David & Goliath.
Moving from freelancer to guru.
Client
Show Me Your Data ⋅ Web Analytics
Studio Expertise
Brand Design
Brand Strategy
Positioning
Storytelling: vision, mission, values
Definition & structure of service offering
Project partners
Graphic Design - Benoit Clair
In a nutshell
Our client, a leading expert in web analytics, had been working for the premier consulting groups in the industry for over 10 years. He had a stellar reputation with clients. But when the time came to go out on his own and launch a new web analytics agency, Show Me Your Data, this reputation was not enough to land the same caliber of projects he had been working on. Overcoming negative misperceptions linked with his freelancer status was a struggle.
We developed a brand identity and architecture for Show Me Your Data that was designed to help impart their unique point of view and philosophy, positioning them not as a young freelancer, but a reliable authority in their field. By translating their talent, vision and experience into a brand, we helped them to clearly communicate their value as well as highlight their stability and trustworthiness.
At the time of writing this client has not had to engage in any additional marketing activities since the new brand and website launch. 25% of business has been in calls with 75% referrals. The result is that this freelancer is doing what they love at the level they want to do it at.
5 minute read
Insight
The image of a freelancer is tricky. It can work for or against us. While it does have some positive connotations, it also brings with it the perception of being unreliable or unstable; perhaps incapable of taking ownership of large or long-term projects. What’s more, freelancers are often expected to be cheap. Show Me Your Data was not cheap; they were one of the most expensive consultancies on the market. In addition, their objective was to work on cutting-edge web analytics projects with fortune 500 companies as well as smaller enterprises. So they needed to emphasize their permanence, reliability and long-term commitment to their work.
In addition, Show Me Your Data had something their competitors lacked: a deep experience with all of the existing software solutions on the market. This gave them a bird’s eye view, allowing their approach to be driven by business needs rather than the limitations or technical functionalities of any single software solution.
The need was to shift the perception of the value of web analytics from the software to the people. A web analyst doesn’t just measure data points and fix code, they help you understand your business better. Data tells us stories that can deliver unique insights into how companies can better serve their clients. The software solution you use to extract the data is secondary; it’s what you do with the data that matters. That’s where the wisdom is. Show me your data and we’ll tell you who you are.
What we did
We developed a brand identity that was designed to convey Show Me Your Data’s business-led approach, bird’s eye perspective and broad experience.
An owl surrounded by a circle?
Wisdom, informed by data.
1.
Logo
A symbol of precision and knowledge, the owl has a dual capacity to see all things and still pick out even the smallest detail with precision. This echoes the business of Show Me Your Data: keen observation and analysis based on precise data and details. Being a symbol of night-time activities, the owl mirrors the behind the scenes, back-office nature of Show Me Your Data’s work.
The combination of the icon + word mark delivers a clear message that wisdom comes from our analysis of what we see while conveying the human, business-focused approach of Show Me Your Data.
The word mark and icon can be used either together or separately. This allows for flexibility and adaptability in line with communication needs.
The circle recalls the value of the visual illustration of data as well as a bird's eye perspective and global vision. The owl, staring out boldly from the very centre of the circle, evokes the calm eye of the storm, steady and awake.
The icon is perfectly adapted to all media formats, print and digital.
The word mark uses strong geometric shapes and capital letters to convey confidence and boldness as well as evoke stability and durability over time.
The two A symbols of the word DATA retain a sense of cryptic mystery, evoking the unknown as well as recalling the digital environment and language of code.
2.
Colours
Dark colours evoke the premium quality of the service and convey a sense of excellence. Their combination with lighter, muted tones evokes confidentiality, precision and discreteness, important values in the world of data analytics.
The chosen colours inspire serenity and balance. We are invited into a universe of slow thinking and analysis that delivers valuable and confident insights based on evidence, in contrast to the hectic, ever-changing environment of data production and collection.
Chosen colours stand out from the usual brand universe of web start-ups that tend to be louder, brighter, multi-coloured and more extroverted.
3.
Data made visual
A series of graphic illustrations was created to enable Show Me Your Data to convey how they see Data: intriguing, beautiful, powerful and dynamic. These illustrations give visual form to the concept of wise data and allow the company to graphically represent its philosophy. By visualising the concept of data in this way, we are also mirroring the business: making something that is usually unseen or hidden appear before us.
4.
Typeface
The typeface is geometric and architectural so as to work in perfect harmony with visual representations of data that will be associated with it such as diagrams, charts, histograms.
There is a large contrast between capital and lowercase letters which mirrors the two key aspects of the business:
- Raw Data & Details → Lowercase
- Analysis & Overview → Capitals.
5.
Website
The website is the culmination of all the brand elements outlined above working in harmony to produce an integral brand experience that conveys the essence of Show Me Your Data’s value and vision.
Results
Not a freelancer.
A guru.
Today the company is 10 years' old, and at the time of writing it has not had to engage in any external marketing activities since the brand and website launch.
25% of business has been incoming calls with 75% referrals. The brand helped to convey trustworthiness and create confidence. When meeting new clients for the first time, Show Me Your Data found that the communication had already done 90% of the selling. This meant they could focus their time in these meetings on solving clients’ problems rather than convincing clients they were the right agency for the project.
Potential clients who checked the website wanted to work with the company before meeting them. When clients called Show Me Your Data, they were no longer asking questions about the company or requesting presentations on what they did, they were asking for quotations.
To date, the company has never had to do a formal presentation of itself to a potential client. This has been an enormous time saver and has allowed the company to focus their efforts on providing exceptional web analytics services at the strategic level where they belong.
Let’s talk! — We’ll look after you.