Contrast & Co.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Global Marketing of Owl Cyber Defense

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Owl Cyber Defense provides high-assurance, accredited cross domain and data diode solutions that enable secure, one-way or controlled bidirectional data transfers across high-threat networks and critical infrastructure environments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Contrast & Co. to accomplish?

• Optimize Web Presence: Redesign and enhance our website to improve user experience, clearly articulate our value proposition, and drive qualified leads through strategic UX practices.
• Accelerate Go-to-Market Impact: Deliver visually compelling assets that support sales enablement, campaign execution, and pipeline growth across federal and critical infrastructure markets.
• Elevate Brand Consistency: Ensure all day-to-day collateral and public-facing assets align with a unified, modernized brand identity that reflects our federal and critical infrastructure focus.

SOLUTION

How did you find Contrast & Co.?

Online Search

Why did you select Contrast & Co. over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• We really liked the people

How many teammates from Contrast & Co. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Website refresh & Optimization

1. Refresh & Optimization  of owlcyberdefense.com to reflect updated messaging, refined value propositions, and improved visual hierarchy.

• UX/UI optimization focused on intuitive navigation, customer journey clarity, and content accessibility across federal, commercial, and partner personas.
• SEO strategy integration to enhance organic search visibility and drive qualified inbound traffic.
• Content architecture and wireframing aligned with strategic marketing goals and solution areas (e.g., Cross Domain, Data Diodes, Critical Infrastructure).

2. Collateral Design & Brand Support

• Layout of day-to-day marketing collateral including datasheets, whitepapers, solution briefs, one-pagers, and customer-facing presentations.
• Development of event and campaign-specific creative (banners, signage, digital assets) to support federal tradeshows and targeted demand gen initiatives.
• Standardization of internal and external-facing templates (PowerPoint, Word, PDF) to ensure brand consistency across teams.

3. Brand Evolution & Visual Identity Refinement

• Refinement of existing brand elements to maintain recognition while evolving visual impact to reflect a high-assurance, defense-grade positioning.
• Creation of updated brand guidelines to govern logo use, color palette, typography, and visual system across media.
• Support for tone, voice, and messaging alignment with visual execution, especially for high-level buyers and technical evaluators in federal and critical infrastructure spaces.

4. Ongoing Creative Support

• On-demand design support for public-facing assets, including graphics for social media, email campaigns, gated content, and partner co-marketing.
• Rapid turnaround for ad hoc requests related to sales and business development, ensuring agility in customer engagements.
• Collaboration with internal marketing team on conceptual ideation and creative direction for ongoing campaigns.

Key Deliverables:

• refreshed and optimized website with responsive design.
• Unified brand guidelines and standardized templates.
• Visual assets for product launches, events, and digital campaigns.
• Ongoing creative support for dynamic marketing and sales needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1. Optimized Website Driving Higher-Quality Leads

• increase in qualified inbound leads within the first 90 days post-launch, driven by clearer messaging, streamlined navigation.
• Lower bounce rate and longer average session duration, indicating stronger visitor engagement and improved user experience.
• Increased form conversions on high-priority pages (e.g., product pages, contact forms), directly supporting pipeline growth and sales activity.

2. Premier Owl-Hosted Event: Exceeded All Goals

• Full creative support from Contrast enabled a visually cohesive and high-impact event experience, including branding, signage, and promotional materials.
• The event exceeded attendance goals with 69% of attendees representing targeted federal and critical infrastructure accounts.
• Post-event survey data showed 95% satisfaction rate with event content and experience, reinforcing the credibility and professionalism of the Owl brand.
• The event generated multiple net-new opportunities and helped accelerate deals already in pipeline—demonstrating clear marketing-to-revenue alignment.

3. Stronger Brand Recognition and Consistency

• All public-facing assets now reflect a unified, professional brand system, improving recognition among federal buyers and partners.
• Sales and field teams report greater confidence using marketing materials, with improved clarity in messaging and visuals that support technical conversations.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Contrast & Co. has consistently demonstrated strong, reliable project management throughout the engagement. Deliverables have been met on time and often ahead of schedule, even across complex projects with tight timelines and shifting priorities. The team is highly responsive, communicative, and proactive—ensuring alignment at every stage of execution.
• A standout contributor, Wes goes above and beyond in every aspect of the partnership. He not only delivers high-quality creative work, but also brings strategic insight to the table—helping to shape messaging, align visual assets with our go-to-market priorities, and support executive-level initiatives. Wes even supported our premier hosted event in person, ensuring brand execution was flawless and contributing in real-time to the event’s success.
• He has become an indispensable member of our extended team, deeply understanding our business and acting as a trusted strategic partner, not just a vendor.

What was your primary form of communication with Contrast & Co.?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What stands out most about Contrast & Co. is their rare ability to combine high-end creative execution with deep strategic alignment—especially within a complex, compliance-driven market like federal cybersecurity. They don’t just deliver visually impressive assets; they ensure every design choice reinforces our positioning, supports our go-to-market goals, and resonates with our target buyers.

Their ability to quickly understand and translate technical, high-assurance solutions into clear, compelling visuals and messaging sets them apart from typical creative firms. Additionally, their team operates with a true sense of partnership—highly collaborative, responsive, and fully invested in our success.

This blend of creative excellence, strategic thinking, and client dedication makes Contrast & Co. uniquely valuable to our business.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Contrast & Co. could have done differently?

none

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Director, Marketing & Communications of Bottom Line

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Bottom Line partners with first-generation college students from under-resourced communities and backgrounds to get into and through college, and successfully launch a career.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Contrast & Co. to accomplish?

• Refresh Bottom Line's visual brand identity
• Create supporting digital and print assets

SOLUTION

How did you find Contrast & Co.?

Online Search

Why did you select Contrast & Co. over others?

Good value for cost

How many teammates from Contrast & Co. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Phase 1: Initial Brand Discovery 
Phase 2: Evolve the Brand Foundation 
Phase 3: Design initial activation assets 
Phase 4: Deep Audience & Market Research 
Phase 5: Deliver a comprehensive brand playbook

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Timeline of getting all deliverables completed in 21 weeks.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Working with Contrast & Co. was a great experience. Their project management was excellent. Contrast & Co. delivered everything on time and kept us updated every step of the way. They were organized, clear in their communication, and quick to respond to our needs or changes. Working with them felt smooth and easy

What was your primary form of communication with Contrast & Co.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What impressed me most about Contrast & Co. was how well they turned our ideas into something even better. They really listened, pushed our thinking in smart ways, and delivered beautiful, high-quality work on time. Their mix of creativity, strategy, and reliability made them stand out.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Contrast & Co. could have done differently?

Overall, we had a great experience with Contrast & Co.. If anything, a little more time for internal discussion between major milestones could have helped us keep pace with their fast and efficient timeline. But their team was always flexible and supportive when we needed it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Communications of Severn School

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a preschool through grade 12 co-educational college preparatory school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Contrast & Co. to accomplish?

• Outsource our creative work
• Design our semi-annual alumni magazine
• Partner with us on major creative projects and branding as needed

SOLUTION

How did you find Contrast & Co.?

Referral

Why did you select Contrast & Co. over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Contrast & Co. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We are working with Contrast in several ways. We have them on retainer to handle our ongoing graphic design work, such as the creation of our print and digital ads, collateral materials for specific events and general branding materials. We also partnered with Contrast to take over the design of our alumni magazine, The Bridge, which publishes twice a year. 
Contrast also put together our in-house school directory, created a brand-new college counseling brochure, designed our fall annual appeal, and created a new branding campaign that is displayed around the school. The primary driver of this was to refresh our messaging and look as we kicked off the 2024-25 enrollment season.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Contrast came in on time and under budget. They are always responsive, and every request has been delivered in a timely manner, and they have contributed as partners, providing much-needed (and appreciated) feedback and other insights into our approach and messaging.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, they deliver everything on time. They are very responsive, open to feedback and most importantly, they "get" what our goals are and have provided a fresh perspective on how to promote Severn School.

What was your primary form of communication with Contrast & Co.?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The work is exceptional. They have done things creatively that we didn't even know to ask for. We have been able to give Contrast a high-level vision and to explain our challenges and opportunities, and they have done a remarkable job of absorbing that and presenting us with striking design that is helping us to become leaders in the way we presenting ourselves.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Contrast & Co. could have done differently?

No, nothing that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co Founder of Sixth Wing LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Executive coaching and leadership development programming

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Contrast & Co. to accomplish?

• Rebrand--logo, look,
• Website redesign
• Learning and development program materials

SOLUTION

How did you find Contrast & Co.?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Contrast & Co. over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Contrast & Co. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Contrast & Co led us through a rebranding project that included a new logo suite, tagline, brand look, brand manifesto, website, learning and development materials templates, business development materials, photo library, and presentation deck template.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Clear process of identifying the deliverables that mattered most to us, and delivering them on time at an incredibly high standard of excellence. Great communication throughout, so expectations stayed aligned. Willing to work with us to hone in what we most needed without trying to talk us into anything we didn't want or need.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

On time every time. The only delays came from our end--never theirs. Incredibly responsive to our asks, and willing to hear our priorities and work towards those.

What was your primary form of communication with Contrast & Co.?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Contrast & Co.'s team has exceeded all of our expectations; they've listened to our input and created a brand look that feels incredibly personal to us. Their ability to capture the essence of our company was incredibly impressive. And they are really fun to work with all around.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Contrast & Co. could have done differently?

Nothing comes to mind!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a manager at Deep Instinct, a cybersecurity startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Contrast & Co.?

We wanted to rebrand our business, so we reached out to them to handle our site's UI/UX design and take care of other brand components, like our color palette and visuals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Contrast & Co. is rebranding tasks and redesigning our website’s UI/UX using Figma. We started by giving them our existing brand guidelines, and they revamped that, including our color palette, a slight tweak to our logo, and other efforts to improve our visual identity. In addition, we’ve had multiple rounds of interviews with stakeholders and other executive leadership members so Contrast & Co. could understand our message as a company.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with around six members of their team, including creative directors, UI/UX designers, and content developers.

How did you come to work with Contrast & Co.?

I’ve worked in this industry for a long time and have always admired Contrast & Co.’s work with their other clients in the technology space. We chose them because we thought they could add a unique touch to what we were trying to achieve, which was what we were looking for.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent $100,000–$250,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Thanks to Contrast & Co.’s work, we’ve got a new pipeline, new customers, and more people interested in us due to our bright color palette. Moreover, our online traffic and general engagement have increased significantly by around 50%.

How did Contrast & Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

We handle project management, but they’re strong in ensuring that we complete every task on time throughout our different campaigns. In addition, they have an organized team that is on top of every sprint and wants to keep us fresh and current within our industry so we can scale and evolve as a business. Regarding tools and communication, we use Asana, Zoom, email, and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a forward-thinking, solid, and unique company that wants us to stand out within our industry. In addition, they’re a great brand leader — whenever we give them a new project, they eagerly jump on it to suggest different approaches with a confident, positive, upbeat attitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a small team, so larger projects might take them time to finish. Nonetheless, I have nothing negative to say about their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having discovery calls and ensuring everyone is aligned with the project’s goals can be helpful. Contrast & Co.’s team is great at proposing designs and taking feedback to provide a solid end product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founded in 2016, our company is an early-stage food-tech startup making healthy eating remarkably simple—fresh, flavorful, locally prepared meals and functional beverages delivered directly to your doorstep. We are an e-commerce, subscription-based, direct-to-consumer food company based in Washington, DC, serving health-conscious, intentional eaters throughout the broader DMV area. I am a Co-founder and our company's CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Contrast & Co., and what were your goals?

We engaged Contrast & Co to conduct a comprehensive rebranding of our existing foundational brand identity—including all visual brand identity elements, product packaging, and web design. We have been a largely bootstrapped company since officially launching in October of 2016.

As a result, our brand development, design, and content efforts (aside from creating an initial visual identity for launch in 2016) have been more sporadic than coordinated. Over the past several years, we have gradually introduced new products, including co-branded products with other local food and beverage brands, established new partnerships, and developed a deeper understanding of our core customer and general positioning within the competitive landscape.

And while we’ve tried to maintain a consistent aesthetic, there remained a lack of cohesion between the physical (e.g., product packaging suite) and digital (e.g., website) experiences we offer our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We prepared a formal RFP that we submitted to seven prospective agencies. Once we reviewed each agency's proposal, we scheduled interviews with a list of three finalists. After speaking with the Contrast team, we knew immediately they were the right partner to bring our vision to life. The Contrast team spoke with such passion and clarity of vision and purpose, and we were particularly impressed with the team's focus on bringing their clients' visions to life.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

The general scope of work included:

1. Brand Identity Enhancement: Foundational brand identity enhancement, including a review and update of existing brand guidelines (i.e., logo, logo variants, brand words, typography, type usage, color palette, etc.).
2. Packaging Design: Complete packaging design for several food and beverage products, including fully prepared meals, tonics, cold brew coffee, wellness shots, energy bites, and more.
3. Welcome Package Design: Create a “welcome kit” that is to be included with each new customer’s first delivery (e.g., die cut sleeve envelope and bi-fold brochure).
4. Content Strategy and Identity Development: Develop comprehensive content strategy and guidelines that consider the customer journey—end-to-end—both digitally and physically.
5. Website Design and Content Refresh: Redesign Home, Menu and How it Works pages to reflect updated identity and content strategy.

Contrast & Co.'s process included the following phases:

1. Discovery
2. Brand Development
3. Brand Guidelines
4. Other Signature Brand Assets
5. Packaging Design
6. Welcome Package Design
7. Website Designs for Three Key Views

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We were assigned a project manager, who led all communication, but there were several others involved in the rebranding effort, including the agency's two founders along with several members of the agency's creative strategy team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

In a highly competitive and fragmented industry, where "simple" often means complex, Contrast unleashed the power of connection by bringing magic to every moment, big and small. They took a holistic approach to our brand and translated our vision into a brand experience that reflects what doing good and living well looks like.

As a result of the effort, we now have a comprehensive and cohesive brand identity that seamlessly ties together our online/digital presence with our offline/physical experiences. Since launching our "refreshed" brand identity, we have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from our team, our customers, and even our competitors. The Contrast team far exceeded our original expectations.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We communicated primarily via email, which is our preferred method of communication. The Contrast team provided consistent updates along the way and always erred on the side of over-communicating to ensure that we were aware of any progress, updates, changes, etc.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The breadth and depth of research conducted during the initial discovery phase. The Contrast team spent an exceptional amount of time understanding our industry and competitive landscape to ensure that our brand not only accurately represents our vision and values, but also stands out relative to our competitors in the space. We were also impressed by the team's humility (i.e., ability to set ego aside) and focus on what was best for our company.

In the creative space, it can be easy to focus on beautiful designs that win awards, but the Contrast team's sole goal was leverage their expertise to help bring our vision to life.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Literally can't think of a single thing. It was a true pleasure working with Contrast & Co, and we look forward to hopefully becoming lifelong partners with their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Consero Group. We’re a conference production business that focuses on invitation-only events for senior corporate executives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Contrast & Co.?

We had relied on the same website since the inception of our company, so we hired them to build us a new site that accurately reflected our business and operations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Contrast & Co. started with a completely new concept in building a new website for us from scratch. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a handful of people from the Contrast & Co. team, but we worked closely with Dharma (Founder & Creative Director) and the project manager. 

How did you come to work with Contrast & Co.?

I was referred to Dharma by someone who worked closely with him on a previous project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them on this project from June–November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

After launching our new website, we saw more traffic coming in and our business continued to grow.

How did Contrast & Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an exceptional job in terms of project management — they communicated proactively and did a very nice job of setting our expectations about timelines and the things they required from us in order to keep the project on track. They also operated very efficiently, which kept things moving forward at a pretty rapid pace. In a nutshell, we were extremely happy with how they handled the project.

We communicated with them via email and occasional phone calls, going over any updates about the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was very impressed with their creativity and ability to understand our business as well as we do. They spent a lot of time getting to the heart of what makes our business special, and it took a lot of effort to weave that into the fabric of our website.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve on; we’re uniformly satisfied with their work, which was outstanding.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to all of their ideas — they gave us very creative and innovative concepts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of OTOT Technologies. We’re a digital transformation and monetization company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Contrast & Co.?

We needed help with our branding efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re a new company that’s one been founded in 2019, so we needed Contrast & Co.’s help in establishing what sets our brand apart from our competitors. Their team helps us come up with our own brand narrative and the necessary marketing strategies we need to boost our clientele.

As a digital company, a huge part of our branding efforts depends on our website, so we need Contrast & Co’s expertise in augmenting the UX of our platform to help us define our brand identity.

What is the team composition?

We work with Carin (CEO), Dharma (Founder & Creative Director), and their designers.

How did you come to work with Contrast & Co.?

Contrast & Co. was referred to us by a similar service provider that we previously worked with. I looked their team up and found that they had an impressive portfolio, so I decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $75,000–$100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the engagement in October 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Contrast & Co.’s efforts have elevated our website’s user engagement rate. They’ve done a great job in making our brand stand out in that our clients can also resonate with our identity — I don’t have numbers to report as of now, but that’s been our main success metric for their work.

How did Contrast & Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email and have regular virtual meetings. Contrast & Co.’s team has definitely exceeded our expectations in terms of project management. They respond promptly and stick to deadlines without troubling us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Contrast & Co. has the ability to capture exactly what we want — we have a lot of ideas we can’t execute, and their team handles that for us by bringing our vision and narrative to life. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing else Contrast & CO. can improve — they always deliver impressive results.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Plan ahead of time. You’ll be able to give them all the information they need if you visualize your goals early on, and they’ll be able to implement everything according to your liking in return.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m VP of corporate marketing and communications for SmartSky Networks. We’re a startup creating new technology for aviation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Contrast & Co.?

I was brought on board to launch SmartSky into the market. In my assessment, the brand was basic and not highly professional. I saw the need for not only refreshing the brand but also refreshing the logo. I sought a branding company that could understand our innovative technologies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Contrast’s core task was to refresh our brand, specifically improving our logo, website, and how we talk about ourselves. Based on the technical language that we used to talk about the company, their team created a new language for us to use when talking about the company that succinctly communicates our innovations. They held a series of interviews with people at our company and came back with a significant transformation plan for how we should talk to the market. Their team created a new brand, which included new colors, a new logo, and a new language.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people from Contrast.

How did you come to work with Contrast & Co.?

I heard about them through their work with an airline association, which was excellent. It was a competitive process, and they won the competition.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $70,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

I hired them around October 2019, and we finished in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The new brand is universally loved inside the company. I haven't heard any negative comments about Contrast's work. They got the language right from the beginning. The team 100% accepted the language that their team created for us to use when talking about our company. Our leadership embraced their work and wants to use it.

How did Contrast & Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

To begin the project, they gave us a detailed outline. They followed through on every stage of that outline even though we were a bit disorganized at the time. It was a challenge on their side to deal with multiple stakeholders, but their team stuck to the plan and delivered on time. We had regular phone calls and email exchanges with them. They also did a whole series of presentations that were useful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Contrast marries great design and great language abilities. Their team figures out a way to communicate complex ideas in the most simplistic form. That’s why we hired them. They boiled down our ideas into succinct phrases that resonate. There are many companies that focus on design and many other companies that write copy. Contrast does both extremely well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have presented more than one core image for our logo. We ended up adjusting it after their final presentation. Contrast basically banked on one approach but I was in favor of having a choice.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before starting the project, ensure alignment inside your company. Alignment is critical to a smooth process. An in-person meeting with Contrast will tell you that they have a phenomenal ability to understand complex issues and communicate them well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of the Knowledge Management and Communication Unit at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, an 8-country intergovernmental organisation working for the environment and the wellbeing of the people of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. With one foot in research and one foot in development, ICIMOD is an organisation unlike any other.

For over three decades, we've worked tirelessly across the HKH to create a prosperous and environmentally secure region where people thrive. And with an incredible network of partners and peers around us, we continue to seek new solutions to the challenges that face the people and mountains of this region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Contrast & Co.?

With the world-wide release of one of our major research reports, we realized that we needed a new look and some new branding that would help position us and our issues more centrally on the global stage. With a highly successful branding process, we then engaged with Contract & Co. for a complete make over of our website. Contrast & Co. have exceeded our expectations throughout both processes in terms of their individual attention, fabulous listening skills and superb design talent.

We felt well understood as an institution and were deeply impressed with the team's attention to detail, willingness to engage any and all questions, thorough and clear planning and implementation processes and their honed ability to keep the projects on track. The clear language, classy designs and attractive layouts have improved the look across all of our products including our website and all publications.

What were your goals for this project?

Our previous branding process was essentially a design process for our publications. Although we wanted a bit more from this branding project, we were initially unsure what it could be. We were a bit concerned about losing the gravitas of our mission if we adopted more PR-like approaches.

But Contrast & Co. helped us to see the high value in adopting a rally cry for the institution, which has served us extremely well. Beyond that, in all of the design for the new branding, it is clear that Contrast well understood our basic need to communicate gravitas while also allowing ample space for using our vast repository of visual photo assets. This is also reflected in the web design that they provided for us, which is extraordinarily flexible, adaptive to our needs and user-friendly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through a very rigorous international request for proposals process which was also supplemented by our use of some branding search firms and some initial exploratory interviews with prospective agencies, we eventually shortlisted 4 companies for presentation to our senior management. From the initial presentation, it was clear that Contrast & Co. had done their homework, understood much from their review of our public information, communicated very effectively in strong, simple and persuasive language and managed to do all of this with huge doses of humility and authenticity.

From the very beginning of the process, we felt that they took their relationship with us very seriously and were committed to ensure that the relationship was open, transparent and positive, just as the work was professional, on time and so well captured what we needed.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We began with an extremely effective discovery process based on an analysis of the main stakeholders for our institution. In-person sessions were coupled with online surveys and Wes and Kayla traveled all the way to Kathmandu from Maryland for the exceedingly well managed process where colleagues from across the institution participated in focus group meetings. From there, Contrast demonstrated incredible synthesizing, analytical and marketing skills in the branding presentation that they put together. The design elements they proposed were reflective of their innovation, creativity and design talent. After that highly successful project, and based on their demonstrated understanding of our mission, we invited them to apply for another contract for a total overhaul of our website.

Having won that competitive bidding process, we were again amazed at the depth of Contrast & Co.'s experience as they guided us through a step-by-step process including a massive information architecture review and revision. Having emphasized promotion of our richness of photographic assets in the branding process, they also brought that into our website design. The navigation, user-friendliness, built-in redundancy, and ease of backend management have been particularly effective for us.

What was the team composition?

Senior management worked initially and for all approvals with Dharma, and a small core team from my unit worked administratively with Carin and then operationally with Kate and mostly with Wes throughout. Kayla and Wes made a visit to us, which was an important face-to-face meeting. Since we are located half a world away from where Contrast & Co. are located, we had assumed that we would need more visits from members of the Contrast team. But the communication was so pro-active, open and the team were always immediately responsive, so even just a 3-day visit was enough to solidify an excellent working relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our branding has met with resounding success and our rally cry has been cited in global arenas such as the United Nations' High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2019 and the World Meteorological Organization High Mountain Summit in October 2019 and across multiple fora in our eight member countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Our website has seen a dramatic increase in engagement and length of time spent on the site, as well as increases in the reach of the site outside our region especially to the US, Australia and Europe. The new design for our publications have also been well received by our Board of Governors, colleagues and external audiences.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

This is one place where Contrast & Co. demonstrate honed expertise and professionalism. The project management was openly communicative, clear and extraordinarily well designed such that it all appeared effortless. Contrast colleagues took the time to introduce us to some new tools so that we could review work together and were always immediately responsive to any questions or feedback that we presented. Wes, with whom we worked very closely, has a positive and appreciating personal communicative style that helped everyone on the team to feel well appreciated and understood.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Everything about working with Contrast & Co. was impressive - from the manner in which the entire company gave attention to our project, to the effective communication, to the vast artistic and design talent, to the efficiency of all administrative work, to the friendliness of everyone on the team. We have been deeply appreciative of their bringing to bear their significant expertise to help us in our mission and we're more than happy to provide very detailed recommendation to anyone who might seek it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have been totally satisfied with every aspect of work with Contrast & Co.