Woychick Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Community Partnership at a non-profit organizations that works with schools, communities and education advocacy/leaders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were launching a training program with four partners and needed a landing page for this specific leadership training program. Dan has been very helpful, professional, and finished project on time. He checked in with me and the team multiple times when some information was missing or delayed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

A colleague introduced us and we needed someone who can design a landing page very quick. It was a great decision and Dan was the right choice.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Needed a landing page and Dan built it in two weeks. A logo design, mocking web/landing page built first and consulted with us on the process of the project. Then the landing page was built.

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

Only me and some volunteer advisory group who provided feedback on the project. they liked the designs and choose the right one out of the four presented for both logo design and page designs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our site has not been used much, but it got great feedback from first time users and the applicants who applied through the site for the first time.

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

We communicated through email and Dan was very helpful in flagging things in advance if we were missing some materials for the projects.

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

Their quickness to turn things around in very short notice

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the advancement manager at the Fred Wells Tennis & Education Center, a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We provide free tennis and afterschool programs for underserved youth in the Twin Cities. In my role, I oversee our marketing and events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woychick Design?

Given that we have a very long name, people refer to us as different things, and not many of them are familiar with what we do. Therefore, we decided to launch a branding project, so we needed help with our logo and branding to improve our marketing and creative communication pieces.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Woychick helped us refresh our logo. Initially, they conducted a big research and discovery project for us, during which they met with many of our clients and audience members to understand how they interacted with and understood our organization. After about two months of research, they gathered enough information to tell us what to do with our logo.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Dan (Creative Director & Owner).

How did you come to work with Woychick Design?

We found them on Google while researching brand consultants in our area. I reached out to multiple agencies and freelancers, including Woychick, to present our goals, current problems, and expectations.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and the engagement ended in June 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Woychick helped us make the right decisions for the future of our brand, and the logo they redesigned was integrated into our marketing materials to support our future efforts. We gave them a very small window in terms of what they could do with our logo and colors, but they still did a great job with it. Overall, we had a great response to our new logo. We felt it got brought up to date, allowing us to do more with it and feel less restricted.

How did Woychick Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Woychick was very easy to work with and very responsive. We had regular meetings where Dan shared a lot of background information to keep us abreast of this type of work, and all the information he presented was well backed up. We communicated via email, and our meetings were either in person or over Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Woychick’s openness and honesty were impressive. They weren’t interested in doing work just to collect a paycheck. Instead, they constantly gave us their honest feedback and never tried to expand the scope of work. This was possible because they had a great understanding of our organization and our nonprofit condition.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely recommend working with Woychick. They’re extremely knowledgeable in nonprofit organizations, so they will guide you through the process in a comforting manner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

At the start of the project I was board chair. I currently serve on the board as communication director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Rebrand our neighborhood association to increase visibility and active participation. We needed a new graphic identity, formats for collateral material, and a completely redesigned website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed principals of three recommended firms and critically reviewed their sample work products.

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

Analysis of the organization, current brand position, and communications. Development of creative strategy that distills analysis into actionable insights. Creative direction and design, from mood board to a new visual identity system. Dan provided comprehensive guidelines for brand implementation. We are now working with him on the website. Note that of this writing it is not yet live; we expect to go live in mid- to late-summer of 2022..

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

We worked directly with Dan; he provided liaison with the website developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The bold, appealing design has helped us make our neighborhood association more visible, and we have consequently seen an increase in participation. The new design gave us the wherewithal to create eye-catching and effective brochures, signage, E-News and marketable merchandise.

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

They communicate clearly at every step. They deliver right on time. They listen carefully and, at the same time, will share their extensive experience, insights, and suggestions. He cares about his clients, makes the required efforts to understand them deeply and by way of his research and good questions helps them better understand their organization and how they can use good design as part of a communication strategy to achieve their goals.

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

Intelligence, logic, clarity and creativity. When you look at the finished product, it is so apt that you just say, "Well, of course! Could it be any other way?"

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

Not that I can think of. We are entirely satisfied with Dan's work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and photographer of Scott Streble Photography.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woychick Design?

I was working on a series of photos and needed help to promote my work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Woychick helped me publish a book, and they did an identity redesign for my business. Initially, I showed them my work, and they thought that I should publish a book with it. They then offered to run the whole process.

For this process, Woychick first organized a Kickstarter campaign, writing the copy to appeal to the audience. Then, I provided them with the photos, and they designed the book, wrote the captions, and did everything else necessary to publish it.

In addition to the book, Woychick got familiar with my work to create a logo, business card, stationary, letterhead, and every other asset I use in my work as my trademark and identity.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Dan (Owner & Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Woychick Design?

I knew Woychick because we had mutual clients together. We collaborated on some projects where I was the photographer and Dan the graphic designer.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–October 2020 on the book, and we worked on the identity redesign after that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Woychick’s work, I got great reviews on my book — people loved it. My book also got an award, and I was multiple publicity interviews for eight different media outlets. The Kickstarter campaign was very successful, and I sold almost all of my book copies. Thus, beyond what I paid Woychick, I got a profit. Additionally, the identity that Woychick designed for me matched perfectly with my work.

How did Woychick Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Woychick’s project management was excellent, and they actually kept me on track. I had to contribute with some things along the way, so Dan provided me with a detailed schedule for me to deliver my part of the project. Additionally, he broke my input into manageable tasks for me, which was perfect.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, Woychick’s work was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t imagine Woychick doing a better job; everything was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it and let Dan do what he does best; don’t micromanage him.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the about-to-retire director of medical communications for the University of Minnesota Foundation. For the last 14 years, I have worked on a variety of print and digital communications designed to raise public awareness of the importance of philanthropy to advancing medical research, education, and patient care at the University of Minnesota and its affiliated hospitals and clinics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Woychick Design?

For more than 15 years, Woychick Design designed the University of Minnesota Medical School's biannual magazine, the Medical Bulletin, which was discontinued in the fall of 2020.

The Minnesota Medical Foundation, which had published the magazine on the Medical School's behalf for decades, hired Dan Woychick to redesign the magazine in 2004-5.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to make the magazine's design more modern, interesting, inviting, engaging, and visually appealing to an audience that included both physicians and lay readers, especially donors and prospective donors.

Dan's award-winning redesign achieved all of those goals, as reflected in a 2010 readership survey. Our continuing aim was to keep the design fresh and engaging over the next 15 years.

Woychick Design helped us envision new ways to tell our stories through a mix of various design elements, including infographics and (selectively) unusual typography or headline treatments.

Dan completed a second resign of the magazine in fall 2016. Fostering engagement in and an affinity for the Medical School was our primary goal, because research shows that an engaged and informed audience is more likely to support an institution through philanthropy--the foundation's ultimate goal.

SOLUTION

How did you select Woychick Design?

The VP for marketing and communications solicited recommendations from peers and requested RFPs from several designers/firms.

She involved the magazine's editor, associate editor, and several other members of the foundation's communications team as well as representatives from the Medical School in making the selection.

Woychick's clean, striking design, which created a feeling of confidence and currency, stood out from the pack.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first year of the redesign, the Medical Bulletin won awards for its new look, including a Gold Award from CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education).

A readership survey in 2010 also yielded positive scores and comments regarding the magazine's design. More important was the flexibility of the design, which, over many years, easily accommodated a wide range of stories and information, from technical data to more personal feature stories and essays.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The editorial and design sides of the project followed a shared production schedule from start to finish, with expectations laid out clearly throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I especially appreciate Dan's immersion in each project. He reads the copy carefully and considers the content and design from the editors' and readers' perspectives as well as his own.

He is a creative problem-solver who seeks answers in new places rather than returning to a limited bank of options. On top of that, he's a great artist and can create a wonderful image if an illustrator doesn't come through or disappoints.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Perhaps sharing design concepts with the client earlier, when the ideas are still in their more formative stages.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Mission Haiti, Inc is a nonprofit organization that supports the operation of multiple schools, a nursing home for women, & a sustainable farm in Haiti. I coordinate multiple public fundraising events ranging from small intimate gatherings to an annual event that hosts 300+ attendees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Woychick Design?

We first hired Woychick Design to create marketing materials for distribution and social media for a new event. We were impressed with their work and asked them to expand this design into all of our marketing materials, events, & social media outreach.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to update & increase the appeal of our marketing materials. We were also looking to create a branding that could be used for all events and outreach.

SOLUTION

How did you select Woychick Design?

We had seen the work of Woychick Design and thought it would be a good fit for our organization and it’s a mission.

Describe the project in detail.

In the beginning, we went to Woychick Design for assistance in creating materials for a new event. The goal of this event would be to appeal to a new audience for our organization. We were shared our vision and goals for the event & they created new materials that exceeded our goals.

We loved the final products and requested their assistance redesigning other event materials. Over the next 18 mo.s, we would work with Woychick Design to create multiple file types for our logo, and a redesign for all of our events & marketing materials to create a recognizable branding. Materials created included printed & non-printed items like; social media posts/announcements, event invitations, event posters, table tents for events, design for letterhead, etc.

What was the team composition?

Dan & I worked together throughout the design process. Communication was clear and professional. Requests were completed on time and exceeded our expectations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We entered this professional relationship to accomplish one job and retained the services of Woychick Design for all of our design and marketing needs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Woychick Design is easy to communicate with. We primarily used email and had a few phone meetings. Everything went smoothly, was on time, questions were answered promptly & efficiently.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Woychick Designs listened to our needs and goals, taking them to the next level, helping us to fully realize our vision for the branding we were looking for.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were fully satisfied throughout the process. And look forward to working with Woychick Design again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the external relations director at Prepare + Prosper.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Woychick Design?

We were looking to refresh our statewide Earned Income Tax Credit awareness campaign, Claim it! The campaign aims to increase awareness of the tax credit, which one in five people miss claiming at tax time.

What were your goals for this project?

We aimed to fresh the brand and messaging for the campaign to continue to reach people who were missing out on claiming the tax credit. One in five people leave money on the table at tax time because they, or their tax preparer, are unaware they qualify for the income-boosting tax credit.

With the project, we wanted to clear and compelling content that also incorporated free tax preparation as a great option in filing taxes.

SOLUTION

How did you select Woychick Design?

We sourced ideas and referrals for people or firms to work with and Woychick Designs came recommended.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We worked with Dan to outline a plan that involved community and stakeholder listening to develop new messaging and an improved brand. Dan worked with us to understand the project and direction we wanted to go. He developed creative brief and conducted community listening.

He created a mood board reaction and agreement on a direction. From that he outlined possible strategies and ultimately took us down a road of appeal to emotions rather than logic in our messaging and marketing.

What was the team composition?

My colleague and I worked directly with Woychick designs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The campaign was strengthened through the new brand and messaging. New assets and collateral were developed and the brand was reinvigorated. Quantitively measuring outcomes or impact of the campaign is difficult, but engagement with the campaign was sustained and increased in some areas.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow and communication between our team and Woychick Design was excellent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Dan was insightful, organized, focused, experienced, and in touch with audience. I appreciated no only the way he managed the work, but how he strategically directed us within our set of values and way we work with our target audiences, primarily customers.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at Minot State University.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woychick Design?

We hired them to refresh our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They refreshed our look and reemphasized our brand — “Be seen. Be heard.” Due to 'brand creeping,' Woychick was contacted to assist with a brand refresh. 

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Dan (Owner & Creative Strategist).

How did you come to work with Woychick Design?

The University had first worked with Woychick to establish the University’s initial brand in 2004.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$12,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2011–January 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Dan created something that was unique and a lot of people were happy with his work, which really helped to reemphasize our brand. We had strong support from the president throughout the process. The students are really happy with the tagline because they feel that they’re being seen and heard.

How did Woychick Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated mostly on the phone and through email. I knew that anytime I needed Dan, I could give him a call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Dan was always very wise and patient. He was able to offer advice when we needed it to move our brand forward. I didn’t have a great deal of experience in the field when I first started, so I really relied on his expertise and shared his feedback with the campus as I worked the brand refresh.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there is nothing. It was a great experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and communications for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woychick Design?

The college was celebrating its 150th anniversary, so we wanted to mark the event in a way that let us reach out to alumni across the world to celebrate with them. We decided to do a publication to inform, excite, and challenge the perspectives of our readers, so we hired Woychick Design. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We knew we wanted the publication to be forward-focused, instead of a historical guide. With this in mind, Dan (Creative Director & Owner) helped come up with inventive designs for each of the feature stories to highlight faculty research and the breadth of a liberal arts education. He brought in freelance photographers and illustrators for the design of the publication, too. 

What is the team composition?

Dan was our main point of contact but there were freelancers he coordinated with, as well. 

How did you come to work with Woychick Design?

We’d worked with Dan on publication in the past, so we knew he had a strong idea of who we are and what we were looking to do. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $13,500 on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between February–July 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got great reader responses from the publication. Influential alumni and donors reached out to the dean to say how impressed they were. The dean himself was very pleased, too. 

How did Woychick Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated through a mix of everything: in-person meetings, phone calls, emails, and Google Drive. All of their communication was clear. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project and workflow were so smooth; everything went very efficiently. I appreciated we could make edits directly in the files and we didn’t have to do any extra running around.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Being a bit more open to critique would have been good, since there was a time near the end of the project we had to give a bit of pushback on a design and it became a time crunch. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear timeline for the project. Make sure you know what you need but don’t get stuck on one specific outcome and let the creative process work. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of development for The Bell Museum of Natural History. We are held in trust by the University of Minnesota.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woychick Design?

We’re starting preparations for our 150th anniversary campaign. We wanted to increase awareness and tell the story of our museum’s impact, as well as introduce some of our key fundraising and strategic goals. We wanted to make sure our piece was memorable and visually dynamic to invite prospective donors to make an impact. 

We were also facing the challenge that most of our donors are not affiliated with the university, but we wanted to represent that side of our organization, too. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were hired to design and provide writing support for our community case statement. To do this, we provided examples showing our mission and strategic initiatives. We sat down with Dan (Founder)  so we could explain the impact we wanted the piece to have. 

From those conversations and sharing key photos and proposals, he brought in a freelance writer to help create the copywriting elements for the piece. The deliverables included brochures and one-page inserts. 

What is the team composition?

Dan and the freelance writer worked on this project. 

How did you come to work with Woychick Design?

Our marketing and business development team interviewed a number of graphic designers and met with each. I looked at 2–3 but felt Woychick Design could clearly articulate a story based on their past projects. Dan also had a positive experience working with the university, so we felt he understood how to tell a compelling story and could bring in subcontractors as needed to meet our goal. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $14,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–May 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has allowed us to get our proposals and solicitations out faster using their materials, which is key to making donors feel like they’re making an impact. Donors have complimented the format we’re using, so that can also be attributed to their work. In the next yearm we’re expecting to see more results, but we were really happy. 

How did Woychick Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated through email and Google Docs, for the most part. Myself and Dan would also have specific phone touchpoints to make sure everything was clearer than email. We had check-ins for questions, too. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Dan was really invested in our project, allowing him to take it to a place we couldn’t have gotten to without his design work. The dynamic design is what sets us apart from others now. Their understanding of what we wanted to do and Dan’s passion helped us get what we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

With the writing, it felt like it took a while to get where we wanted to be. However, we had a very specific objective of what we wanted it to be, so it makes sense for it to take longer. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Being able to take the time to talk with them about your goals is helpful. They bring so much to the table and that will come through in the design and writing you’re looking for.