The rise of the digital age, has created a divide in design agencies. On one side, you have what would traditionally be regarded as a ‘large’ agency. Often from the ashes of a print house. And on the other, ‘small’ boutiques. But how are they different and what are the expectations that come with each?
The ways of measuring the quality of an agency is changing. When you think of a large agency, immediately you would assume the work is better.
The only addition a large agency has is a higher volume of staff with a city central address. If anything, this shift in landscape is making the large agencies struggle with a new wave of creative talents born into the digital age and readily available through a simple DM on Instagram or Behance.
For me personally, when I was contracting as a freelance design consultant, I noticed that the majority of the small boutiques felt the pressure to pretend they had various locations and more staff than that actually had — some even using fake board members and city centre forwarding addresses to complete the illusion. As well as finding this somewhat amusing, I could never understand why they would feel the pressure to do this…
Here’s an example of how I see this: We’ve got a superb independent coffee shop here in Newbury called Harrison’s. Everything from their beverages and food, to the atmosphere and hospitality is in a completely different league to what Starbucks, Pret, Nero or Costa could ever offer. See where I’m going with this…? Not only is your coffee always made to perfection by expert barista Pedro, they personally source their organic ingredients from the best independent local businesses. And to go the extra mile, my 2-year-old son is invited to water their fresh herbs as well as receiving a free treat each visit — which is basically daily.
The framework of a boutique design studio is very much the same. Here at Studio Innate we don’t pretend to have a board of elite directors. Our focus is more aligned to building strong relationships with our clients, enabling us to gather the insights necessary to produce the best work possible.
Working with a large agency involves lots of people, which means communication can get tangled up. Our creative team work directly with our clients because the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
For us this works perfectly. And this is why we’re proud to be independent.
Ready to level up?
Do you feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand? Or perhaps a friend initially helped you with an off-the-peg website and logo? If so, you’ve validated your business much like most companies do when starting out. But truth be told — this is quickly outgrown and can soon misrepresent and tarnish your company.
We understand that choosing the right design agency to partner with can be daunting. This is why we offer a free (no obligation) consultation in our design studio in Newbury, Berkshire. We take the time to learn about your ambitions and pitfalls — enabling you to make the best decisions for you and your business.
Our strategic offering goes far beyond just graphic design, web design, and logo design. We collaboratively define and build brands to identify and promote the true potential of companies and products. That’s why on boarding us is always an investment, and never a cost.
Start today by arranging a free consultation. We’re existed to help spread the good word about your business.
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