Number four on a list of three

This week I share with you a parable of a designer’s life.

The shortlist had three agencies on it and none of them was ours. Yet against the odds, we actually got the job. So, what made the difference, when we were never in the running in the first place?

Here’s how it happened.

The project began as an out-of-the-blue enquiry. A financial PR company we’d never heard of got in touch. They had been asked to propose three agencies to work, in secret, on a new website for a financial services business with offices in London, Dubai and New York.

The three that had been put forward were experts in branding for large corporate businesses. The story we were told later was that the client had looked at them and decided the proposals felt either too formulaic or familiar. It was at this point that they asked whether there was anyone else they could consider.

It turns out they were looking for a complete left turn from all that had gone before: an unusual and characterful design approach that would put them at the level of a different kind of peer, who would always have a website that stood out from the crowd. Given their own work was extraordinary, precise and original in many ways, they wanted their website to match that standard visually.

The PR company went back to Google, looking for a designer who could create that sort of quirky, stand-out project. As luck would have it, we’d just finished such a piece of work for venture capital firm Outliers VC in Riyadh and Dubai as well as stylish, corporate project for alternative credit specialist NorthWall Capital. The timing was perfect and that simple search led them to us.

I remember getting the call and immediately seeing this as a golden opportunity. Our proposal rethought everything about their branding while deliberately embracing their existing logo in an interesting and innovative way. We set out how we’d create a completely original brand scheme for them. We also pitched the idea of bringing in an exceptional photographer we have worked with for many years to shoot the team in a stylised and beautiful way. In time, those portraits became the heart of the website.

The other thing is, having won the job, we kept showing up. Whenever they wanted to meet or talk the project through, I made a point of coming in and talking face to face. It built a relationship that has lasted.

I love this story and it occurred to me that it holds three lessons for any marketing director or growth team choosing a design agency.

1. What should you do if every agency proposal feels the same?

Don’t take the shortlist for granted. Ask the question.

For our client, this whole project turned on one question they asked about the three large agencies they’d been presented with. When the team looked at the shortlist and felt it wasn’t a good fit, they said so. That simple reaction was enough to send the search further to find an agency that felt right.

If the proposals in front of you feel formulaic, we’d suggest you push again. After all, an agency that answers your brief better may be one simple search away.

2. Who is a financial services website really for?

For us, audience is everything. We’d always recommend that you decide who you need to reach before you brief anyone. For boutique firms, we’re seeing more and more that their audience is their next generation of outstanding employees, usually cross-checking their website, from a link sent by a recruiter. Understanding that vital first impression and perception should be the driving force in shaping an agency proposal.

The photography aspect of our project mattered, because particularly in a relationship industry like the financial world, people don’t like to be reduced to drones. Those future analysts or programmers want to see the people they could be working with. From the start, great, characterful pictures shot by a brilliant photographer build a personal connection from the outside in.

Personalisation and an open conversation have to be the starting point. This really simple attitude, so often ignored amid a tangle of regulatory red tape, is the baseline for every financial services website design project we take on.

3. How do you find the right branding answer for a financial services firm?

I’ve long held that if a design brief is centered around the personality and ethos of a business and its people, the right answer will follow.

In the case of our client, the best visual response for this project happened to be off-centre and unusual, aligned with the kind of design their team enjoys and their new hires would respond to. Our response was to talk to their team, who told us to avoid any kind of pretension or over-complexity, and this approach formed the basis of our work.

It sounds simple, but beginning by listening to the brief and the team at all levels, a good agency will be able to find the right answers by thinking around the corners of the job. The next step is proposing innovative, creative ideas; delivering the project while having fun with it.

I am also reminded of that moment in the days before we show our work when we ask: ‘does this look like our client?’ To find the right answers, we remember who they are today, as well as what their brand could look like next.

How can you tell if a design agency is right for you?

In business today, agencies are more than suppliers, they’re vital to the success of your business and these relationships are priceless. So it’s worth taking notice of who turns up. How an agency behaves while it is still pitching tells you a great deal about how it will work with you. Watch who makes the time to meet you, listen and talk face to face. We made a point of meeting this client face to face whenever they asked, beginning before we were appointed. As it turned out, that mattered to them.

What we always want to create is graphic design that is custom, handmade, thoughtful and smart. Maybe even, witty at times, where it applies. This is branding design that finds a distinctive voice and a distinctive visual approach for your business.

By the way, we still have ongoing working relationships both with that PR company and financial services business, all because of one question about finding the right fit.

So, who is your website really for? Get in touch.

What they said

I thought it would be helpful to conclude with the words of Kenzie Falcoz, our commissioning client at Outliers, who explains the outcome of that project that helped win us this project;

“I really enjoyed collaborating with Richard and his team.

“Our brief was complex; we wanted to stand out just enough to be distinctive, while still staying true to our values and remaining relevant to our ecosystem. Richard delivered thoughtful, creative concepts that struck the perfect balance.

“The entire process was seamless, with both Richard and Kris staying hands on and supportive throughout.

“If you’re looking for an imaginative, detail-oriented agency that truly understands brand, I highly recommend working with them.”

More of our testimonials

Does your financial services business need a website?

At Richard Chapman Studio, our work runs the gamut from full rebrands to precisely scoped work which moves a business forward at their pace.

If you’re interested in working with us, get in touch either by calling +44 20 7351 4083 or emailing us direct.

Find out more

Our branding and web design work for financial services firms

Our web design work for Outliers VC

Our web design work for NorthWall Capital