At Creative Repute, our goal is to create and support inclusive design and marketing initiatives through the power of mission-driven design. We intentionally take on projects that improve the quality of life for a group of people. Our bench of specialists chooses to work on projects that will improve the quality of life on Earth in many ways: environmental, social, and economic. Some of our most popular services and the projects we’ve enjoyed working on all required a unique approach tailored to our client’s needs. We guarantee our clients clear benefits through the branding and development work we deliver, and it all stems from a mutual desire between our clients and team members to be a part of positive change.
Starting A Project
Every project starts with an Account Manager (aka Sales) who onboards the client with care. This involves understanding the client’s needs through a Brand Audit, creating a contract that confirms the scope of work, understanding the client’s communication preferences, and offering initial recommendations on the best way to be of service to our new client. At Creative Repute, there is a significant focus on over-communication and having support available to the client at every step.
Once the plan is set, the Account Manager selects the most suitable Project Manager from our bench based on the client’s particular needs and background and then prepares the Project Manager with all necessary initial information in order for work to begin. The Project Manager organizes the rest of the internal team based on skills and life experiences that could add further insight to the project based on an initial understanding of what will likely work well for our client’s long-term goals. For example, suppose we’re working with an organization that provides workforce development to young people. In that case, we may be inclined to select the youngest team members on our bench so that we have that perspective at the table. All of our team members are deeply vetted and supported with training options and mentorship before taking on a client project, in addition to the skills they brought with them before joining our team.
Although the Account Manager is still following along with progress to ensure client satisfaction, the Project Manager will fully take accountability for the project’s success after the close of the Discovery Process, which allows the team to confirm the client’s need through research, data, and deeper conversations. The results of the Discovery Process are summarized in a Creative Brief that informs the client of our recommendations and next steps. The client can keep track of progress each step of the way through weekly Progress Updates sent from our Project Manager that outline what was accomplished and what we’re proposing as the next steps.
Creative Repute projects span various creative services, all rooted in our core specialties: graphic design, website development, and brand strategy. Each major area of specialty branches into various micro sub-services, ensuring we can cater to the unique needs of every project. For example, for services under the Graphic Design category, we may provide page layout, icon design, billboard design, and letterhead design. Under Website Development, we combine newsletter integrations, forms, SEO, automation, security, e-commerce, and more. Every service follows a unique process that our team members have mastered over the course of years of experience and quality checkers.
Brand Strategy and Marketing
We cannot just give our clients a new logo and expect them to know how to generate the biggest impact from that, so marketing is a byproduct of all of our work. We offer our clients ways to use their new designs to generate results by developing concepts that can be tested, measured, and strategically implemented.
For example, we had the opportunity to work with FloatLab, a collaborative project effort between Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia Mural Arts, and Höweler + Yoon. The project aimed to create a space for learning, healing, and creativity along the Schuylkill River. As a collaborative effort with multiple stakeholders, Creative Repute had to bridge each organization’s specific vision and ideas and reach a conclusion that would accurately reflect them all. This allowed us to exhibit our skills in negotiation and active listening to incorporate multiple perspectives.
The FloatLab project included a comprehensive Discovery Phase, during which we conducted an extensive Brand Audit to understand the client’s vision and assess understanding of the project’s scope. We started by hosting the Project Kickoff meeting to clarify the resources available and inform the direction in which we could take the project and the overall objective. The primary goal was to establish the brand voice and message, creating an intimate connection with the various target audiences (which was made up of the local community, educators, and park visitors) and encouraging learning and connecting with nature. We considered each of the collaborating organizations’ brand styles to create something cohesive that each party could comfortably post to their individual websites and social media platforms because Floatlab wouldn’t have its own website and would need to exist on the three collaborating partners’ platforms. This felt like somewhat of a merger of three separate brands. We designed a style guide for Floatlab that was cohesive with each of its partner’s branding. Other deliverables included postcards, brochures, templates for social media posts, and more. While the visual branding was being designed, Creative Repute tailored a marketing strategy and brand voice that would resonate with the target audiences, and that felt inclusive and welcoming to all.
Website Design
Creative Repute focuses on developing websites that are visually appealing and user-friendly to targeted audiences for our clients. In this digital age, having a working website is crucial for sharing information with those who might not be able to access a space physically and for reaching a wider audience than a local location. Continuing Creative Repute’s commitment to inclusivity, we make sure to consider accessibility when working on website designs through selections of on-brand web-safe fonts, color contrast checkers, a review of how colors look when a color blindness filter is applied, and more.
Another example of accessibility considerations is our work on the website for the Chronicling Resistance exhibition, which allows people to view the exhibition long after it was taken down and allows people from around the world to access information that would otherwise only be accessible to visitors of the Free Libraries of Philadelphia. Chronicling Resistance was a Philadelphia-based exhibition created to bring public awareness to the history of marginalized groups in Philadelphia. Creative Repute met with the exhibition organizers to discuss their vision and expectations. Our commitment to collaboration emphasized transparent communication and careful planning at each phase, guaranteeing the project’s smooth progression, production, and installation.
“The design of an exhibition, marketing materials, and website for this project was an enormous undertaking, and I think everyone involved learned a lot from it. I really appreciate [Creative Repute] for seeing the project through its many drafts to its end.”
– Mariam Williams, Project Director for Chronicling Resistance, Free Library of Philadelphia
Photography and Videography
Creative Repute’s bench of specialists is highly skilled in the latest and greatest video editing programs to ensure our clients’ projects achieve unparalleled quality. One thing that sets Creative Repute apart from others is our desire to ensure our work is not only aesthetically refined but also tells an engaging story, is authentic, and that the final production passes all accessibility considerations, including the ability to add captions where permissible and translate work into other languages, thanks to the diverse range of professionals on our bench.
An example is our work with PowerCorps PHL, where we’ve worked to create a stunning video with professional software such as After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro. We delivered a high-quality video for PowerCorpsPHL that matched their brand voice and celebrated their ten years of impact in the Philadelphia non-profit sector.
The Creative Repute team spent three days interviewing the PowerCorps PHL team members for this documentary film. The interviews were taken both inside and outside, with several people interviewed each day. Not only was there the opportunity to travel around the city for a B-roll, but this project also exposed the Creative Repute and the PowerCorps team to new experiences. Creative Repute worked with the PowerCorps team to help them feel comfortable during the interviews. This was achieved by reframing the questions in a conversational approach, adding more texture to the interviews by allowing a natural flow with a relaxed, back-and-forth conversation. This approach encouraged the team members to speak openly and candidly about their experiences with PowerCorps.
To prepare for inclement weather, the project manager scheduled a backup “Rain check” date. This turned out to be advantageous for the interview, as the rescheduled shoot took place in perfect weather, providing an ideal backdrop.
Conclusion
At Creative Repute, we believe that every project has the potential to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Combining creativity, expertise, and a commitment to social change, we strive to make a meaningful difference in the world with each project that we take on. Contact us on our Request a Quote page to speak with a Creative Repute representative about bringing your project to life.