Final Evaluation and Feedback – 17th July 2012
The Beginnings
The starting point for this project was based around a family
owned and run business, P&D Associates. Paul and Deborah Wilde are accountants that have a wealth of experience and qualifications in not only accountancy but also
in other businesses allowing them to offer consultancy in their business. Unlike many larger accountancy firms where clients are treated as a number and often passed to junior less experienced staff, P&D Associates offer a family friendly atmosphere to clients
for all Accounting, taxation and consultancy services where all clients are treated on an equal par and are made to feel that they and their businesses are valued and important.
The majority of their clients are repeat business, year-on-year, and are generally small businesses as well as self-employed people often needing year end accounts and tax returns, and so P&D were keen to portray an image that projected family values, reliability and good honest value for money accountancy services.
They were looking for a full identity and branding package with a traditional print package of company stationery and a requirement for a website. Above all they stipulated that their
clients should continue to feel that they were still being offered the same personal and friendly service whilst projecting a more corporate image.
Concepts and Ideas
Jo and Jen both worked on conceptual ideas and Jo set up a group ‘blog’ so that the client could easily follow the thought processes. This was a necessary addition as both myself and the client work full-time and foresaw limited time to ‘physically’ meet to discuss ideas and feed back to each other. An unusual concept….but it worked!
Several different ideas were conceptualised; a logo centering around a half circle and and additional logo that centered around a full circle that both contained the P&D characters. The logo was created in a way so that when the logo was inverted it was still evident that the name was P&D (with the exception of the ampersand being upside down).
Very early on we decided that the half circle logo would be present on any company stationery when one of the partners was presenting documentation for example: business card from Deborah Wilde.
The full circle logo would be used when the ‘company’ was presenting something, for example: information packs to prospective clients.
All work that was produced from conception through to development was uploaded to the blog and was made available to Jo and Jen as well as being visible to the client.
Branding and Identity
Initial meetings with the client proved that they didn’t have any branding or identity already in place, but what they did know was what type of colours they wanted to project their new company image with.
A colour scheme was selected based on corporate colours of blue, pale blue and green. A very broad spectrum; but using industry colour charts a decision was made quickly and agreed upon.
Another requirement specified by the client was that the ampersand should be included in the logo to retain the identity of the company name.
Responsibilities
It was very quickly evident where our individual roles lay. Jen would be the web developer and set up the web site from conception through to final release. Jo would be the graphic designer and produce the full print package of business stationery along with logo design.
Team Evaluation
Throughout the project a clear communication channel has been maintained, by myself, with the printer and he has advised on several points to ensure that the output of the finished print package reaches the standard that I set out to achieve. He has enabled me to have a better understanding of such things as margin bleeds, colour output and different paper qualities and thickness and what would be the most suitable to use and this has enabled me to produce the finished quality project.
Feedback – Printer
Positive feedback and advice has been received from the printer during the process of getting the artwork ready for final submission before print.
The printer advised on the correct colour output and also asked for the Illustrator files with any corresponding embedded files to ensure that the print quality was professional and correct.
The Printer also commented on the use of the QR code on the business card with the added addition of the coloured blocks running throughout it to complement the company colours, he thought that this was a very good idea and it was the first time that he seen one with colours embedded into it.
Feedback – Client
Positive feedback has also received from the client in regard to the quality of the finished design and brand. The client has expressed gratitude and has been very complimentary about the final results and has already started to use the new stationery
with a positive reaction from their clients.
Below is the testimonial from the client:
Throughout the process Jo has been able to provide us with all ideas,
drawings, and colour swatches, she introduced us to a number of new
ideas, and was patient and knowledgeable, when explaining them to
us. She has kept us informed throughout.
Initially she provided us with a number of designs to choose from, and
I would like to point out, that all were exceptional.
Her professionalism and her ability to see the finished product from
conversations was amazing.
We are a small family run business and asked that when designing
all our paperwork, this was taken into account. Jo listened to all our
needs and the finished product is much, much, more than what we
would have expected.
Jo showed; patience; strength of character; an immense knowledge in
her field; Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills.
We would not hesitate in recommending Ms Costello to any of our
business associates.
Reflection
If I were to repeat this type of project again I would also consider including a continuation sheet to match the letterhead design and print quality in the event that a second page is required.
This is something that the client has recently realised that they may need but has decided that at the moment they will continue to simply use a white sheet of paper that is of the same quality and weight as the letterhead.
It is not strictly necessary to have a professionally printed continuation letter sheet, however it could be an addition to the brand identity and also compliment and retain the consistency throughout.
Conclusion and Final Results
The designs that have been created represent all the core values of the company and convey their professionalism yet still have a contemporary and modern feel to them that will appeal to a wider clientele but at the same time still reflect their family values, reliability and good honest value for money accountancy services.
Final results for the stationery package have exceeded the client’s expectations, so much so that they have recently purchased a professionally printed package of the designs that
includes: letterhead, compliment slip, business card and leaflet.
I am currently trying to negotiate favourable prices in the hope that they will also be able to purchase the presentation folders in the near future. Marketing has been kept to a minimum, as budget has been a consideration for the printing.
There is further scope to extend the printed products that have been offered as part of this project; the company may in the future decide that they would like increase their marketing
budget if that were the case they could also consider including posters and a full brochure that outlines all the services they can provide in depth.
Added to the print package they may also consider a TV or radio advertisement along with a video biography that could be added to the website.
Evaluation and feed back – 19th June 2012
Feedback from Debbie and Paul, P&D Associates, has been very positive throughout the re-branding process.
They have been interested in following the progress through the online portfolio, and whilst this is not the norm for a client and generally they would not have access to something of this nature, Debbie and Paul have commented that they have enjoyed watching the re-brand take shape and progress.
Feedback to date from the printer has been positive, currently awaiting confirmation that all art and design work is in the correct format for printing.
19th June 2012
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