Case Studies.

Naviant, Inc. is a business process management solutions provider for critical process and document flow challenges. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Verona, Wisconsin, the company has rapidly grown to include an international customer base.

The target audience is executives requiring innovative and complete solutions to critical process and document flow challenges.

When the company came to us, our objective was to help them refocus their brand, to develop key messages and update the brand visuals. They were using two names: MTM International and Naviant Group. In addition, their business had drastically changed. They had started as a document management company.

We did research for them to understand their competitors, state of the industry and what their customers were saying. What we found was that they were more than a document management company and also that using two names for different services was confusing to the marketplace.

As a result, we recommended they change the company name to Naviant, Inc. We refocused their corporate positioning and messaging, and we completely redeveloped the brand visually.

The project included research, naming, key messages, public relations, employee communications, logo design, stationery package, product sheets, electronic templates for Microsoft Word® / PowerPoint®, identity standards manual and Website at www.naviant-inc.com.

Naviant is essentially an information management company. Our strategy was to create a visual brand that visually represented data and information. As Naviant’s target audience includes CEOs, it was important the brand be conservative, upscale and professional.

When designing the logo we used the circular symbol to place emphasis on the ‘via’ portion of Naviant’s name. The symbol uses white arrows / swoosh shapes to create the yin / yang or back / forth of information flow. Naviant is the vehicle that enables companies to easily manage their data flow.

Brand graphic elements include a circular line pattern with arrows and a grey ‘matrix’ pattern made up of dots, both subtle representations of information. The overall look is understated, classy and professional.

As a result, Naviant has had much positive feedback and comments on the new name and brand. Additionally, they’ve had a renewed sense of ownership and pride in the company from the internal stakeholders.

Accelerated Genetics is a global provider of bovine genetics and research, reproductive services and solution-based animal health products. Accelerated Genetics functions as a cooperative. Members include purchasing customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.

Target audiences included prospective and existing coop members, i.e., farmers.

Accelerated Genetics has an in-house marketing team that handles most of their marketing needs. They came to us because they felt their creative was getting stale. They wanted help creating a campaign theme that they could then apply to other marketing materials themselves.

The project included a campaign slogan, Dairy Sire Directory cover and tradeshow booth. We also designed their Repro Connections logo. The main challenge of the project was to ensure that their materials did not look ‘cliché’ for agricultural marketing materials. Accelerated Genetics wanted their look to be unique and artistic, to really stand apart from other A.I. companies.

When evaluating the industry, it quickly became apparent that using photography of cows was the norm. Our strategy was to create a more artistic look without the use of photography. We still show cows, but always in a more illustrative style, and paired with a larger message. The theme for the original campaign was ‘Prosperity is Genetic,’ meaning that the farmer’s prosperity will increase with the use of Accelerated Genetics products. The results of the campaign were so well received that they came back to us annually for a new directory cover theme and artwork.

Animal Emergency & Treatment Centers is a referral-based animal emergency center with two locations in Illinois, Grayslake and Chicago. AETC supports referring veterinarians by offering services that include Computed Tomography (CT), Ultrasound, Endoscopy, Digital Radiography and a comprehensive diagnostic laboratory. Additionally, their blood donor program is one-of-a-kind in the Chicagoland area.

Our objective in rebranding AETC was to establish them as a leading small animal veterinary specialty care and critical treatment center with referring veterinarians, while also creating a brand that would appeal to pet owners.

Target audiences included prospective referring veterinarians, referring veterinarian partners, pet owners and stakeholders. The project included developing company positioning and key messages, a new logo, tagline, stationery package, brochure, tradeshow booth, e-mail marketing template, direct mail campaign, and Website at www.aetcenter.com.

A challenge of the project was the dual audience. Referring veterinarians are AETC’s customers. All of AETC’s marketing materials are targeted at the pet owner, as they are the ultimate decision maker, as well as their primary veterinarian, to get them to refer emergency and complicated cases to AETC.

Our strategy was to create a brand that visually appeared friendly and conveyed the message that AETC ‘cares.’ While there are other treatment options in the Chicagoland area, AETC cares more – and that sense of compassion and caring will ultimately mean better treatment for your pet and your patients.

Additionally, by targeting AETC’s marketing messages to the pet owner, it helped to give them confidence in AETC’s service and level of care, and ultimately this confidence makes it easier for veterinarians to refer AETC’s services.

Results of the campaign included the growth of AETC’s business and the addition of a second hospital two years ago.

Federal Industries has been in business for more than 80 years. The company is a leading manufacturer of bakery and deli display cases and food merchandisers for food service, convenience stores and supermarkets. Located in Belleville, Wisconsin, they sell their products through a nationwide network of sales representatives and equipment dealers.

While they typically sell business-to-business, their marketing materials are targeted at the dealer and end user both. The target audience is equipment dealers and the dealers of potential clients.

As a company with a long history, Federal had been receiving feedback that their materials were looking dated. In 2010, we helped them undergo a major brand update.

The major challenge to this project is that Federal’s strength had become their largest weakness. Federal is a leader in their industry. However, competitors were using Federal’s long history against them – labeling them as old and behind the times.

Our objective was to keep the core of the Federal brand intact, while updating the look to present Federal as a high-tech, modern manufacturer – visually, their materials needed to look like the market leader that they are.

The project included updating the Federal logo, creation of several branded product features, naming and positioning of their ‘value’ line of products, updating the look of their literature and completely redeveloping their Website at www.federalind.com.

Our strategy was to create a visual identity that is clean and professional, reflects ‘operational excellence,’ while also looking modern. Ultimately, helping them to get the word out that they have been the industry ‘leader’ for a reason.

The new brand was launched at the 2011 NAFEM show with many compliments from customers and Federal’s corporate parent, Standex Industries. As a result, due to increased demand, they have already needed to reprint their new Elements (value line) price list.

Genome International is a privately owned, translational genome research-driven company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. It primarily focuses on developing innovative solutions for genomic and proteomic data analysis and knowledge discovery. The company is known for its next generation sequencing data analysis capabilities and provides customized bioinformatics solutions.

Genome target audiences include companies, government agencies, pharmaceutical institutes, research institutes, hospitals and clinics, and professionals in the life sciences, and information technology in both plant and animal genome arena. Its primary sector of the market is translational genome research and knowledge from bench to bedside.

After almost a decade of building its business and platforms, Genome came to us in 2010 to help them build their brand. Our objective was to help them refocus their brand, establish a unique visual identity and launch the new look at the IPAG 2011 tradeshow.

The project included public relations, logo update, tradeshow booth and four pull-up banner stands, custom pocket folder with four printed insert sheets and electronic sales sheet template.

A challenge of the project is that Genome is both a scientific company, and also an information technology company. Much of what Genome does is very proprietary. They wanted to make a big splash at the IPAG tradeshow, but also did not want to give any secrets away to competitors.

Our strategy was to create brand graphics that visually demanded attention without being wordy. Keeping the messages short and directing prospects to seek out additional information by engaging in conversation with Genome.

We created a layered, brand graphic background that represented both the scientific and information technology aspects of Genome’s business. The ribbon is representative of an abstract DNA ribbon, and also the flow of information. The dot and text patterns are representative of DNA gene sequencing, and also of pixels or blocks of information.

Ultimately, Genome’s tradeshow display was a hit. Their booth generated the excitement they were hoping for while booths around them were relatively empty.

The Village of McFarland is a small town located just outside Madison, Wisconsin. They needed a Website that would accomplish two goals: to communicate effectively with town residents, and allow them to manage the site’s content themselves.

Target audiences were town residents, potential residents, village department managers and staff members.

Our objective was to create a Website design that was user and manager friendly. The village Website is very large, and needed to be easy to navigate and find information. Since each department manager would be responsible for their own section of the Website, the site needed to be easy to manage for a large group of people.

As a municipality, gaining consensus and fulfilling the needs of a large group of people was the project’s biggest challenge. Since the village is a governmental body, all meetings were open to the public, and required ample due notice.

Additionally, each department head had pretty specific ideas on what they wanted their section to look like.

Visually, our strategy was to create a Website that built upon the look of the logo and created the foundation for a McFarland brand. The primary color scheme is green, representative of local marshland. The site has an arcing header and rounded corners on feature boxes, giving the site a casual and friendly appearance.

Each section is a different color, giving the user a visual cue that they’ve moved into a different department.
The site is built upon the DotNetNuke CMS framework. DotNetNuke is a robust content management system that allows for roles-based management. It allows certain groups of people to have rights and permissions to do certain tasks based on their assigned user group role. This allowed each department to take ownership of their section of the Website.

The content management system is simple to use for even nontechnical users. Pages can be edited easily via a Web browser by clicking a button. No need to learn a new programming language or complex Web editing software.

While the overall template and structure remains constant throughout the site, within each section the managers have the ability to update the header photos, section navigation, special callout features, and page content. This allows each department to have ‘ownership’ of their section – letting them express themselves while still remaining faithful to the McFarland brand.

The results of the project have been a large and robust Website at www.mcfarland.wi.us/ for the Village residents that is easily maintained and updated by the Village staff.

Network Engineering Technologies provides single-source, end-to-end professional and managed service solutions from network design to remote, onsite as well as logistical services and support for customers’ complex voice, data and video infrastructures and systems. They operate across North America with a 24 / 7 centrally located National Customer Support Center (NCSC), Help Desk and Network Operations Center (NOC) centrally located near Madison, Wisconsin.

Target audiences include the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), distributor, reseller and end user in the retail, healthcare and IP technology markets.

Our objective in rebranding NET was to present them as a technology leader that has a diverse service offering and is more that just a structured cabling company.

NET’s clients are primarily big-box retailers and large healthcare companies. They needed a brand that positioned them as a high-tech company. We positioned them as a trusted resource partner with the knowledge and experience to handle large accounts.

The project included a logo redesign, stationery package, company and service brochures, custom pocket folder with sales sheet inserts, electronic proposal and welcome kit templates, Website banner ads, several branded service icons and identity standards manual.

Our strategy was to create a visual identity that represented the flow of information. The circle, which represented ‘global,’ became the predominant visual element. Graphic elements included the NET Wave and ‘slice’ and the orange / grey color theme.

The result of the rebrand was to refocus NET’s messages to be less reliant on business from the big-box retailers as the economy slowed. This has allowed them to move into the growing areas of audio / video conferencing, and customer help desk / support.