. We also worked directly with their copywriter.

How did you come to work with studio~humm?

They were recommended to me by a colleague who worked with Dan in the past.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spent around €15,000–€20,000 ($17,700–$23,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August 2017­–January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provided design-centric work, so identifying qualitative metrics is difficult. Unlike the previous iteration, the new website generates leads. We’ve also received a lot of quotable feedback that indicates that the brand name and website design resonate with people. Other agencies we’ve worked have complimented the redesign and were impressed by the sales presentations that studio~humm helped us create. Their materials look clean, professional, and distinct.

How did studio~humm perform from a project management standpoint?

We came to them with an outcome in mind and Dan guided us through the project. This was especially appreciated during the creative processes that took place to complete the rebrand. Our team is made up of pragmatic individuals who are solution-oriented, so the brainstorming sessions were a significant challenge for us. Luckily, studio~humm’s extremely structured approach made us confident that we were always heading in the right direction. However, we experienced a setback when we couldn’t get the domain name we wanted. Dan took command of the situation and initiated another workshop to come up with a modified version of the brand name we’d previously decided on. We communicated via a shared Slack channel and Trello board.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We never felt overcharged for the work they performed. They’re honest, transparent, and it was great to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints regarding their performance on the website redesign or the branding effort. However, I’d like to see a quicker response and execution from them when working with us on ad hoc tasks. That being said, I understand that they have more clients at this time and can’t jump on everything we give them at a moment’s notice.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We were quick to share our company’s information and let them lead the way. Considering the results we received, I’d say that was the right approach.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Indexsy and we’re based in Vancouver, Berlin and London.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with studio~humm?

We worked together on a project for a mutual client; our main goal was to generate leads, design the landing page and push traffic for our client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We all started working together from the very beginning, coming up with ideas and bringing them to execution. We described, in layman’s terms, thoughts for the wireframing and studio~humm provided that, content marketing, website design and development. They did everything from giving feedback on the content to designing every single page. There were several iterations of our providing feedback—based off of trends in 2017—and their designing accordingly.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Dan Baciu (Co-founder and Principal Designer, studio~humm)

How did you come to work with studio~humm?

We received a referral from someone in the client company.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in April 2017 and was completed by July of that same year, three months before final deadline.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We ran a VR campaign that helped drive over 50 qualified leads. A front page spot on reddit was also a huge accomplishment. The client was happy with how it turned out and, overall, said it was very well-designed. I think they did a fantastic job and highlighted exactly what we had envisioned.

How did studio~humm perform from a project management standpoint?

I have a direct line with Dan and he managed the project fantastically.  We used Asana.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The turnaround was quick; every time I had a question or comment during the workday, they tended to respond within 30 minutes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

A lot of times the client wanted Dan to figure out what they wanted, which was probably too much for them to ask. In the future, I might suggest that studio~humm provide more design-focused direction and push the client to help them move in the right direction.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what you are looking for, especially with requirements and deliverables.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Estate is a residential property management company. We handle rentals and sales of residential properties and manage tenant relationships on behalf of the owners. We provide a service that is commonplace in the U.S. but quite new in Romania.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with studio~humm?

We initially chose a name without thinking much about it. As our company grew, we became interested in having a brand, a name we could be proud of, and an identity. We needed a partner that could help us with our identity, website, logo, and name. I was concerned about whom to work with on this project because I’d had some bad experiences with PR firms in the past that didn’t deliver what I was expected.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a meeting with studio~humm and they asked a lot of questions to understand our business and what we need. This was unusual for me because, in marketing and PR services in Romania, no one actually listens to the client. They addressed provocative questions that hadn’t been addressed before between the two associates in our company. Internally, we realized that we had different opinions in some areas, so we had to put ourselves in accord through internal negotiation. Then, they came to us with a proposal regarding our identity. We exchanged feedback, and, in the end, we got a solution that I appreciate very much.

Identity was the first part of what they did for us, followed by our logo, name, and visual materials. We kept the old website for some time, but now we’re working with studio~humm on our new site as well. I wanted a simple yet powerful website in terms of messaging and positioning in the market. I wanted people to easily understand our services and differentiate our company from a traditional real estate agency that only does rentals and sales. My main challenge for studio~humm was to explain what we do using as few words and elements as possible and not bore the customer. Also, we have our own software for managing properties and they integrated it with our website.

I appreciated studio~humm’s creativity. They came up with all sorts of ideas that I had never thought of. I had a notion of how things should look, but studio~humm completely disagreed with me in some areas and presented clear arguments and to make me see a vision that is more modern and more suitable to current times.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people from their group. One was responsible for the creative and design part, and the other was in charge of the development of the website and the integration with our software. They have a total team size of 3–4 people.

How did you come to work with studio~humm?

They were recommended to us. I was very picky when choosing someone to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with studio~humm in August 2015. The initial process was done by the end of that year. studio~humm is almost done with our website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve definitely seen results and I’m very happy with what’s happened. Our company had a good reputation beforehand, but having our identity work done helped us position ourselves professionally. Many clients and collaborators appreciated our business cards and asked about who made them. They mentioned how unique they are, being so simple and good-looking at the same time. This is only a small example, but it was eye-opening for me. It was the perfect feedback as it was exactly what I wanted to transmit to clients.

How did studio~humm perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was good. They are prompt and organized. They set up rules, which I followed and appreciated. For example, we have weekly meetings, either on Skype or face-to-face, to discuss various topics. We send them emails for follow-up or bugs to address. They were prompt in answering our questions.

I liked having only two key contacts. It made it easy for me to know who I should address for what issue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

studio~humm stands out in terms of quality and attitudes. They have a fresh approach and interesting insights to correlate the old-fashioned notion of real estate with a modern perspective. They helped me not only in terms of identity and website work but also with tools for better managing our business and internal tasks. I really appreciated our discussions that were beyond the main scope. They were helpful and shared a lot of knowledge with me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This was not an urgent project so it wasn’t a problem for me, but I want to know if something will be done tomorrow or three weeks from now so I can plan for the future. studio~humm wasn’t able to give me deadlines for some items and only told me they’d get back to me. I understand that not all tasks can be estimated by their management, but, from the point of view of the client, having a set term for the future would be very useful.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

People entering into projects like this should not expect quick results. They should not think that they will have everything ready within a month or two. Everything is personalized, and there are a lot of questions meant for understanding the business. studio~humm does this very well.

BACKGROUND

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Design and create a new brand identity
• Build a new website based on the new identity

SOLUTION

• Referral
• Personal Network

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

• Creation and design of a full new identity for our existing brand
• Design, development and testing of a new website based on the created brand
• Creation of additional assets for sub-brands and social media

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Strategy and Digitalization of a logistics & supply chain company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Freight Forwarding

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire studio~humm to accomplish?

• New brand identity
• New website

SOLUTION

How did you find studio~humm?

• Online Search
• Other

Why did you select studio~humm over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from studio~humm were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Rebranding with: 

• workshops and competitive research
• brand positioning
• copywriting guide
• brand design system
• brand book/guidelines
• web design
• UX design
• copywriting 
• web development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They delivered all items, such as a copywriting guide, brand book, and website design and development.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Well-organized for project management, using Asana to track items and milestones with good communication ahead of time.

What was your primary form of communication with studio~humm?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They facilitated an excellent collaboration to co-create the final product, with strong recommendations based on the goal that was set to be achieved.

Are there any areas for improvement or something  studio~humm could have done differently?

It is always difficult to define the scope of a project, and even though there were some misunderstandings, they did well in accommodating and reacting to it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Digital Marketing Manager at Landis+Gyr, a company of over 5,000 employees operating in the smart metering/smart grid industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire studio~humm?

Our main internal communications channel, our Intranet site, was in need of a redesign. We hired studio~humm to design the site's UI, and they went above and beyond the scope. They advising us on UX best practices and the technical implementation of the proposed design.

What were your goals for this project?

Improve the overall usability and user experience of the site to provide the best possible experience for our employees.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our team did extensive research to find the right vendor, we selected studio~humm because of the quality of their proposal and their understanding of the mandate.

Describe the project in detail.

The scope of this project was UI design: delivery of high fidelity mockups, developer handover, and style guide. studio~humm went beyond the scope and provided great insights on web design best practices, front-end dev, UX, and strategy.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a multi-disciplinary team composed of a project manager/designer and a content strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have received very positive feedback on the product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was always easy, straightforward, and deadlines were always respected on the vendor's side.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their creativity and their customer service!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Product was of extremely high quality, vendor was flexible on deliverables and did everything they could to make this project a success, which it was!