Technical thinking, tactile brands
Design & Co
The brief
Sam and Fran were at Spike Design when they first contacted me for advice on the future potential of their business. At our first meeting I was impressed by their tenacity and talent. Sam and Fran clearly had huge potential but were unclear how to demonstrate their value as designers. They needed support and knowledge to help them build all aspects of their business.
What happened
I quickly assessed their financial situation and enabled them to see the value of their work. We reviewed pricing structures, their studio space and marketing. They swiftly began to take their growth as a business very seriously.
We worked together over a number of months to identify their unique strengths as a partnership – their design, artistic and craft hand-based skills combined with a real understanding of technology.
We re-defined their offer and their business roles, and radically updated the business plan. This created a clear vision for growth and helped them let go of some day-to-day tasks which were preventing them from growing the business. They employed part-time PR and book-keeping assistants which enabled them to focus on marketing themselves which they did with aplomb. They moved offices, increased prices, redesigned their brand identity, developed a new website and became incredibly active in their networking, going on to win awards and secure new business.
Results
“Emma went out of her way to tailor her support to our character, requirements and budget. Equipping us with the skills to develop a solid strategy. Her ability to recognise and address the emotional challenges of running a business are just as valuable. Above all, her confidence in our skills and abilities allowed us to realise the value of our own offer to businesses and helped raise our confidence dramatically as women in business and as designers. Her ability to recognise and address the emotional challenges of running a business are just as valuable as her more practical skills”.
Samantha Barber, Co-owner, Design & Co