Willmore Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of 48 Tools

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I’m Darren Adams, the founder of 48 Tools. The company specialises in producing high quality storage solutions for tools. We offer a range of tool & battery holders and organisers – designed to help keep tools easily accessible and safe. Our range is available through retailers in Australia as well as overseas in Europe, UK, USA and Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Willmore Design to accomplish?

• to create an engaging brochure for my customers

SOLUTION

How did you find Willmore Design?

Referral

Why did you select Willmore Design over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget

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

Our brief was to create a catalogue that was not simply a set of dull pages showing products with specifications – we wanted to engage the reader.

Willmore Design suggested that we mix product pages with editorial content. By doing this we would be able to highlight the product benefits in different scenarios. 

For example, we showed the Australian Outback and photos of the Dakar Rally – as we had sponsored a team that had entered the race in the past. This enabled us to highlight how well the products perform in harsh conditions.

Willmore Design helped us plan what the content of the catalogue would be and highlighted additional photographs that we would need. Some of these were studio or action shots, some came from some of our brand ambassadors overseas to accompany testimonials. 

Willmore Design helped organise the photographs and models. They also art directed the more demanding set ups so that we ended up with dynamic marketing images to help sell the products. They also assisted in writing some of the editorial text.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything was finished on time with no speling or grammer mistakes, and that he was able to understand the look we were going for and aply this to the finished product

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

Willmore Design made the process straight forward. They explained the time frame that we needed to work within and organised the photo shoots. 

They worked swiftly through the project stages and we were clear about what material we needed to provide in order to complete the project. Everything was completed within budget.

What was your primary form of communication with Willmore Design?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Willmore Designs was very thorough with their design work, ensuring everything was completed to a high standard of quality.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Willmore Design could have done differently?

No I was very happy with their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Business Owner of Paradigm Print Media

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a print manager that works with factories throughout Australia and East Asia to produce printing jobs for our clients, specialising in book printing projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Willmore Design to accomplish?

• To promote Paradigm Print Media
• To assist us with our website presentation

SOLUTION

How did you find Willmore Design?

• Referral
• Business Networking Club

Why did you select Willmore Design over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Willmore Design were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The starting point was research—defining the market. Willmore Design asked us to list our competitors, which included print brokers as well as printers. It is interesting to look at print companies' visual identities. They tend to be pretty sharp. In a way, this is not surprising—the printer’s world is a precise one where colors and clarity are absolutely vital.

The role of a print broker is slightly broader. Yes, one needs to have a long list of reliable print suppliers, but the job is mainly about forming long lasting relationships with those in the supply
chain. Willmore Design helped us realize that these relationships lay at the heart of our business. The brand strategy was built around that central theme. From there, they created a series of
creative routes. The print industry influences the one that we chose – the symbol is based around printed screen dots – however the overall feel is one of friendliness. The symbol they designed resonates with that central brand concept of relationships.

Over the years, we’ve applied the identity to a range of marketing materials, including stationery, banners, and our website. We are currently redesigning the website alongside Willmore Design. Creating a new website has been an opportunity to review the existing identity. Although it is almost ten years old, it still looks fresh, and we have decided to keep it in place.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work we did at the start of the project on the brand strategy fed into our communications material for both web and print. From a web perspective this really paid off on the SEO side of things as we found leads we received from organic traffic converted into orders a lot more readily than Adwords. 
Having a strong brand in a field of competitors that don't often pay much attention to their branding or brand strategy gives us an authority that puts us ahead of the pack.

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

Willmore Design are highly collaborative. They ensure that they have a good understanding of your sector in terms of communications and messaging. They were very punctual with delivery times!

What was your primary form of communication with Willmore Design?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We found Charles extremely knowledgeable – he understands branding. He’s also extremely patient and takes time to explain why certain aspects of a branding project are important.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Willmore Design could have done differently?

He could have emphasised the amount of time we would need to put aside for the project. We had no idea of the background work that goes into distilling an identity that reflects your business's USP. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Business Development Director of CSIRO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

CSIRO is Australia's national Science agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Willmore Design to accomplish?

• Promote the 26th World Mining Congress by differentiating it from other general mining conferences. Promote the conference core theme, which was Resourcing Tomorrow: Creating Value – for Society.
• The conference needed to attract a sufficient number of speakers, attendees and sponsors.
• Promote the broad benefits of mining

SOLUTION

How did you find Willmore Design?

Open Tender

Why did you select Willmore Design over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned
• Submitted the best RFQ

How many teammates from Willmore Design were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

To create a unique and recognisable visual identity that will be identifiable by the target audience in various media formats.  To encourage attendance (international and domestic delegates, sponsors, trade exhibitors) and to enhance WMC’s market position as the global event for building and defining the future of mining through technology, collaboration and innovation. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Number of speakers, High Attendance, Measurable brand recognition
• Number of attendees
• Number of sponsors

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

Throughout the project Willmore Design closely collaborated with various stakeholders including the Congress Chair, CSIRO project team, CSIRO Brand and Marketing as well as personnel at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. They worked hard to complete the work within budget – often to some very tight timelines. Overall Willmore Design were an excellent vendor who quickly established strong positive relationships with CSIRO as a client

What was your primary form of communication with Willmore Design?

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

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

Willmore Design made a special effort to really understand the Congress Chair’s vision for the event – how the congress would be different to other conferences taking place.

They skilfully interpreted that vision tuning it into a tangible, usable form. The branding and communication material contributed in making this a magnificent event. It was attended by over 3,500 participants from all over the world. The event directly followed the COVID period, so it was particularly significant in helping to foster international relations.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Willmore Design could have done differently?

Willmore Design was an excellent vendor.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Frank van Brunschot Fine Furniture

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I’m the owner of Frank van Brunschot Fine Furniture and the principal master craftsman woodworker. The majority of my work is centred on antique furniture restoration and conservation, however we also accept commissions for new pieces that we design with our customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Willmore Design to accomplish?

• Our website was out of date and the company running it had moved on to different sorts of work. We wanted to collaborate with a company that could set up a bespoke WIX website for us, so that we could then populate and continue to manage the site ourselves. We also needed someone that could think through what we needed to communicate through the website and come up with a suitable structure. A key aspect that needed to be conveyed is the conservation work we do, particularly for historic houses and museums. I’d worked with Charles Willmore at Willmore Design in the past, so knew that he would take care to put a solid plan in place for the work that needed to be done.

SOLUTION

How did you find Willmore Design?

• Referral
• I was introduced to Charles through a long time friend – Ben Aitchison.

Why did you select Willmore Design over others?

• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Willmore Design were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

We originally started working with Charles at Willmore Design in 2009. At that time we needed to update our brand identity and marketing material. Charles is always keen to understand the context in which a business is operating, so together we looked at woodworking competitors. This, along with a series of interviews helped determined how we would position ourselves.

This was slightly tricky in that my personal furniture tastes are ‘agnostic’ – by that I mean there is not a particular furniture era or style I prefer – I’m happy to restore or conserve furniture from any era. If we are creating a unique piece for a customer we work collaboratively with them to create what they are after.

Charles helped me highlight my particular strengths... furniture design and conservation has a heavy emphasis on a series of processes — one needs to have a really thorough understanding of the skills needed. Amongst the original concepts that Willmore Design presented, was a route influenced by the arts and crafts movement. It was this concept that resonated with us and the one we chose to develop.

The new logo was applied to stationery and a new website. At this point we were also running woodworking classes, so we had material designed to promote the classes.

In the last few years our work has become more focused on furniture conservation. Our website had been maintained by a couple of companies, however the original design intention that had been put together by Willmore Design had become eroded over time and we needed to update the web platform. We needed to think through the structure of the new content and Willmore Design helped us with that.

Creating the new website was also an opportunity to review the brand identity we’d been using for fifteen years. Charles ran the same exercise we’d conducted in 2009 (comparing our material with current competitors). The identity we’d put in place fifteen years ago still appears fresh today!

We spent some time together discussing the main services we now offer — Charles was great at identifying the main areas and extracting the key details — these were important steps in working out what the site structure should be. Like me, Charles likes to think visually. we were able to sketch out the wire frame structure of the site pretty rapidly.

Having reviewed competitors sites and branding, we ad agreed to leave the core of the identity the same, however we updated our typefaces and evolved the palette of colours.

Willmore Design put together a set of key pages as static designs, which we were able to discuss and modify where necessary, before these were developed in WIX. Charles put together the overall site structure and pages. Most of the key pages were populated by Willmore Design, however we worked directly within WIX to populate many of the more detailed pages and Charles lead us through that process explaining how to use the online web builder.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Elevated Google ranking.   Since 2009 the Brand Identity has served us well — we are never short of customers! The recent work on the website has been about ensuring that we receive the right type of customers. A major part of working on the site has been focusing on getting the content mix right — we’ve done a lot of work on SEO. Previously we did not rank at all, however within a month of making the site live we’re on page one! Customers have said the site looks fantastic. It has put us in a great position to attract work from Museums and Historic houses.

We have gone from being virtually invisible online to being on the first page when key words relevant to us are searched.

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

To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed by the depth of research that was conducted initially – however in retrospect I realise that it was part of a necessary process. the initial research helped lead smoothly towards the final outcome.

What was your primary form of communication with Willmore Design?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Charles is curious and asks lots of questions. In a world where technology is ubiquitous and very accessable, anyone and ever. I am confident that their professionalism, expertise in communicating and presenting ideas through visual language, and creative insight would greatly benefit any business.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Willmore Design could have done differently?

We are extremely happy with the design work Charles did for us. The only area for potential improvement would be to reduce the amount of information shared at once. In addition to designing our website and branding, he also took the time to teach us how to manage the website on our own and shared valuable insights about photography—such as composition tips and what works best in different contexts. At times, I found that he provided too much information at once, which made it difficult for me to absorb everything. However, this may be particular to me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Managing Director of Lawtools. We are a privately owned Australian company established in 1949. For over 70 years, Lawtools has been a trusted supplier and distributor of high quality products to a variety of industries, markets and trades. These include; Hardware Tools & Machinery, Building Supplies and Locksmith & Security. We also manufacture some tools ourselves under the brand ‘GFB’.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Willmore Design, and what were your goals?

The GFB branding and packaging had been developed in a slightly organic manner. Many inconsistencies had crept in over time and multiple versions of the logo existed. The packaging incorporated an overly complicated colour system which confused product lines. The result was a jumbled hierarchy of information that presented poorly. We were expanding the GFB range and it was clear that the brand strategy and packaging needed to be rethought.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Willmore Design was recommended to us through our photographer, Luke Parminter.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Willmore Design researched competitor brands. This gave us a clearer picture of how different competitors were presenting themselves and where we needed to position ourselves in order to stand out. A core brand concept centred around the idea of ‘Industrial Tough’ was developed and this became the unifying idea which informed the creative brief.

Willmore Design evolved the GFB logo by simplifying the previously used chevron symbol into a single more powerful arrow. The old GFB font was brought up to date and made to look much more robust and industrial with our own unique letters. Our colour range was strengthened by adding a deeper blue. Together we rationalised and simplified our product lines.

Willmore Design then developed an information system with a clear hierarchy which governs layouts & packaging. The new identity was applied to a range of core packaging in the initial stage of work. Over time we have refreshed all our GFB packaging and print material. Once the initial stage of work was complete, we brought the Lawtools identity and website in line with the GFB identity.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with Charlie and his team of assistants.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new range is now much more consistent in overall look and feel and has a much more robust appearance in line with the strategy we developed. Since implementing the work we have expanded our distributors of the GFB range and this has contributed towards steady sales. How

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We started the initial project in September 2014. Since then we have continued to work with Willmore Design. Sometimes this is on an ad hoc basis – for example a new product’s packaging needs designing. We have ongoing promotional marketing material that we produce and regularly update our GFB catalogue.

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

The level of detail and consideration was awe-inspiring. Charlie gave thoughtful feedback and brought up matters we hadn't considered before.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

There was nothing fundamental..... we appreciate the time and effort that Charlie has brought to the project and continues to do so.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Managing Director of Supahawk. We provide hail recovery services to the Australian Automotive sector by aggregating and managing a large number of technicians in the event of major disasters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Willmore Design, and what were your goals?

Our business was a start up. We needed to create a strong identity and profile which was appropriate for our business idea and that would help differentiate us from our competitors. A key part of this was creating a strong name that would be easily remembered. We also needed a robust brand identity to help us stand out.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had met Charles Willmore through another organisation. We were impressed with his knowledge of the steps we needed to go through plus the solid branding results Willmore Design had achieved, so chose to work with them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Willmore Design took us through the whole process, guiding us step by step working with us. Initially we began with a series of workshop interviews – they were very keen to understand the market in which we operate and the processes we follow. They researched our competitors and this helped lead to defining our brand position and developing our brand strategy.

This was an important first step towards creating the business name – the strategy material helped feed the name generation process. We worked on the name together. Willmore Design provided us with the structure to work within. We worked in short ‘naming sprints’ creating and reviewing naming material together.

This helped maintain momentum which was crucial as we needed to create our new profile quickly. The new name “Supahawk” is great because the URLs that we wanted to register were available. The name is also strong and memorable. Once the name was created and secured, they worked on the brand identity which was put in place fairly swiftly.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had met Charles Willmore through another organisation. We were impressed with his knowledge of the steps we needed to go through plus the solid branding results Willmore Design had achieved, so chose to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Immediately after the initial project was implemented we won two significant contracts.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

There was a fairly demanding amount of information and work we had to provide from our side. Fortunately Willmore Design broke this down into manageable bite sized chunks, so that the branding process did not impact too heavily on our other work. This helped keep the project on track without being detrimental to our day to day work.

Also, Willmore Design was flexible. They understood that as a start up we had a limited budget and were able to tailor the scope of services to our specific need. They were collaborative and valued our feedback through the whole process.

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

They stressed the importance of having a really solid brand strategy in place before commencing creative work. They took the trouble to understand the business we are in and what needed to be communicated. They were not prepared to waste time and money on creativity until an appropriate strategy was in place. They involved us in every key step in the process, so there were no surprises

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Charlie is a unique human being on Earth. Extremely intelligent. He has a brilliant way to understand his customer's needs and placing ideas on paper where things start happening with a great sense of motivation. Thank you to Willmore Design. I am reaching great results in my business and consequently in my life.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of ICEPACK, a truck manufacturing company. We market, sell, and support our products all over Australia. We have a total of 70 employees, including 50 people at our main location. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Willmore Design?

Prior to our engagement with Willmore, we did our marketing and branding all by ourselves. We didn’t have a professional approach to how we presented our business on the internet or in advertising. As a result, we engaged Willmore’s services. They revamped our marketing campaigns, image, and branding. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, our rebranding efforts centered around developing a new logo. Willmore Design looked at our existing products to understand what we were all about. Not only did they have to design a new logo; they also had to justify and sell it to us. Meanwhile, Charles (Owner) worked on the themes that we used to present our products in advertising. He made everything look similar from colors to designs to make our brand recognizable. 

On top of that, we changed the way we marketed our business to the general public. Previously, we marketed ourselves under another engineering brand in Brisbane. However, the rest of Australia only knew about ICEPACK. Charles convinced us to drop the other engineering brand and retain ICEPACK. This simplified our marketing and advertising efforts. 

Moreover, Willmore Design did extensive market research. They called good, bad, and random customers to find out what they felt about our products. We learned that people didn’t know we manufactured our own products. As a result, we worked to sell the fact that we had young people and apprentices manufacturing our products; we didn’t simply import parts. 

During the project, we moved into new premises, so Willmore revamped the appearance of our building. They changed the color schemes on our walls and inside the building. They also applied our new branding to various assets, such as brochures, business cards, shirts, and email letterheads. Then, the team gave us instructions on where to use and not to use the new logo, making us more self-sufficient. They also worked with us during our truck shows.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Charles, and he had a graphic designer and a photographer.

How did you come to work with Willmore Design?

We met them through the referral of a business associate. We’d never used graphic design services at that point even though we’d been in business for around 20 years. Soon, we realized that we needed to step up. As it happened, our business contact was into marketing, and he told us to contact Willmore Design. That was how we met the team; we didn’t do any other research or speak to other designers. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000 AUD (approximately $15,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration lasted from December 2015–March 2017. The initial project lasted nine months. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We not only liked Willmore Design’s logo output; we also knew where it came from and why it looked like that. We loved it because it had an incredibly simple and balanced design. It also fit our market in so many ways. We could laser-print, fabricate, or print it on the back of our trucks. We could make it bigger or smaller; we could put it in front of our building or put it on machines and badges — it was truly versatile.

Moreover, Charles didn’t only produce great work; he also made us believe in it 100%. He did a fantastic job, and everything else that Willmore Design did was sensational. Our business grew throughout the entire engagement period. While that may not be attributed to their services alone, we definitely needed the revamped branding they provided. 

How did Willmore Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated through email, and we did have hard deadlines. Charles managed the timeframes by himself, which was challenging. We were trying to run a business, so he had to commit to the deadlines that we gave him. He handled those deadlines exceptionally well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Personally, I loved their artistic designs. Charles’ designs always looked balanced.  For instance, when I gave him a design that looked ordinary, it looked perfect when he gave it back to me. In other words, he was truly talented. He’d also explain the design’s aspects such as its shades, lighting, and empty spaces. He was very professional this way. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. Charles was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It takes time and a fair amount of work to get something that truly fits what you want. Willmore Design will take time to gain knowledge of your needs to give you a good proposal. When they do that, you can believe in their proposal; in your heart, you’ll know that they know what they’re talking about and it’s going to work. In other words, you need to have faith in Willmore Design to take time and make good decisions. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a visual artist. Since 2002 I have been regularly exhibiting my work in high profile, artist-run spaces in Australia and overseas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Willmore Design, and what were your goals?

In 2002 I engaged Willmore Design to design and manage the print and digital production of private view invitations, illustrated catalogues and gallery labels for my exhibitions. I wanted an attention to detail, quality of materials and refined aesthetic consistent with the presentation of the work of a full-time fine art practitioner. Since that time, Willmore Design have regularly produced excellent design work for my exhibitions, both in Brisbane and interstate.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I selected Willmore Design on the basis of their reputation, international experience and sophisticated understanding of design principles.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

After some consultation, we arrived at a branding solution appropriate to my vision and goals as an artist. This allowed us to produce a kind of template which could be re-used on a regular basis, enabling me to present my work in a way which enabled both variety and continuity of identity. The framework we established ensured that relatively little time or effort was required to maintain a consistently high quality of presentation from year to year.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked directly with the director, Charles Willmore as well as a junior member of his design team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All exhibitions to which Willmore Design provided assistance have been successful from both a commercial and critical point of view. My clients have consistently remarked on the quality and usefulness of the printed and digital support material.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project management of Willmore Design was always in a decisive and timely manner.

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

Willmore Design has a consistent record of producing work with a fresh, contemporary character while respecting the timeless principles of graphic design.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None spring to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Zeroplus is design research consultancy with a focus on industry funded social enterprise projects. I am the principal and originally established Zeroplus over ten years ago

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Willmore Design, and what were your goals?

Willmore Design have continually helped us over the years to develop our brand identity and its applications in relation website design, social media and other areas as required at any point in time. Ours is a particularly unique and cutting edge area in which to operate and we required someone who understood our objectives and continually changing needs to promote and develop our research consultancy. In this regard Willmore Design have been exceptional in helping us to develop a brand identity that reflects our role.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked together in the past and I was familiar with Willmore Design capability

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Willmore Design set up a number of meetings to workshop through the role and operation of our research consultancy, this also provided us with a better understanding of what we were trying to do in the early days and to better focus on our intended market audience. We have continued this process with Willmore Design from time to time as the research consultancy has developed.

The branding outcomes have included total Website Design, promotional and marketing publications both as digital and hard copies, stationery items, social media branding in terms of style and use of images, content and so on

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with Designer Charles Willmore and his design assistant

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We operate in a unique field and this would be challenging for any brand designer to successfully negotiate and then meet our particular needs. The fact we have continually developed as our needs and client base has continually shifted clearly reflects the success of Willmore Design branding, basically they have continually nailed it.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Willmore Design have a professional, yet personable style that creates a strong sense of team collaboration, we would see them as an extension of Zeroplus that we can readily call upon as we require.

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

The very high quality of their design creativity and attention to detail. They focus on long-term, lasting impact rather than short term superficial outcomes or 'flavour of the month' approaches.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They are excellent and nothing really comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

This was actually a personal project — we collected my mother’s memories and photographs in a professionally published volume that spanned her lifetime.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Willmore Design?

We were in desperate need of a typesetter. We had tried to do the work ourselves but found it far too complex. We had a tight deadline to meet.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled design, typesetting, and layout. The book was over 350 pages long and included almost 500 photographs. We supplied them with the book’s manuscript in plainly formatted Microsoft Word documents, and they had to incorporate text and photos in the book’s design on our very short deadline.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Charles (Owner & Lead Designer).

How did you come to work with Willmore Design?

The printer we were working with recommended Willmore Design because they’d received good feedback regarding their work from other clients. Charles also happened to be in the same building as our printer, so that was very convenient.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $6,000 with Willmore Design.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Willmore Design from July–August 2021; the work took 5–6 weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The book turned out spectacular — it well exceeded our expectations. We’d expected a small volume of black-and-white text with separate pages of color photographs, but Charles integrated the photos where they applied to the text. He did a brilliant and quite creative job.

How did Willmore Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Willmore Design had some of the best project management skills I’ve ever seen. This project was extremely tightly scheduled and accurately estimated.

I had worked with a lot of graphic designers who were good at art in my previous job, but Charles was really good at the technical aspects of creating this book. He knew all the necessary software and figured out timelines and turnarounds to ensure that we met our deadlines. He really took the deadline pressure off us.

We communicated via phone calls and email. We also collaborated with the printer to make sure that everything we worked on made the print job easier. We shared documents with Willmore Design via an online filesharing service. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by Willmore Design’s extremely close attention to detail. Charles didn’t forget a single item. He was extremely well organized and creative, and even wrote off a small number of hours to help us stay within budget.

Charles successfully pulled this project together on time for our September 2021 book launch even though there were a lot of things working against us. The timing was extremely tight,  as we were trying to complete this project during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that Charles could’ve done better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’d be well-off to trust Charles. He’s so self-motivated and organized that I can’t think of any way you could make things go more smoothly. He can handle everything without daily interventions.