Traina

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the owners of Mellogold, which is a medical cannabis company based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mellogold’s a secondary brand of another company called Alterra.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We needed to create separate brand identities. We wanted them to look different to reach two different demographics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Traina Design created separate aesthetics for our two brands. We had a loose idea of what we wanted, so their team helped us with the strategy and clarified our vision. They came in at the ground level and built our brands' identities.

They helped us work out the differences between the two brands. Alterra has a high-end medical feel whereas Mellogold has more of a recreational feel. They developed the brand identities and figured out what kind of verbiage we wanted to use for copy. Their team did all of the design work, which involved logos and packaging.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with two people.

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

We found Traina online and compared them to other agencies. They were the most responsive and had the best communication. Their team also worked with industries that were similar to ours. We loved their designs. They had experience creating the types of designs that we wanted to use.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between March–November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The state of branding in the Oklahoma cannabis market’s terrible. Traina helped us to come out swinging early. Their team gave us a professional look and feel to our brand. We tripled the number of sales we expected. Last month was our first month of sales and we did about $450,000 in revenue.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Traina performed well. It would’ve been difficult for us to go through the whole process ourselves, especially since we didn’t know what we wanted. It was a big deal to have a mentor that guided us through the process. Their team stayed on top of their tasks, so we didn’t need to push them. When it was clear that we didn’t know what we wanted, they helped us through that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Traina Design knocked it out of the park the whole time. They were good communicators. They helped us understand where we were and what they were doing throughout the whole project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I don’t have constructive feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t skip the brand identity portion. It can feel tedious at times, but I’m glad we went through that process with Traina. Pay attention to that and don’t gloss over the details that their team asks for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager of Brooklyn Brewery. We’re one of the largest craft breweries in the country and the number one craft beer exporter in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We needed to completely rebuild our website. The previous version was outdated. It not only had technical issues but also didn’t convey our brand story. We wanted Traina Design to update our platform to convey our brand story to reach customers more effectively.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Traina Design met with our design team to review our style guide. Their team had attention to detail, working with our team to discover what the borough means. Their team visited us for our kick-off event to soak in what we wanted to get across. This helped them to ultimately position us in a much better way. We provided photographs, branding, and logos. Their team made that content usable on the web. They put the assets on the site and made them sing.

We wanted to be compliant with quite a few different privacy laws and accessibility guidelines because we have a global footprint. Their team worked with us every step of the way to ensure compliance in different markets before the site went live.

Traina Design also implemented our beer finder into the new WordPress website. On our old website, we had compatibility issues that made it a struggle for users to find our products. Correspondingly, that made it difficult to advertise.  It was huge to have the beer finder come back and be easily used by consumers. 

Currently, they handle our hosting and basic maintenance.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with our account manager, Kristi (Account Manager), and our lead developer. I worked with other members of the team during onboarding, but most of my communication as the project continued was through Kristi to keep things simple.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in February 2019 and the site went live in January 2020. We have a retainer with Traina Design that we’re happy to have.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re seeing a much lower bounce rate, which was our goal. The website offers a richer experience that keeps users on the site for longer. There are clearer pathways and better search results. We’re seeing good search numbers but it’s a little early to fully comment on them. Overall, our SEO improved quite a bit. For us, it’s easier to use the site. The people in our organization are happy with the way that it looks. People who interact with it both inside and outside the company have a great feeling about it.   

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Google Docs where we set up shared timelines. Our office runs on the platform, so it was comfortable for us. Traina Design made the process easy. They answered all of my questions with patience and thoroughness. Their team had explanations, repeated explanations, and walked me through every piece that I needed to use. Communication was never confused. Their team is responsive and attentive to our relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their web development capabilities are great. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to other people. In fact, I recommended them to a couple of other folks. They made every aspect of the project simple, which was a great reassurance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. The only stumbling block was the time difference. They’re located in San Diego and we’re in New York.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s worth meeting the team. The company as a whole is great. They’re a relatively small shop, making it easy to get to know everyone. We visited each other’s offices and having that personal connection was a great help. Knowing their team and being able to put faces to names makes our engagement a really positive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product and marketing manager at Fulgent Genetics. We are a DNA sequencing company that just launched a consumer health genetic test.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We are a clinical lab and we don’t have an in-house design team. We were creating a new brand and we needed a design team to come in and guide us end to end. We needed help with the development of the naming as well as the external website design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the first stage, they led us through an exercise that helped us define goals, image, and general direction. We then walked through the naming process, which was new for us. That functioned as a phase of its own. Putting a name to the brand really requires them understanding, not just our technology, but the vision and personality we want to apply. We gave them preferences and feedback to guide that process. That brought us into defining the style and tone of our cop as well as branding designs. We created a style guide in that process. 

Following that, we went into the design phase which was a little more extensive. They devised seven or eight very different design concepts, color palettes, and taglines. Each of the potential designs came with various examples of how they would be presented; whether they would be on a billboard, on the internet, or an app. From there, they let us pick and chose design aspects for our final look and feel, making us aware of best practices to consider when making selections. Those design concepts were then applied to the website.

While my team produced content, they provided us with some taglines, headers, and titles. They worked very closely with us on how to really present technical concepts and content. The bulk of the last couple of months working with them involved designing the webpage and giving them feedback on the layout. We also asked them to design a clinical report and blog page for us at this time. Our DNA analysis reports can get quite heavy, so they designed a template for all three of our products. Additionally, we asked them to do an alternative homepage design as well.  

What is the team composition?

We were in touch with six people from their team at various points of the project. My main point of contact was the project manager, Christine (Account Manager, Traina Design). Most of the contact was with her, but we interacted with other leads depending on the scope of the project.

There was one person that primarily lead content efforts. We were also in contact with the owner for the initially, and he was on the phone calls with us as well.

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

We looked at four other companies. Before Traina Design came into the picture, we were close to negotiation with another vendor, but the pricing was on the high side. They've been in the biotech industry for years and were local. After whittling it down to two vendor option, we selected them over the other company.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them on this project between December 2018 – July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have tried to do these web designs internally, failing to create a cohesive brand. Traina Design enabled us to define a brand image. While we're still in the early stages of brand development, we're growing the advertisement and engagement aspect of the product. That's been possible because of the brand we've built out.

Overall, people think we've created a clean brand. On the negative end of feedback, some have found it to be too content-heavy, without a strong enough marketing message. However, that wasn’t necessarily the Traina Design's mission. Although they are part of the naming and overall tone, the weakness for us is our marketing language. Design-wise, the feedback has been very positive.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Christine is probably the best project manager I've worked with. She's meticulous, a great listener, and has an amazing ability to keep us on a timeline. Even when we get busy with other development tasks, she's always on top of it while keeping up a professional, considerate rapport. She always keeps everyone on the same page, which made a difference in the entire experience.

In the beginning, we would have a meeting once every week. We never went more than two weeks without being on the phone and reviewing designs or drafts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a really diverse team that communicates well with each other. That's tangible in our meetings together. The process of creating something is very important, and they made the process enjoyable. 

Branding and naming can be pretty intimate processes. While we had hiccups on the way, they developed a level of trust with us, which speaks to the quality of the project manager. They made us feel important and never belittled our requests or feedback. They are reliable, listening to understand the needs and issues that were most important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From our end, the marketing and sales language aren't strong enough. In that respect, there could be more improvement maybe from the content generation side. However, it isn’t their main service that we requested.

They don’t have any in-house video or photographers, so we had to contract that out. It would be neat to see them develop their business to accommodate photography as well. Overall, they have very clean designs and are open to feedback. For those reasons, I can’t really pinpoint a direct weakness of theirs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They really kick it into gear. Be prepared to move forward at a progressive pace. Walk into it ready to see productivity.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a startup that researches the genetics of cannabis cultivation. We’re based out of Oklahoma and officially started up in August 2019.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We were looking for a company that had experience in various industries that are related to ours, and the goal was to build a comprehensive branding and design profile from start to finish. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project started off with some phone calls to understand our business, our market, our competitors, our position within our market, and our target audience. Traina also tried to understand our vision for our company in the short term and the long term, including some of our strategy and the direction we wanted to move.

We spent several months going back and forth discussing our value propositions and the language that we wanted to use with our customers. Once we developed that, we started on the second phase which was launching the actual design process. During this phase, we had multiple calls with Traina to come up with a look and feel that was tailored to our target audience. 

From there, the team started presenting concepts, and we went through three or four different rounds of in-depth presentations for each. We eventually chose a base primary design, which allowed us to begin working on packaging designs and other creative collateral needs, like sales sheets and similar items.

What is the team composition?

I had a primary point of contact that I coordinated with from start to finish, and we are still in communication. There was a lead designer who was also present on calls, and a branding specialist who would join as needed.

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

I believe that I found Traina on Clutch. I searched for design firms in a specific set of cities that would have firms on the forefront of design. I made a list of the top ten companies that I wanted to reach out and eventually went into serious dialogue with 3–4 of those firms. Traina was the company that stood out when we started receiving proposals. They stood out very clearly; it was an easy choice. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our initial phase contract was around $22,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the conversation with Traina in March, and the first phase concluded in November. We’ll be working with them in the future as well. We’re currently planning to launch another full package of creative collateral for a separate brand. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In meetings with suppliers and other businesses, it’s clear that our branding stands out from our competitors in the field. It’s a huge contrast. We have a professional and sleek image from a design and branding standpoint, which is exactly what we were going for. 

We’re also seeking to create credibility. The branding has helped with that tremendously; when people see our branding, they immediately know that we’re trustworthy. Traina’s work is going to be one of our most significant strategic advantages moving forward.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated almost daily, and they were very responsive. We probably had calls at least once a week, but that eventually shifted into primarily email communication. The frequency of each varied depending on where we were in the process. We also used a proprietary messaging platform of theirs as a sort of workbook to communicate.

Overall, the project management was excellent. Traina was flexible and incredibly in tune with our needs. For example, our scope changed pretty drastically due to a shift in the direction that we wanted to take, and Traina worked to make that happen. The process did become longer, but they were always very reasonable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only are they an incredible design company, which is the reason why I hired them, they’re also very professional and attentive. The level of support that they provided was refreshing. In other words, their strongest attribute is the fact that they are easy to work with. It was an extensive process, but Traina was phenomenal from the beginning, and I was thoroughly impressed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'm having a hard time trying to think of something they should change. Compared to other firms, Traina does everything so well. I can’t think of a single thing that I’m not happy with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen and follow along with their process. Their approach is extensive, and it’s important to trust that they will follow through. Don’t push back too much; if you let them work in their own way, the results will be outstanding. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of MotoSonora Brewing Company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We needed some initial branding assets and help building a company identity. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an initial meeting with Traina Design and discussed our concept for the brand. They took that information and came up with a bunch of ideas. We continued to have subsequent meetings, during which Traina Design presented different options in PDF format on a big projector at their office. My team shared what we liked or disliked or thought was appropriate or inappropriate. They refined their ideas based on our feedback.

Traina Design ultimately created our brand identity. They delivered several logos and fonts that we liked and did packaging, tap handle, and can designs. We still haven’t received the can designs, but that’s not through any fault of theirs; we just aren’t ready to do cans yet. 

What is the team composition?

We typically work with 2–3 people, including David (President, Traina Design), Kristi (Director of Account Services, Traina Design), and someone from a rotating cast of graphic designers. 

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

We hired a guy who used to work for another brewery’s marketing department to come up with some logos. When he was unable to continue the work, he told us that Traina Design wanted to take on our project. Traina Design had just redone a well-known brewing company’s website, so clearly their work was up to our standard.

How much have you invested with them?

My company only spent $5,000. This was a serious discount on what they’d normally charge because this was an opportunity for them to craft a brand that didn’t exist yet. I know they charged substantially more to design the bigger brewing company’s website, but they already had an existing brand to work around. I think getting their hand in something that was just getting off the ground was appealing to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August 2018–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everybody seems to like the logo design and script that Traina Design came out with; their work has struck a chord with people in a big way. Feedback is often unsolicited, so it seems like people really like their work. 

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Traina Design was excellent. They had great communication and hit their deadlines. They were clear in everything that they did. We communicated at least once a week, either via phone or email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m very satisfied with the designs, which is obviously what I really wanted. I wouldn’t accept anything less than something that I really liked. From a project management standpoint, they were very good at coordinating all of the parties involved. Their ability to effectively communicate where they were and what was happening impressed us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any criticism. They were very good. We both had our own ideas, and anytime those diverged, it was pretty easy for me to get them back to where I wanted to be.   

Any advice for potential customers?

Just check your email and answer your calls. They were complete professionals across the board. There was no trick to manipulating them to get what we wanted.

As the client, you need to be available to them and participate in the creative process. If you want the product to come out exactly as you want it, you’re going to have to be involved. I’m sure they’d still do a good job if you let them do everything, but it might not be what you had in mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and owner of Texture, Inc. We are a cabinetry company based in San Diego, California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We wanted to have a focus on design in developing our new brand, so we were looking for a company to help with our brand identity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Traina Design built our brand identity and style, including our logo, tagline, and website. Our teams first met in person to talk through what we were trying to achieve and what our vision for the company was. They asked us some questions about our style preferences and for examples of branding we liked. Traina Design asked the right questions to shape the right language for our brand.

We went through a few different iterations of proposals for the logo. Once we settled on a logo design, Traina Design expanded upon that and created different graphic applications that included the new logo. They gave us sample signage, taglines, and van graphics, to choose from. Their team also developed a static website. Traina Design was able to apply the brand identity they created to all facets of our company.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Dave (President, Traina Design). He was heavily involved in the project and had 2–3 members of his team that came in and out of the conversation at different times.

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

I was referred to Traina Design by a friend. I interviewed Dave over the phone to talk through what we wanted to accomplish. He sent me some work that they had done, which was really the decision-maker for me. We wanted to achieve a certain style and I felt like they were the right partner for that. It was less about a competitive pricing situation and more about someone we felt could meet the style we were looking for. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested about $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Traina Design ran from March–December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a slower takeoff than we expected, due to another business I own absorbing most of my time. However, we’ve started to get some traction and people are really intrigued by our branding. We invested in the style and logo upfront, which isn’t the approach most people take. In our industry where design is emphasized, it’s been well received by potential trade partners.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Traina Design does a great job of managing projects. We communicated with them every couple of days and most things were handled internally. Everything went really smoothly. Our teams set timelines and they set expectations about how long things would take. They were able to achieve all of those timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their creativity and flexibility towards my input, they made me part of their team. Not only did they show leadership on the design side, but they also talked through their decisions with me and created the style that I wanted to achieve. They absorbed my vision for the brand. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I haven’t engaged with companies on a creative level like this very much but I felt like it was a successful partnership. I didn’t have clear expectations going in besides knowing what we wanted to achieve. I was really impressed with what they delivered. Two years later, it still feels like a highly successful project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Going into a creative project, you need to be able to give a sense of direction. What helped our process have a really solid start is that I was able to communicate my vision with Traina Design, and they could then take my input and convert that into a successful outcome.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior director of brand and marketing communications at a life science company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We hired Traina Design to develop our customer-facing creative material.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked Traina Design to establish our brand identity. We needed to determine our brand identity system and how it should be applied across our different communication platforms. That process included digital, social media, blogs, print advertisements and display ads, and our tradeshows and webinars.

Traina Design started with a review of our existing situation as a startup that was new to the market. We needed to evaluate how our current position with customers had developed organically through our sales reps and original branding materials. They audited our print materials to determine what worked and what didn’t, and then we outlined a thorough set of requirements for how to proceed.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with several members of the staff across their web, creative, and project management departments.

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

Our engagement with Traina Design began before I started in my role, so I’m unsure of the selection process.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in November 2015, and we launched our new materials early in 2016. This past year Traina continued to build our branding with new creative for trade shows and advertising campaigns as well as enhancing our digital platforms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're meeting our marketing goals in terms of generating awareness and leads. I think our materials are developing into a consistent reflection of our brand identity.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They are not only extremely organized, but they are also unbelievable communicators. They turn things around quickly and have been very responsive. Traina Design also matched our work style, which is pretty fast-paced, as opposed to asking us to adapt to their style.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have not seen anybody better in terms of their creative horsepower. I think their design expertise is the best I’ve seen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have jumped in to help us out in secondary areas short term, even if not their core capabilities. They may want to consider expanding their expertise in these areas as well for more full agency support.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend treating them like a partner. The more they are a part of your marketing team, the better their work will be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former vice president of marketing at Ballast Point Brewing Company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We engaged Traina Design because we needed a partner to help us with ongoing social media content and for specific media campaigns. We didn’t have the necessary capabilities in-house to manage the work ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the event of a specific media campaign, we provided Traina Design with a brief and held a kickoff meeting. Their team came back with initial concepts for us to choose from, and we provided feedback before approving the work. In every case, they executed the initiative on deadline and to the specs of the brief.

Traina Design also provided a dedicated resource to manage our social media content for us. This arrangement required a lot of two-way communication so that they knew what we were looking for at a high level. We gave that person free rein to produce content they determined would be successful for our brand.

What is the team composition?

We interact primarily with David (President, Traina Design), Kristi (Director of Account Services, Traina Design), and Laysea (Traina Design).

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

Kristi is a former colleague of mine at another agency. She introduced me to Traina Design once she started there.  

How much have you invested with them?

I’d estimate that we spent more than $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in May 2018 and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After we turned our social media management and content creation over to them, we experienced a substantial increase in engagement with our social posts. And we recognized that the storytelling was far better and more of a manifestation of our brand. We’ve been pleased with their eye toward social media trends and best practices that help tell our story better.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always incredibly organized and responsive. They made it a point to deliver things on time, if not before.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their willingness to dig in, get to know our brand, and become an extension of our brand through social media content creation. Traina Design helped us elevate our social media presence to the next level through strategy and creative content.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’ve been great at understanding our needs and jumping in wholeheartedly to help. I’d advise future clients to have a conversation with them to see what’s possible. They’re great at adapting to needs of the brand and delivering an excellent product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the video marketing manager for the global business marketing team at Facebook Inc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

We were launching a new product to market—one that was brand new for us and geared toward a completely different audience. As a result, we needed to roll it out differently than anything we’d done before.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Traina Design developed creative assets to support marketing campaigns for our new product. We started with a couple of briefing calls to establish all of the key information and provided them with some documents. Together, we worked to define exactly what the deliverables would be.

They then went through their creative development process to produce marketing materials for us. One of the main outputs that we requested was an ecosystem video along with a set of landing pages. Traina Design worked on the casting and secured a production company, overseeing all of the details on our behalf.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with three resources, including Kat (Senior Account Manager, Traina Design).

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

Facebook Inc. had been working with them for a while, so we already knew about them. An internal resource referred us to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work lasted from December 2018–April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we don’t have any numerical results yet, the internal feedback was amazing. Our teams responded particularly well to the video, and it’s been a prominent tool for our sales force across the board. Externally, we received great press coverage based on some of the landing pages that they created. We’ve also shown the video at an event to positive reviews.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Traina Design was brilliant, and the team was collaborative the whole way through. We went to and fro on several pieces because Facebook often tends to change their mind. But despite the short timeline, they got everything done and implemented all of our requested changes.

In terms of communication, we had weekly video conferences and spoke every other day over email. Kat never dropped the ball. She would anticipate what we needed before we’d even though of it and provided updates preemptively.

What did you find most impressive about them?

For such a small team, I was impressed with how much they could accomplish and the breadth of their scope. They never told us that they couldn’t do something because they hadn’t done it before. Everyone had a can-do attitude and adhered to a high standard of work. On top of that, they had great partners and really listened to our feedback; there was no ego. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their capabilities are broader than portrayed on their website, so they might consider updating it to match. They’d be selling themselves short otherwise.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get a call in to talk about your project. They’re honest about what’s feasible and are very creative. If your brief is bigger than your design, I’d still speak with them because we had some impressive outputs from them throughout our project.
 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical communications manager at a software company. I publish technical communications for the engineering organizations that I belong to.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traina Design?

I lost my designer and needed to find a new vendor. I hired Traina Design to assist with design and publishing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we began working together, I distributed my technical articles in an email using an Outlook file template (OFT), with codebase in it. Traina Design helped deliver that communication vehicle with the associated codebase from a design perspective. They continued to work with me as I transitioned to PDF.

Traina Design provided engineering and design insights to develop an Azure and WordPress solution. They then moved the designs into a new Office 365 SharePoint site, where they published all of my articles. The team spent eighteen months gathering end-user feedback and determining what functionalities users wanted to be able to leverage from the site. They have built many of these functionalities and continue to create more.

Last year, I had to quickly evolve the site when I joined a new team within my organization. Traina Design helped rebrand the site and design a larger initiative around modern engineering. We just launched the new site in February 2019. Currently, Traina Design helps publish my technical communications bi-weekly. They are collecting user feedback so that we can complete design updates and site revisions in a few months.

What is the team composition?

I work with Jeselyn (Senior Account Manager, Traina Design) and a designer.

How did you come to work with Traina Design?

Another team at my company recommended them. I contacted David (President, Traina Design) and created a statement of work (SOW).

How much have you invested with them?

My company spends $75,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since Traina Design launched the new site in February, our site traction has increased. When we publish new articles, there is a massive influx of users to the site. We have brought a very consistent service and brand to our engineering community. Our visibility at the executive level has also increased.

While rebranding the site, Traina Design kept our audience engaged by integrating user feedback. The team made necessary revisions and updates in coordination with our product group. They were conscientious of the changes they made and how they delivered them, which was vital to the site’s success. They’ve played a critical role in modernizing this service and keeping it relevant and versatile over time.

How did Traina Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. Our teams communicate frequently via phone and email. We use internal SharePoint and team sites that we post shared working documents on, which keeps our team members engaged in a centralized location.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Traina Design’s customer service stands out the most to me. They are as committed to my customer base as I am. Their team strives to understand our business, and they are engaging with key stakeholders and end users. Traina Design is a reliable extension of everything I’m doing.

Also, our budget is very strict because my part of the company is not revenue-generating. Traina Design helps determine when we should put money toward publishing versus revision. Their optimization of our budget year after year distinguishes them as a true partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at the moment. My internal management has commended our significant progress. We will continue on the path we are on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have a problem you want solved and clear objectives.