When good isn’t good enough,
it has to feel right.

Some would say, you can’t put a price on doing the right thing. This is something we put into practice recently at KYAK, after we took on a pro bono project for a Newark-based fitness instructor specialising in rehabilitation training.

Following a recommendation from a previous client, we were put in touch with Adam Savage, AKA Gorilla Man Fitness, whose specialism in supporting people with brain injuries and physical disabilities comes from his own personal experience of overcoming both. Once we had heard the incredible journey the story of his life had taken him on, we felt compelled to support him with the update of his brand identity as he took the next step by becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC).

During my initial chat with Adam, as we discussed how he envisaged the look and style of his new identity, he referenced the t-shirt he wore most days as an unofficial uniform, which featured Eddie Hall’s The Beast™ logo in bold black and white. This bold, minimal style is commonplace in the fitness industry, and one that Adam was naturally drawn to, which is most likely why it influenced his vision of how the new Gorilla Man Fitness identity could/should look.

This key piece of insight was enough to spark an initial idea — as is often part of my creative process — which I believed ticked all the boxes and had the potential to perfectly depict the business and really stand out and raise his profile in the fitness industry. But as good as this idea was, it was based on one biased viewpoint. While his was perhaps one of the most important viewpoints, this still didn’t consider the other most important point of view… his audience.

Following some further research, it was clear his audience were not looking for big, bold, masculine brand that would sit perfectly alongside gyms or health supplements. They would more likely be looking for a friendly face with the professional skills and experience to support them with their specific injuries or illnesses. Thankfully for us (and Adam’s audience), we had the breadth of ability in-house to deliver exactly that.

It was time for the rest of the KYAK team to bring their more considered ideas to the table. Both Rob and Mia developed and put forward their own ideas, which we all critiqued as a group and selected 3 final concepts to present to Adam. This included an idea from each of us, making it very much a team effort.

The concepts were presented to Adam, and all were warmly received. As expected, my initial idea was liked but it was a case of “it’s good, but not quite right”. The other two concepts were clearly much closer to the mark and required Adam to take them away to share with his inner circle and give further consideration before he could reach a final decision.

Just a day or so later we heard back from Adam, and he had made his final choice with no further changes required. As a team, we very much nailed it first time. Our time, thought and expertise were given free of charge because it felt like the right thing to do. Just like the chosen design just felt right for Adam.

To see the final brand we created click here to take a look at our project page…

A new website for PACE PR

It’s always an exciting time for us as a design studio when we reach the end of a project and we see it take flight and enter the public domain. Today is such a day as we see the new website we’ve designed and developed for PACE PR go live.

Working with Nicky Jobson, the owner of PACE PR, has been a breeze – from the outset she provided us with a pretty clear brief in terms of the style she was looking for and how she wanted to present her company.

We’ve previously posted the work we did for her brand (which you can see here on our project page) but this has now been translated into a smart new website.

The PACE PR website was built using WordPress as the backend platform. We use this as one of our web build solutions since it offers tried and tested stability and flexibility and provides Nicky with a platform to promote the work that her and her team produce.

Our websites include the following:

– Professional design and build
– Themed and tailored to our clients brand
– Menu driven structure multi-page with easy navigation
– Simple back-end interface allowing users to manage content
– All HTML, CSS, graphics and coding
– Fully responsive – works and looks great on smartphones and tablets
– Initial SEO set-up
– SSL security certificate

Nicky at PACE PR had some lovely words to say after we delivered her website “I want to say a BIG thank you to KYAK Studio who have designed and managed the whole process of the website, been really creative and super speedy at turning things around.

It’s been a weight off my shoulders having these guys take care of everything and I would recommend them to anyone looking to get design support in the wonderful world of fitness, sport and leisure.”

By utilising WordPress and including Google Analytics, PACE PR will be able to maintain and update the content of their website and track activity to and from the site from the likes of social media posts. This will help optimise the content and of course ultimately drive traffic to the site and encourage potential customers to get in touch.

Take a look at the PACE PR website for yourself by clicking here

Why should I use a professional design studio?

Working with a design studio for the first time can be a daunting prospect. You’ve decided that you need to update your logo, or revamp your website perhaps but what happens next?

Every business, product, service, client, customer, or selling point is different in some way. The skill of a good design studio or marketing agency is to extrapolate your aims, objectives, likes and dislikes to create solutions that look great but most importantly culminate in tangible business results. Here are some tips and advice on using a professional studio or agency…

1. DECIDE WHO TO USE

The best way to choose a design studio is via a recommendation. Ask your friends, family, peers and perhaps even your competitors, if they’ve used anyone that they would recommend. Rather like choosing a builder it’s much more reassuring, and there are more guarantees you’ll be happy with the results, if you use a tried and tested supplier than someone random from the phonebook!

However you may not know anyone who has directly worked with a similar business, but by asking questions on forums such as LinkedIn you’ll find you’ll get a good response. If you do go down this route however, be prepared to potentially receive unsolicited replies from all over the globe – you’ll have to weed out the ones that sounds right and that you can trust!

Once you’ve shortlisted a few have a look at their website, follow them on social media, check out their past projects and their client list. Every design studio will have a certain style and type of clients, at KYAK for example we specialise in producing contemporary design solutions for the sport, fitness and leisure industry.

If it’s all looking good, get in touch!

2. INITIAL DISCUSSIONS

The most important thing when beginning a working relationship with a new supplier is to be open and honest. This may mean you have to ask the agency to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) if your product or service hasn’t hit the shelves yet, but holding back information or your thoughts and fears will mean they only get part of the picture which will reflect on the final solution(s).
At KYAK we take time to get to know you and your business before we even think about putting together a quote. Traditionally this would have taken the form of a face-to-face meeting but these days it may be a phone call, video conference or a number of emails so we can be sure of the brief before progressing further.

Relationship building is vital since we see ourselves as an extension to your team and in it for the long run, not to just throw a logo together and take the cash!

3. RECEIVING A QUOTE

Once we have gathered as much information as we need (we may send you a summary to check that we’re all on the same page) we will put together a quote for you.
This quote will list all of the components that we will deliver for you and of course the associated costs. These figures will have been worked out using our hourly rate based on the number of hours our experience tells us a job will take.

If we encounter any unforeseen additions to a project, or if the goalposts change mid project meaning additional costs we will always communicate this before proceeding. This means that you should be completely clear on what it is your receiving, when by and exactly how much it’s going to cost you. If you’re not sure at any stage then just ask!

4. PROCEEDING WITH THE PROJECT

It’s usually at this stage that a design studio will go a little quiet as they beaver away on your project. We will always do our best to communicate when you can expect to see something and how we’re getting along.
Depending on the project in question there may be a fair bit of research required, such as developing business names, or analysing your competitors. Once this has been done then we would develop a number of concepts (the exact number and nature would depend on the project) for you to digest.

Ideally we would present these to you in person but again it may be that we simply send over a PDF and then talk you through the work. However hopefully most of what you see should be self explanatory since your customers wont have the benefit of an explanation!!

5. DEVELOPING THE WORK

Following your feedback on the initial concepts (you may have an immediate response or you may wish to circulate it among colleagues or friends and family, or perhaps have a focus group pour over it) either way, once we know what you like, or dislike, and what needs to be done then we will make a start on producing a refined set of designs which will get closer to a final solution.
This process can result in some back and forth but if the discussions and the brief have been accurate from the start then hopefully it won’t take too long to get to the solution that you love.

6. FINALISING A PROJECT

By now you should have a design or a solution that you’re happy with. Again, depending on what it is we’re producing for you (logo, website, exhibition graphics, merchandise for example) will dictate how long this final stage of producing finished artwork and solutions will take.
Once the project is complete you’ll be asked to check it over thoroughly and sign it off. It is usually at this stage that you will be invoiced for the completed work but this can depend on the project in question since we may have had to ask for a payment in advance of starting if it’s a new relationship or we are going to incur costs as part of the work.

8. SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS

Once you’ve got your hands on your swanky new logo, or your shiny new website don’t sit back admiring it for too long! You only get one chance to launch it to the world and although at KYAK we’re happy to help you do this by putting a marketing plan into action, whether we’re doing it or you then post, pin, click, link, shout, nudge, wink or whatever it takes to get it out there and to start the process of attracting customers.

9. GET IN TOUCH

At KYAK we don’t charge for a chat, so just pick up the phone, drop us an email or say hello to the team on a video call. It could be the start of a beautiful collaboration!