New people & new opportunities

Na začátku roku nás v kanceláři sedělo 5, ale poměrně dost rychle nám došlo, že potřebujeme nabrat nové lidi. Během roku se k nám postupně přidalo 11 šikovných lidí! A jak to tak bývá, tak někdo nás i opustil — celkem 3 lidi.

I přesto nás na konci roku bylo 14, z toho 10 na full-time. Náš tým se rozrostl nejen o nové designéry, ale také o dalšího developera, brand directora, 3D desinéra či marketingového stratéga. Náš různorodý tým tak dokáže klientům nabídnout širokou škálu služeb — od reklamní kampaně, přes vybudování brandu a nového webu, až po motion videa či 3D efekty.

A jelikož jsme se během půl roku rozrostli více jak dvojnásobně, došlo nám, že náš stávající prostor na práci je nám tak nějak malý. Byla potřeba se porozhlédnout po něčem novém a větším, ale úkol zněl jasně — za žádnou cenu neopustit Vinohrady! Nakonec to dopadlo tak, že jsme se přesunuli přesně o 170 m dál, či-li o ulici vedle!

Takže jestli někdo půjdete kolem, zastavte se za námi na kafe a kus řeči! Najdete nás na adrese Vinohradská 24, hned naproti tramvajové zastávce Italská.

Our clients & New clients

Rok 2021 byl také rokem velice úspěšným, co se týče projektů našich dlouhodobých klientů. Našemu nejstaršímu dánskému klientovi Ageras Group jsme pomohli k získání investice 73 milionů dolarů s valuací 244 milionů dolarů, když jsme přímo pomáhali s přípravou veškerých materiálů pro investory — od prezentací až po weby a marketing.

Naopak náš český dlouhodobý klient Mall Pay prorazil na trhu jak s novou bezkontaktní platební kartou, tak s novým brandem. Těší nás, že jsme měli tu čest, stát za designem znovu my v Blackfish! “Mallpay k nám prakticky outsourcoval veškerý UI a UX design. Naším cílem je tedy posouvat jejich produkty a vylepšovat jak uživatelskou přívětivost, tak celkový vizuální vzhled. Věříme, že dokážeme jejich produkty na world-class level a zvyšit jak používání aplikace, tak konverzní poměr,” Lukáš, Blackfish CEO.

A v neposlední řadě nás velice těší, že Ostravská zdravotní pojišťovna RBP získala hned dvě ceny v největší tuzemské soutěži WebTop100! A to konkrétně první místo za digitální transformaci, kde zabodovala s aplikací “my213” a “Virtuální pobočkou”. My byli součástí jak designu, tak marketingové strategie.

V roce 2021 jsme navázali také mnoho nových pracovních příležitostí. Naše klientela se nám rozrostla natolik, že ani nejsme schopni ji zde celou vyjmenovat!

V Česku jsme začali na začátku roku spolupracovat s Divadlem Bez zábradlí, pro které jsme vybudovali úplně nový brand a v současné době jim pomáháme i s marketingovou strategií. Známý český extraligový hokejový klub HC Vítkovice Ridera nás zas požádal o vytvoření marketingové kampaně “Val na Vítky,” která má probudit ve fanoušcích toho správného fandícího ducha. Rovněž nám bylo ctí během roku pracovat na Diversity report pro český automobilový koncern Škoda Auto!

Díky doporučení Preciose Lighting jsme byli požádáni i od jejich sesterské firmy Preciosa Components, pro kterou momentálně tvoříme nový web. O refresh celého brandu a následně i webu nás rovněž požádala i česká firma Bridgewater, která je expertem v oblasti HR. Za zmínku stojí i kreativy pro Flashnews, Mindflow či ilustrace pro Zásilkovnu — s těmito firmami spolupracujeme nadále i v roce 2022.

Dalším velkým projektem je kompletní refresh web designu pro Fakultu tělesné výchovy a sportu, Univerzity Karlovy. V minulosti jsme například dělali menší projekt pro Copenhagen University, proto nás těší, že nás díky tomu oslovila fakulta nejznámější a nejstarší české univerzity.

Ve světě jsme navázali spolupráci s dubajskou firmou Avocado, pro kterou vytváříme mobilní aplikaci pro nákup potravin, která má ulehčit práci provozovatelům restaurací. Z UK se nám ozval Hudson, digitální agentura zaměřena na e-commerce, s kterou už spolupracujeme dlouhodobě a společně uvažujeme i o užší koherenci. Rovněž jsme do nového roku vstoupili ve spolupráci s dánskou firmou Abzu.ai!

Our favorite work tools?

”Naší pracovní workflow jsme vylepšili používáním nástroje ClickUp, který aktuálně používáme pro veškerý planning, CRM a přehled o kapacitách lidí. Tento tool využíváme stále víc komplexněji, aby naše plánování bylo co nejpřesnější. Vzhledem k tomu, že lze integrovat s Harvestem (aplikace pro trackování času), dosáhli jsme skvělé “workflow” symbiózy. Každý task se totiž umí automaticky přiřadit a my přesně víme, na kterém úkolu, kdo a jak dlouho pracoval. Myslím, že tento rok bude obecně optimalizace všeho ještě mnohem přesnější a nám se tak podaří šetřit a neplýtvat lidskými i finančními zdroji. Pro klienta z toho pak plyne, že dostane perfektní odhad timingu a přesný report stráveného času,” vysvětluje Lukáš, Blackfish CEO.

Growth & Next steps

Na konci roku 2021 se náš obrat téměř zdvojnásobil, meziroční růst činil necelých 40%! To znamená, že zatímco v roce 2020 byl náš obrat 5.6 mil. Kč, v roce 2021 byl výsledný obrat 8.5 mil. Kč. Naše firma je stále v zisku a plány do dalšího roku máme veliké (cíl obratu 13–14 mil. Kč), tak nám držte palce!

Zvýšit obrat ale není jediným cílem, v plánu je také posílení pozice v našem milovaném Dánsku, kde bychom rádi měli do budoucna jednoho člověka nastálo. Chystáme rovněž expanzi do US. Konkrétně do Austinu, kde sídlí naše nová firma UpGlow. A stejně jako loni, i letos chceme v rámci Evropy expandovat na jeden nový trh (Norsko, Švédsko, Švýcarsko či SAE).

Do roku 2022 vstupujeme také s jednou novinkou — naším CEO se stává Lukáš, zatímco Vít se bude soustředit více na klientskou zónu a business development. A aby těch novinek nebylo málo, pracujeme na kompletním re-brandingu Blackfish a rozšiřujeme náš tým o marketingové oddělení. So stay tuned folks!

A jelikož poptávka převyšuje nabídku, budeme v novém roce hledat hned několik nových pozic (Front-end vývojář, Back-end vývojář, UI Designer a Project Manager).

Takže pokud chceš být součástí super kolektivu nebo znáš někoho, kdo hledá práci, dej nám vědět → lukas.oslzla@blackfish.co

Náš tým, ale i potenciální nově příchozí čeká plno zajímavých věcí! V plánu je nejen teambuilding ve Španělsku, Portugalsku či v Chorvatsku, kde bychom si na měsíc pronajali vilu, kde plánujeme surfovat nejen po netu. Cílem je i vytvoření “Blackfish Lab”, kde budeme společně sdílet nápady či tvořit projekty formou hackathonů.

A na konec, v březnu o nás vyšel článek na Czechcrunch, takže pokud máš ještě čas a chuť si něco přečíst, here it is: https://cc.cz/cesti-blackfish-dobyvaji-dansko-tamnimu-startupu-pomohli-k-investici-73-milionu-dolaru/

That’s all from us for now. We wish everyone good luck in their business and, above all, may the year 2022 be much better than last year! 🍀

2021: The year in review was originally published in Blackfish.co on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

2020 was a difficult and challenging year for many of us. Despite the global changes, Blackfish managed to grow exponentially. We made a few changes, established collaborations with other Czech agencies, and recruited new teammates. Also, Blackfish obtained many interesting clients both in the Czech Republic and in Denmark! 🔥

Corona madness 🦠

In some ways, 2021 feels like an unwelcome extension of what started back in March 2020…. 2020 became something that no one expected and it left no one untouched. While we were fortunate enough to continue growing our business, many of our friends and colleagues were seriously impacted by the slow economy. As a small business who has navigated difficult times in the past, we sympathize with every small business owner who was forced to shutter their doors and anyone who lost a job due to the pandemic.

Throughout COVID-19, companies had to adapt and move to online platforms, and we helped them with that transition. We also partook in several local, pro-bono projects that supported people in the crisis. In cooperation with Devx and BeePartner, we launched the website Rychlá Rada, an online platform that helps entrepreneurs in the Moravian-Silesian Region find financial resources and support from regional, state, and European programs.

Closing our office in Ostrava 🏢

This year, we moved our entire Ostrava team to Prague. Since most of our clients are based in Prague, it made sense for us to consolidate our operations there.The second reason was that half of the Blackfish team worked in Ostrava and the other half worked in Prague; we wanted to bring everyone closer together. At the end of the summer, we started looking for a new office and moved the rest of our employees to Prague.

Before the big move, we went to Krkonoše for a team-building retreat, where we rented a fancy cottage with a sauna. In the evening we grilled, drank, and spent time together. Then we all went to the highest point in the Czech Republic — Sněžka. To us, this symbolized our ability to overcome any barrier! 🏔

For a few months, we had a temporary office in Brandmark, with whom we worked on several projects. It took us only a week to find our own office, move, and officially start to work from there. 👨‍💻

If you want to visit us and say “Hi,” stop by for a coffee or drink.
📍You can find us at Mánesova 28!

Stretched between Prague 🇨🇿 and Copenhagen 🇩🇰

Between the first and the second wave of the COVID-19, when the measures slowed down for a while, Vítek and Lukáš went to Denmark to visit our clients. During their stay, they not only discussed business matters and plans, but they also agreed on other projects with new clients. This confirmed to us that no matter how much time you spend on Zoom, nothing can equal face-to-face meetings. We could never agree on so many things virtually as we can in-person. We plan to go to Denmark regularly and much more often, as the situation allows. (Advice from us? Stay in constant contact with your clients!☝️)

Half of our clients are based in Denmark, and we know that there will always be plenty of projects for us there. Clients slowly became friends and we have built strong business relationships and friendships with them over the years. Thanks to our quality work, Blackfish gained a solid reputation in Denmark (see our references on Clutch for proof!).

PS: At the turn of August, Clutch recognized us as Industry Leaders 2020 in Denmark and the Czech Republic!🥇

Our soul remains in the Czech Republic, where we also have several loyal clients. We consider both countries as equals because both allow us to do work that we cherish and that moves us forward. Our goal is to expand to other Scandinavian countries to widen our operations. But no matter how far we go, our “base” will always be in the Czech Republic.❤️

Signing new clients 🤝

The year 2020 brought Blackfish many new clients and we want to celebrate them!🍾

In the Czech Republic, we worked with MALL Pay to design new visuals for their social media posts. We also refreshed the design guide and supported them with their visual style.

The Prague Spring is one of the most famous international music festivals, and it was a pleasure for us to design their new website for 2021 and help with UX improvements. Lastly, we would like to give a shout-out to Divadlo bez Zábradlí, who asked us for a comprehensive rebrand.

It was a big surprise for us to win a bid for a project with Copenhagen University to design an informational website for diabetes research. They chose us thanks to the recommendations on Clutch! Among other projects, we also started a long-term partnership with danish Planet League, for whom we develop a mobile application for online games. We are very pleased to announce a collaboration with Billy, the largest online accounting platform in Denmark. Billy isa popular Danish website where you can do your own accounting. We are currently working to upgrade their site.🔥

Establishing strategic partnerships 🖇

Besides foreign clients, Blackfish also has several partnerships with competing agencies in the Czech Republic. While others might only see competition, we see opportunities for collaboration and support. Our talented partner agencies include DevX, Bohemian Studio, Brandmark, Ex Duris, or Brightify.

“This whole business is based on good relationships with others. These will lead you to further contacts, and thanks to this, you can get to projects that you would otherwise have been waiting for much longer. As one of the few, we take competition as an advantage. You can realize interesting projects, either together or separately, for which the agency itself would not have time, and the project would never be realized or would be done elsewhere,” Vítek and Lukáš agree.

Growth and next steps 📈

At the beginning of 2020, our company grew by more people (+2), more than doubling headcount in one year, even with annual turnover. In 2021, we want to focus primarily on internal development, which our clients regularly require. It’s also important for us to focus on social networks, where we would like to provide a marketing service for our clients.

We are opening the new year with long-term collaborations with clients such as Preciosa Lighting, Škoda Auto, and Divadlo bez Zábradlí. In Scandinavia, we are building a new fintech application that will be very similar to the well-known Revolut app (with the difference that it’ll only work for companies). If circumstances and situations allow, our greatest wish is to expand into Norway and Sweden. We had potential new business in these countries, which, unfortunately, were delayed due to the pandemic.

That’s all from us for now. We wish everyone good luck in their business and, above all, may the year 2021 be much better than last year! 🍀

2020: The year in review was originally published in Blackfish.co on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Lukáš Oslzla joined the Blackfish team in January. He’s officially known as somebody like Chief Design Officer, but he’s not a fan of big titles. “Vit, our founder, felt that he was no longer able to catch up with all the incoming work — communicating with clients and designers in the company, giving feedback on work, and occasionally drawing up designs. My main job is to manage projects, communicate with the team and above all, supervise our outputs so that they are high quality and professional,” Lukáš describes his new role. We sat down with Lukáš in a fun Q&A session to learn more about his career and what he’s looking forward to accomplishing at Blackfish.

You had a lot of offers for collaboration, but why did Blackfish win?

“After meeting with Vit, I had the best feeling. We understood each other in a lot of things and above all, we agreed on the vision of the company and how it should function. I wasn’t looking for a job where I sit in the office from 9-to-5 and do the designs; I was interested in the background and function of the company itself, ” Lukáš explains.

The ability to work remotely was another big draw to Blackfish. Since Lukáš likes to travel and spend time abroad, teleworking is a huge plus for him, and he hopes that companies will continue to recognize the value of working from home.

Together with Vit, Lukáš leads the company based on their experience in fulfilling a common vision. “I went through a lot of agencies and I think I have a lot of experience,” Lukáš said. “I wanted to transmit it on, and Blackfish gave me this opportunity. It was an interesting offer in every way that could not be ignored. From my experience from a lot of agencies, I know what works and what does not, what people are satisfied with and what they are not,” Lukáš adds. Their main goal is to ensure that Blackfish continues running like a well-oiled machine, and support the team day in and day out.

Lukáš and Vit would like to hire new employees in the future and lead the company toward their shared vision: a boutique design agency that is known for building impactful digital products and experiences. They also plan to expand to other countries; in addition to having clients in Denmark, . Lukáš and Vit want to bring in clients from all around Scandinavia. Of course, projects in the Czech Republic will continue full steam ahead.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m not the type who says he’s going to be here or there in 5 or 10 years. I set myself smaller goals, perhaps for a year. When one wants to move somewhere, motivation is important. For me, it works to set smaller goals because they are easier to reach, and I gradually add more and more. I multiply the result by two and keep going, whether it is finance or work/personal life. My goal now is to learn to communicate with clients on a professional level and to have better performance. That is what we must always learn. Time will tell, nothing is immediate.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for beginner designers?

Nothing comes by itself, and our field is a lot about drawing and learning. One has to sit down and draw, draw, draw. You won’t become a good designer if you just look at the pictures and try to copy them; it takes patience and determination — still training and moving on. Hard work always bears fruit.

What do you think is most important when starting your career?

Surely humility. The important thing is to get into the community of people in the industry, and stay yourself despite any pressure. I don’t like people who haven’t done much yet, but they think they’re at the level of those who have been in business for decades. In the beginning, I did not realize how much work was behind it — like analysis or testing and so on. A lot of effort is put into creating a quality result, not just drawing a nice picture and share it somewhere on social site for hundred likes. Likes are not an indicator of quality of work.

“Likes are not an indicator of quality of work.”

Vit (our founder): “It’s been 3 months since Lukas started at Blackfish. Not only he is a great designer and leader, but he also helped to get new clients onboard which is awesome and it proves how many people trust and rely on him. I could finally shift my focus to self-promotion, creating new connections with people in the industry, and make sure all the current clients are satisfied with us as their digital partner. Last but not least, being able to discuss important decisions and have someone that you can 100% rely on is crucial if you want to step up your league. Thanks a bunch, Lukas!”

Introducing Lukas, our new CDO was originally published in Blackfish.co on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you’re curious about what went down at Blackfish last year (Hint: A LOT!) and can ignore that we’re reflecting on everything when it’s already March 2020, this article is for you. It’s a reminder of what our beginning was like, and how grateful we are to be part of something new.

If you’re not familiar with who we are and what we do, we recommend you read: “Hey, we are Blackfish” first. In a nutshell: we are a small, but mighty design studio that brings brands, apps, websites, and all sorts of software to life. Our clients come from around the world, but most of them call Denmark or the Czech Republic their home. ✌️

The beginner’s luck: it’s who you know

No matter if you’re starting an agency, a new relationship, or college, your first year is always quite the ride. Opportunities and new people are all around, and all you need to do is show up and scream very, very loud. Eventually, people will start to recognize you, and give you what you’re looking for — a ton of work! It became clear that the network we had built over the years paid off. Literally. We were super lucky (and grateful) for the chance to work with companies we had only dreamed about. Cool startups, banks, insurance companies, and other big players in a variety of industries. We secured all these clients without a fancy website, portfolio, or crafted social media accounts and thousands of followers. We strictly relied on the connections we had, and we sought out every opportunity to talk to people. That’s how you get started — put yourself out there!

Let’s not forget, we still endured the ups and downs in our first year, as every startup does. I looked into our Slack directory and found over 3️⃣0️⃣ people, which means there were that many people involved in our work throughout last year — a bit shocking, but true. I’m incredibly grateful for the talented folks who contributed to our shared success in surviving our first year.

Our biggest mistake

This section will probably be the most highlighted because you’ll understand how naive we were. We’ve been working on an e-commerce site for one of the biggest rap labels in the country for 6 months. How did we get to them? It’s simple — a friend of a friend knew these guys. We launched the site, fixed the bugs, developed newly requested features (still without pay…), and saw the sales growing. Oh, we forgot to mention — all without a contract.

If I could give a strong word of advice to someone starting an agency or going freelance, it would be to communicate early with a client and agree on monthly reports and invoicing. Simple as that. Remember, contracts aren’t here to get you paid. They just set the rules of how and when you get paid.

Don’t get us wrong — we tried to sign the contract as soon as possible and sent follow-ups, but we were naive in continuing to develop the site at that time. It turned out to be a huge mistake.

The most valuable takeaways

There is a few, actually:

1. Say yes
   That’s the golden rule when you’re new in the business. Serve anyone, pick up phone calls anytime, and respond to emails within 2 hours… then proceed to deliver more than expected. Wake up the next morning, and repeat.
2. Build relationships
   If you manage to turn your clients into friends (this needs to happen naturally, not by force) and continue delivering kick-ass work, they will recommend you to their network whenever they have the opportunity. Your clients are your best sales reps. This lesson is really important.
3. Be human
   The biggest client we signed in 2019 told us we won the tender because we were able to listen while others were talking. If your responsibility is to get new clients and deals (whether you are a CEO or a salesperson), know this by heart!
4. Pick your colleagues and partners carefully
   I can’t stress this enough after my two co-founders left. People will come and go, but make sure your best assets stay and help you build the company. Never forget to show your appreciation, and divide your profits fairly.
5. Don’t underestimate people who are beginning their own journeys
   This isn’t related to Blackfish at all, but something I realized during that year — there were so many people in whom I didn’t place much hope, but who now have successful businesses. I’m reading about them in Forbes, and they’re living their dreams. To those friends, my apologies and my even louder congratulations.
6. Screw the website, portfolio and fancy social media accounts — convince people you can create what they need
   They say you need to have a perfect website to attract clients. That’s not always true. The same also applies for having fancy concepts and mockups, or thousands of followers on your company’s Instagram account. We’ve realized those are just social proofs — the real business and deal-making happen somewhere else.
7. Embrace the reality
   There is a big pressure on you in the internet world. You always think you are missing out on something until you realize most companies and people around you are just faking it — their numbers, count of employees, clients, “good vibes”, and so on. Don’t waste time with this nonsense approach, and try to hold onto what’s true.
8. Trust your own people
   Give your team responsibility, delegate with faith, and let them help you. At some point, they might even be better than you, which is great. Give them even more responsibility, and empower them to own their work, so you can focus on other parts of the business.
9. Money is (not) a problem
   When I started an agency I didn’t know much about cash flow. There were times when I worried too much. I spent days calculating numbers and thinking, How are we going to make it?. It turned out all I have to focus on is securing enough work for everyone in the office, and the money will follow. That’s it.

A picture is worth a thousand words

In conclusion…

I’ve read many articles advising exactly what I mentioned above. You’ve definitely heard of it before too. It’s not rocket science, but these things can’t be taught from articles — you learn them by building a company. If you’re about to embark on this journey, don’t wait to get started. Kick it off, and keep your fingers crossed! 🤞

2019: The year in review was originally published in Blackfish.co on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Moderní architektura, minimalistický a funkční nábytek nebo skvělý (nejen) digitální design — to vše se vybaví každému, když se řekne Skandinávie. Země severní Evropy jsou pozoruhodným fenoménem. Patří dlouhodobě mezi nejlepší státy z hlediska ekonomiky, technologie či školství, ale jsou také proslulé svým smyslem pro design. Díky výborné úrovní místních univerzit, které se tímto oborem zabývají, je na trhu mnoho schopných UX a UI designérů.

Blackfish, jako jedno z mála českých design studií, dokázalo získat v Dánsku významnější klienty na dlouhodobou spolupráci a to již v prvním roce fungování. Patří mezi ně například Trustpilot, Ageras či Meneto.

Automatizace účetnictví, největší review platforma na světě či web, který vám doporučí ty nejlepší účetní firmy a právníky z oboru

První dva roky našeho fungování jsme dali přednost projektům a pracovali na vztahu s klienty tak, abychom dokázali být přínosem a přidanou hodnotou v dlouhodobém měřítku — partnerství. Tím nezbyl čas na web, #PR a sociální sítě, z nichž by zůstala jen prázdná skořápka. Nyní už vlastnímu promu (sociálním sítím) dáváme větší prioritu, cítíme, že máme co ukázat a zároveň je tu možnost se dostat do povědomí ostatních lidí a získat potencionální klienty.

Za velký úspěch považujeme partnerství a spolupráci s brand týmem v Trustpilotu, kde jsme se postupně z digitálního partnera pro centrální Evropu stali globálním dodavatelem pro všechny země a kontinenty. Součástí práce bylo posouvat nový brand a pomoct marketingovému oddělení celé firmy. Málokdo by si tipnul, že veškeré podklady pro digitální reporty, vizuály pro sociální sítě, fyzické balíčky pro partnery, či celé stánky na konferencích v Londýně a Sydney vznikaly právě u nás v Blackfishi, v Praze.

Na doporučení našeho dlouholetého kamaráda, který žije v Kodani, Adriana jsme v létě minulého roku spojili síly se startupem Meneto, jemuž jsme postupně pomohli doladit části produktu. Ten slouží firmám a podnikatelům k tomu, aby měli míň starostí se svým účetnictvím; namátkou třeba právě skrze automatizované daňové reporty pro SKAT (místní finanční autorita). Postupně jsme redesignovali i celý webový portál a momentálně “dolaďujeme” stránku po stránce na základě dat z prvních testování a dle výsledků a poznatků připravujeme další iterace.

Nově se pyšníme navázanou spolupráci s firmou Ageras, která sídlí v samém centru Kodaně — kousek od Tivoli, známého zábavního parku. Působí nejen ve většině skandinávských zemí, ale i v Německu, Nizozemsku a USA. Velkou výzvou bylo ve spolupráci s širším managementem a některými zaměstnanci vytvořit zcela nový brand, udělat facelift loga a redesignovat všechny stránky včetně vytvoření ilustrací pro každý z trhů, na kterém Ageras působí. Dalším úkolem bude následná optimalizace jednotlivých stránek a nový vizuál aplikace pro klienty již zmíněné firmy.

Lov dalších klientů, stabilní růst, ale i dlouhodobé spolupráce a budování brandu

Rok 2020 je a bude co se týče skandinávského trhu ve znamení postupného zabydlování se. Máme poměrně velkou studnici kontaktů a konexí, jen čekáme, kdy bude správný moment vystřelit a ulovit další vysněné klienty.

Mimojiné nás na jaře čeká video shooting s již stávajícími klienty pod taktovkou Vinia Media. Cílem je natočit, jak se chováme a komunikujeme v přirozeném prostředí a mít tak pro budoucí klienty ukázku toho, jak to může fungovat a co od nás mohou čekat — samozřejmě pak také doporučení samotné.

Jelikož do Kodaně jezdíme vždy jen na pár dní v měsíci, a to zatím výhradně jen kvůli stávajícím klientům, poohlížíme se po nějaké pernamentnější adrese, lokálním člověku a co-workingu (v úvahu zatím připadá SOHO, Symbion či Talent Garden), kde bychom mohli mít svůj base a prostor potkávat další stejně naladěné lidi z oboru.

Osobní doporučení, network i výborné hodnocení na Clutchi

Je všeobecně známo, že spolupráce v začátcích agentury nepřicházejí úplně samy a důležité je doporučení ostatních lidí v oboru, kteří se za vás zaručí a mohou potvrdit Vámi dobře odvedenou práci. Právě důvěra klienta v nás je důležitá pro spolupráci a konečný kvalitní výsledek. Pozitivní reference, které předávají naši klienti dál? To je to, čeho si vážíme.

Pomalu odkrýváme na čem jsme poslední měsíce pracovali a budujeme tak silné portfolio, o které se dlouhodobě zajímají nejen firmy, města a startupy v Čechách, ale i v zahraničí. Za dva roky jsme si vybudovali síť klientů, kteří nám důvěřují a jejich referencemi se pomalu plní náš Clutch profil, na což jsme právem hrdí. Díky těmto hodnocením jsme v Kodani zařazeni mezi nejlepší v oboru a dlouhodobě se náš profil umisťuje na předních příčkách.

Rok 2020 jsme odstartovali hned s několika úspěšně navázanými spoluprácemi a momentálně připravujeme nové projekty, o které se s Vámi brzo podělíme. Věříme, že tento rok bude stejně silný jako ten minulý a bude o nás slyšet ještě víc než doposud.

Blackfish získal ve Skandinávii po Trustpilotu další klienty. Co nás čeká? was originally published in Blackfish.co on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What happens when you put young, ambitious, and incredibly talented designers together in a room? You get Blackfish.

We are a design studio that brings brands, apps, websites and all sorts of software to life. Our small, but mighty team is based in Prague and Ostrava, where we pursue our passion for creating impactful products and experiences. We’re lucky to get to work with clients from all around the world 🌍, but most of them hail from Denmark and the Czech Republic.

Our design philosophy centers around connection and growth. We practice a personal approach to understand our clients’ business inside and out, and together discover how design can help them deliver unforgettable experiences. By tackling design challenges from all angles, we create products that help our clients scale.

How is Blackfish different in the sea of design agencies? 👊

We think the secret to our success is found in our small and talented team. Every individual at our 8-person agency is an expert in their field. Copywriting, design, illustrations, you name it, Blackfish is a kaleidoscope of craft masters. We don’t face the bureaucratic red tape and large overhead that big agencies do. This enables us to deliver high-caliber creative work in record time for our clients.

Simply put, we’re a tight-knit team of 8 who genuinely enjoys working together on our clients’ biggest design challenges. We’re not fans of big words — we let our work speak for itself. We value big ideas, and we’re not afraid to voice them. As your trusted design partner, if we think a feature or flow could add huge value (or not), we’ll speak up to make sure you are moving toward a truly human-centric product.

Last but not least, we’re honest. If we make mistakes, we’re transparent with ourselves and our clients. We believe everyone inside and outside of our workspace should know what happens along our design process.

How did Blackfish get started? 👣

TLDR: From a team of 3, to 1… up to 8.

The idea for Blackfish was born in January 2018 in Copenhagen, close to Vangede St. at Lago Di Garda — probably the best pizza place in town, according to our founder Vit.

“The place is not even on Google Maps, but if it was they would have nothing but 5 stars ratings!” Vit said.

At that time, Vit was working as a UX Designer at Trustpilot, as well as on his side project Leastek (acquired by private investors in 2019) with David and Lukas. This is where our story begins.

Vit, David, and Lukas were able to build Leastek from scratch, launch it, and find their first customers. They achieved this feat without investing a penny, all while working full-time and on 3 different continents (say what?!). Naturally, the three started to wonder…what would it look like if we could quit our jobs and start an agency full-time?

The master plan was to build a team of designers and developers in Prague, while delivering solutions to clients in Copenhagen and other Nordic countries. Inspired by all the entrepreneurial books and films, Blackfish started in our “garage” — a tiny living room in the Karlin district of Prague.

A year later, Blackfish had grown to a company of five full-time employees designing and developing in our first office. We gained notoriety by hosting “Fuckup Nights” events in Copenhagen, where we brought together entrepreneurs to share the highs, but especially the lows of their startup journeys. We signed with big-name clients like SAS Automotive, Tengeo, Trustpilot, Twisto, BCG or Linet. Everything made it look like we were on the road to success.

But our path wasn’t so bright and shiny after all. We made a few mistakes along the way (more on that soon!), learning and failing at the same time.

After a solid run, Vit, Lukas, and David decided to split ways. Lukas was offered the role of CTO in Reas, while David focused on facilitating Fuckup Nights events and Nest Podcast. Vit decided to pivot Blackfish solely into a design studio, made up of four full-time pixel movers, two part-time designers, and two copywriters. With a larger team and a growing client roster, we definitely have bigger fish to fry now!

What is life like at Blackfish? 🦈

“We have a super office where we feel almost better than at home. If we had a shower, we could even live here.” — Jakub Franta

We are such a homey group — almost like a family that moved from our large space in Prague to a smaller one, where we do our best work. We’re the prototype of a young company looking to work smarter and more creatively, not just sit in the office every day from morning to evening. Modern times allow us to work from any location; all we need is a computer, solid Wi-fi, and each other. No matter where we are in the world, we’re always connected, sharing our work, asking questions, and collaborating with our clients.

We have a world-class team that’s humble and helpful. We hate titles, but we love knowledge-sharing. Every project is an opportunity for us to push our limits and learn.

What’s next for us? ⬆️

There are big things headed our way in 2020, and we look forward to sharing what’s in store. We’d love to invite you to follow along our crazy journey — the more, the merrier! Follow us on Dribbble to see our latest work, and check out @blackfish.co to get sneak peeks into our daily office life.

Thank you for riding the wave with us. 🌊 Stay tuned for more updates soon!

Hey, we are Blackfish was originally published in Blackfish.co on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.