Valiant Design

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Cultura Group, a landscape conduction group based in the UK. We are responsible for commercial landscape construction around new buildings and parks.

What challenge were you trying to address with Valiant Design?

We were looking to rename our business. Our company had been in existence for 26 years and wanted to refresh our name and branding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Valiant Design provided branding and naming services for us. They were tasked with running a number of workshops with our senior management team to get to know our business.

The team understood what we were trying to achieve in terms of reputation, growth, and market sector. From there, they came up with suggestions for names, logos, and designs, which we iterated on until coming to a conclusion.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Tina (Strategy Director), but we also worked with four other members of the team, three designers and one individual who worked on the finance side of things. 

How did you come to work with Valiant Design?

We received a referral for Valiant Design from someone we had worked with in the past. We looked at a number of design agencies, but they were by far the best. They clearly took a personal approach. It was clear from their proposal that Tina had done her homework on us, which made a huge difference. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about £20,000 (approximately $28,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ran from November 2019–April 2020.

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

We were very happy with the initial outcome. It was key that we were able to sell the new name and branding to our staff, which was easy since Valiant Design did such a good job. We received an incredibly positive response from our customers and the rest of the industry. We believe the change helped us win more business.

How did Valiant Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Valiant Design’s team is very professional and lovely to deal with. They always made sure we met deadlines and guided us through the process. They are a very good team to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take a real ownership over the project. It was like they were working on branding for their own business. They cared about getting things right for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they do all the right things. I’m completely satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Engage with them at a personal level. That’s the best way to utilize their talents and capabilities.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager at Alrec, a pan-European company with a global reach working with innovative retail solutions.

What challenge were you trying to address with Valiant Design?

We were going through repositioning and rebranding exercises, so we onboarded them to help us with that process. We wanted them to work on strategy and branding communications.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Originally, Valiant Design started with a complete strategic rebrand of our company, which involved the logo, color palette, and other elements that had to do with the brand. They also delivered assets, brand books, and communication tools across the business. 

The team has also developed and designed a WordPress website, including the UX, and they’ve supported us with our industry trade event, for which they did the communication and design work.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5–6 teammates, including an account director, an account manager, a creative director, a graphic designer, and a web team. The managing director was also involved in the initial strategy. 

How did you come to work with Valiant Design?

They do quantitative and qualitative consumer testing, so we had worked with them on that side. We knew how great their work was, and they had a good understanding of our business, which made them a good fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent over $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Valiant Design in November 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Valiant Design is a very good agency in terms of getting to the crux of what the strategy needs to be and how to execute that. They provided us with assets that make a difference in how we’re perceived by our clients and how we reach and talk to our market. 

We’ve seen an uptick in followers on our website and LinkedIn profile, which is directly attributed to the work they do. They were able to take their understanding of our business and deliver a great brand look, feel, and voice, as well as a stream of assets to support that. 

How did Valiant Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent across all aspects of the project management process. They managed expectations and timelines very well, and they have a fast turnaround of information.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Valiant Design’s dynamic response to everything and their flexibility set them apart. They have the ability to provide creative work that matches the brief. They did the branding work right the first time; we didn’t need to go back and make changes. 

That was helpful because we were on a tight timeline with the changes that were happening in our business, so we were able to meet our timeliness across the board.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. They are very good at having their own continuous learning process. The team is proactive in coming back with things we can try and what changes we can make.

Valiant Design puts us at the forefront of their insights and thinking; they don’t just consider the brief. They work as a strategic partner, keeping our interests in mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend them unequivocally for any type of business, whether you’re just starting out or if you’re a seasoned, long-standing business. They can help you with all stages of the project because they have great thinking and challenging approaches to everything. From a cost perspective, they offer great value for money.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a print business that provides a range of products from printed materials to packaged goods. We also offer online web2print, finished goods stock management, packaging, and fulfilment services. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Valiant Design?

We initially hired them to redeveloped our outdated website that was created by our team. It was time for a refresh.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Valiant Design used WordPress to redesign the website. We wanted to be able to make content changes ourselves.

During the web build, it became clear that our branding and name were a bit confusing. After some analysis, we concluded that we needed to revisit our brand, so the project almost doubled in its capacity.

We stripped everything back and had a meeting with all of the stakeholders where we went over our brand and business values. We also discussed our customer base. After that initial meeting, we came back with a few ideas and started talking about names that would reflect our business.

After that, the team created several logo designs, and then we approved a new brand and name. The team created our brand identity and a range of products like workwear and stationary items with our brand on it. After that was signed off, we went back to the web build.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Tina (Founder & Director). One of our managers worked with two or three others from their team.

When we had meetings, there would be a designer, a web creator, and a marketer involved. Overall, we were in direct contact with three to four people.

How did you come to work with Valiant Design?

After some research, we went to three different companies, and then had conversations. Valiant Design understood us from the start.

Through that initial contact, we started to trust them and their ideas. Eventually, after a few internal conversations, we selected Valiant Design.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around £38,000 (approximately $47,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking to Valiant Design in July 2019, and we had a soft launch for the website in December 2019.

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

After the launch, we were tracking traffic, but as we were ramping up, we had to deal with COVID-19. As for the brand, everything has been well-received by our top customers.

How did Valiant Design perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, their team was well-organized. Everything was documented before meetings and during meetings. They kept us up-to-date and dealt well with a tight schedule and changing scope.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that impressed me was that their team wrote copy for a brochure that went with our website launch. We didn’t change one word of copy. That showcased their understanding of our business and market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think I would go about the project any differently, so no.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you tell them about you and your product. You’ll get the best out of them if they know your values. I wholeheartedly recommend Valiant Design. They’ll do an excellent job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a manufacturer of specialized composite materials which are predominantly related to various forms of defense or protection. These materials end up in military vehicles, racing cars, and are used by clients like the National Health Service. We’ve been in business for 50 years and have around 100 employees.

What challenge were you trying to address with Valiant Design?

We relied on Valiant Design to build a new website for us. Our previous one was old and outdated. This was part of a wider marketing initiative to improve the company’s digital presence and build our lead generation capabilities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Valiant Design redeveloped a WordPress website from scratch. They made the platform SEO-sensitive to support us in our inbound marketing efforts. Now that the platform’s done, we’re currently adding content, like case studies, to promote our work.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked between 3–4 people. That included Tina (CEO) and a few designers.

How did you come to work with Valiant Design?

I’d worked with Valiant at another business about two years ago. We’d been quite happy with their work, so we gave them the opportunity to pitch for this project. They ended up securing the contract.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project began in March 2020, and the website went live in June.

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

We’re very pleased with the outcome —the quality of the solution and the experience were both very good. The site is aesthetically very pleasing; it leaves a strong visual impression. According to feedback from clients, it conveys information more effectively and is a lot easier to navigate than our previous site.

We don’t have any strict KPIs since the site just went live, but we’ll be tracking web traffic, lead generation, and site performance.

How did Valiant Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They were quite supportive in the process They held productive meetings on a weekly basis. They were pretty close to hitting our costs and timeline targets — the delays were due to our need to eliminate pesky technical errors.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d highlight their creative vision. I had a very clear view of how I wanted to site to look. They listened to my desire, and delivered a solution that’s innovative in its use of color and imagery. They’re really able to take your vision and materialize it into a working solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not particularly. I’d be nitpicking at something minor, but there were certain things that we didn’t budget for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to give them as much information as you can about what your expectations are and what you want to achieve. Share any specific requirements early on, because they’re very good at turning your ideas into reality.