How Collaborating with ALL THAT Helped Us Elevate Our Services and Capabilities

We recently had the opportunity to collaborate with ALL THAT, a creative studio specializing in employer branding.

INTRO

ALL THAT, a creative studio specializing in employer branding, approached us with a proposal for a collaborative service for their clients looking to attract top talent. By combining their expertise in human resources with traditional marketing techniques, ALL THAT helps companies showcase their best selves and advertise their open positions. As a newly launched studio, ALL THAT doesn’t specialise in production and design and therefore sought out our team for help with large projects in terms of execution, which is why we were intrigued by their suggestion and decided to give it a try.

CONTEXT

The team at ALL THAT needed help developing their brand identity and approached us for assistance. After discussing the project, we agreed to work together to create a comprehensive visual identity, including a logo, color scheme, typography, and social media and marketing guidelines. One of the key components of this process was selecting a name for the brand. ALL THAT suggested the name themselves, and while naming wasn’t initially part of the project scope, we were asked for feedback on several options.

We liked the potential of ALL THAT, but also emphasized the importance of considering how the name would be used and the associations it might have for the audience. On the one hand, the name could come across as a somewhat arrogant “we can do it all” claim. However, with the right messaging and positioning, it could be a strong fit for the company. Ultimately, ALL THAT chose to go with the name and we were able to craft a bold visual identity that reflected their confidence in their solutions for clients.

OUR ROLE

At ALL THAT and Alike, we focus on understanding the specific needs of our clients and using a range of tools and techniques to reach the outcome that the companies desire. As consultants, we often bring together various ideas and solutions to create something valuable for our clients.

We offer more than just print and digital products — we provide visual communications solutions.

Our mutual goal is to offer comprehensive consulting services that go beyond just visual materials. We aim to understand the unique needs of each of our clients and provide tailored solutions that help them achieve their goals.

One challenge we faced in this project was branding something similar to our service and business model, which is not often done in Bulgaria. Studios and agencies usually have to be highly specialized to successfully collaborate in this way. That’s another reason why we believe this project is a great example of collaborative work even tho at times it might be a challenge to offer a creative service to another creative team.

SOLUTION

To establish their brand identity and communicate what the company stands for, our strategy was to connect the concept of the name with the visual concept in the branding.

To visually represent “all that,” we decided to start by thinking about a single building block that could be arranged with other similar blocks to create a common feel across all of them. These blocks could be arranged in various forms or shapes to tell ALL THAT’s story about their service in both direct and abstract ways. Using grids formed by these building blocks allowed us to generate many different yet interesting graphics.

We also added motion to the graphic elements to make the blocks work together and to add a sense of direction, change, and progression. Our brains are able to more easily process fixed imagery if we help it with specific movements, while motionless imagery requires more effort to visualize the movement within the content.

These building blocks also provided a foundation for the brand to evolve and adapt over time, making it easier to potentially revamp the brand in the future, even if it involved a very different redesign. The motion also allows for different iterations and provides continuity in the event of a rebranding. In the short term, having all of these graphic elements gave us the flexibility to easily generate more patterns, motion graphics, shapes, and forms to support the storytelling.

PROCESS

This project followed our standard process and was a good example of thorough execution. We maintained good communication with the client and were able to complete the work within a short timeframe.

Without going into too much detail, the three main phases of our process include:

Alignment — Before beginning the project, we carefully defined the scope of work with the client. Because they had a similar profile to our own, they had a good understanding of our role and process, which helped to align expectations and optimize their time and budget. As a small company, this was especially important. The client trusted us to handle tasks that they didn’t feel comfortable with or couldn’t do on their own.

To create something interesting and characteristic as a visual identity, we needed to have a foundation for the client’s beliefs, vision, and desired image. To gather this information, we asked the client to fill out briefing sheets and questionnaires, including a positioning form and a brand passport form. These documents are crucial for the development of a visual identity. We also created a mood board to reflect the client’s desired image and tone of voice, which helped us to better understand their preferences and guide us in the right direction.

Discovery — As part of the process, we defined different stylistic directions and conceptual elements to see how they might fit the identity. We also researched the client’s service landscape, clients, and other factors to orient ourselves. During this phase, we decided to weave the visual concept with the idea of the name and began developing a plan for how to define and refine the brand’s mission and values. We offered several options for brand boards and helped the client choose a visual style for the brand.

In the Concept phase, we applied what we had learned and moved forward with the project. The Handover phase was relatively straightforward, as there wasn’t much left to do at that point.

One thing that made this project a learning experience was the overlap in services that ALL THAT and our team offer, such as crafting brand presentation and communication strategies. This alignment allowed us to naturally assign roles and responsibilities and build mutual trust in each other’s capabilities. This resulted in clear leadership on the main elements — ALL THAT focused on the brand message while we handled the visualizations — and frequent feedback exchanges helped to make our process more efficient. Overall, this project helped us to understand how to effectively collaborate with a team that has a similar skill set.

KEY LEARNINGS

— Working with a business in the same industry as our own to improve their presentation and branding was a unique opportunity, especially since they were willing to hire an entire studio rather than relying on freelancers or hiring an internal design team.

— We were glad that the project didn’t become competitive or unpleasant, as is often the case in our industry. Instead, we felt a sense of community and a shared desire to improve and present ourselves better, rather than trying to outdo each other.

— We appreciated the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of our industry and assist others in presenting themselves better. This collaboration has been very beneficial for both sides and closely aligns with the approach used abroad where agencies work together for a shared goal.

Collaborating with ALL THAT was a valuable experience for us. We not only had the chance to work with a new team, but we were also able to offer a comprehensive service to potential mutual clients. We hope to have more opportunities to collaborate on projects like this in the future.

Thank you for reading our new story. If you enjoyed it, consider following our profile or subscribing, so you get notified when we post the next one. Also, check out the case study on our website.

Cheers!
Alike Studio