Over the last 10 years at Strafe, we’ve refined our design process to ensure the best possible outcomes for our clients, so much so that we even offer a guarantee (more on that later on).
During this journey, we’ve also identified the kind of clients we love working with – those who understand, respect and appreciate this process and want to get the most out of working together.
In this blog, we’re going to give you an overview of who we are and how we work. At the end, we’ll list out reasons why we might not be suited to you (as promised).
This list of reasons isn’t negative or rude – it’s a fact, some people want different things or work differently from others. When you’re investing thousands of pounds and hours of time into a big project, such as a website redesign and build, it’s important to find the right agency partner to work with.
By reading through this blog, you can be sure that when you hit submit on that Project Planner form you know our ways of working are a good fit from the get-go.
Strafe: Who we are
We’re a group of creatives who love to help our clients succeed.
We love what we do
For over 12 years we’ve helped power the growth of hundreds of brands through creative strategy and elegant digital experiences. Each member of our team is excited and passionate about their areas of expertise and how that can impact each client.
We guarantee our work
We know that a new site is so much more than just an updated appearance, it’s about driving growth and bringing in sales. That’s why we guarantee we’ll increase your conversion rate.
Your success is ours
Without our clients, we’re nothing. Our triumphs come from seeing your growth as a result of the meaningful digital products we design and build.
We’ve built a team at Strafe who offers an incredible skill set. We mix and match these skills across design, development, digital content and our leadership to offer each client a flexible and specialist approach – that succeeds.
We’re nice people
And finally, we’re a helpful, friendly and understanding bunch with a dedication to quality workmanship. We aim for it to feel like we are part of your team.
We’re not a big corporate company. We offer a relaxed yet professional approach to working with you.
What we look for in a client
To complement who we are, there are three important things we look for in a Strafe client:
- Growth orientated – You WANT to grow your business through better conversions, an improved user experience and a great look and feel.
- You’re ready to be our partner – You want to work in PARTNERSHIP with us, through calls, meetings, feedback, ideas and a collaborative approach.
- You love what you do – We can’t get excited about what you do and what you want to achieve if you don’t feel the same way. Bring your PASSION and enthusiasm to the table and we’ll bring it to life online!
Read more: How do we guarantee improved results?
Strafe: How we work
We use the Kaizen methodology (continuous improvement), meaning we are constantly updating and refining our processes and ways of working. Over the last 12 years, it’s this approach that has led us to the tried and tested design and build methodology we use today.
Let’s dive in a little bit more…
A clear design philosophy
We believe great design isn’t only the look, it is the entire user experience. Our process-led approach can transform a company’s sales, and we are analytical enough to prove it.
We have an awesome chart that shows you this full process, but we’re not going to give that away just yet . However, here are 4 key elements that it includes:
- Giving the site or product a clear purpose – Helps us stay on track during the project as we can always check back and ask, “does this design choice help us reach that purpose?”.
- Working through important UX elements – Building out wireframes and user flows enables us to put the user at the heart of the digital experience before we design any of the aesthetic elements.
- Offering you options – When working on the art direction for a website or digital product, we’ll always share multiple design and brand ideas to help us find what works best.
- Integrating with other experts – We are specialists in conversion-led digital design and build. If our clients require SEO or marketing services too, we work closely with our agency partners, who offer the right expertise, to deliver an integrated service.
An example of how a wireframe evolves during the design process.
We love organisation & transparency
Each project starts with a clear set of timelines, either in the form of a Gantt chart or through an agile approach. During this approach, we use sprints and ongoing input from our clients to evaluate and improve each step in the project.
Our dedicated Project Managers are on hand to explain and manage these processes, plus share both deadlines for us and our clients.
We prefer to work with clients who appreciate this kind of clarity and organisation. If you’re a little more chaotic and spontaneous in your working style then we could run into some hiccups along the way!
Good or bad we’ll be honest about where we are in the project. Whether that’s a delay in these timelines or an issue that has arisen, we’ll say it straight.
And we expect the same back from clients, from key decision makers taking unexpected time off or perhaps a client dislikes all the design proposals – it’s so much better than we know!
It’s a partnership
We want to collaborate with our clients, with you, in a partnership. We want your opinion, your feedback and your involvement every step of the way. This is the only way you will get the most out of the project is to see it as a partnership, rather than ‘us and them’.
As part of this partnership, it’s important that you trust us. We work hard to offer you the best possible solutions for your digital product’s purpose, so trust in our experience and expertise is vital for success.
The experts are on call
Finally, we’re proud to have a hands-on advisory board working with us to improve and grow. These experts not only have experience on huge brands, both client and agency side, but they make time to advise us on our client projects too.
They are an incredible addition to the team.
However, we’re not the agency for you if…
- You want a full-service agency, we don’t offer SEO or Marketing Services – however, we can work with great partners
- You need design files in Sketch or Adobe XD, we only offer design files in Figma
- You need a website/product developed in Expression Engine, Magento or others – we only work with WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify and Craft CMS
- You don’t have the time for calls and meetings during the initial stages of the planning process
- You don’t want to be transparent in your communication and approach
- You’re not that passionate about your own business/product/service
- You already have a plan that you just want us to execute, without our input and expertise
- You prefer us to be in the office all the time and work at set hours – that’s a huge no-no for us, we’re very flexible
- You don’t want to partner with us and be involved every step of the way
- You don’t see the value of wireframes and user flows and just want to work on the shiny aesthetic
Not too much to ask right? If we sound like a great fit for your business then fill in the Strafe Project Planner and let’s chat!
