A Glimpse Into My Fall Internship at 1-Stop Design
As a senior Marketing major at Framingham State University, I thought I knew a lot about Marketing and how businesses run. Turns out there is still a lot that I do not know, and a lot left to learn. I’ve taken in a wealth of new knowledge while interning at 1 Stop Design Shop, things that I would not have learned inside a classroom or from a textbook. From my experience and current knowledge, if I were to be a marketing specialist here at 1-Stop Design Shop and a new client approached me asking for guidance on how to rebrand their company, here are the steps that I would take.
Getting To Know the Customer
One of the first things that I learned was the importance of being personal and personable with clients. If a company came to me and asked for guidance on rebranding themselves, my first approach would be to get to know them as people, and then as a company. The founder of 1-Stop, Chris Hennigan explained to me how she always prioritizes sitting down with new clients and taking the time to get to know them as people. Since their business is usually a reflection of themselves, getting to know the client personally before diving straight into guidance is most important so she can pinpoint what it is exactly that their business needs help with, and what is the best approach that will benefit their unique business.
What Needs To Go?
Once I felt I had a solid grasp of the company and its employees, my next approach would be to discuss why they wanted to rebrand. What did not work for them in the past, and why? I believe that it is important for business owners to fully understand where their business stands and for them to fully commit to changes. Follow-up questions would include: Where do you want the brand to go and why do we want to go in that direction? What are the pros and cons of going in that direction? And assessing if there is a different approach that makes more sense for this company.
Brainstorm & Research
Doing brainstorming and research with the clients to pick out ideas and inspiration for the rebrand. May that be a logo refresh or a website redesign, look at the competition websites and ask the following questions:
- How do they have their website set up?
- Do they have pictures or videos/graphics/animations on their page?
- What seems to be working and what does not seem to be working?
Creating mood boards is a great way to figure out what color schemes and tones the client likes, these elements help create the feeling they want their website to emit.
What Do We Stand For?
The final step in the process would be developing the brand’s overall image. What values is this brand representing, and are we showcasing them in the best way? As I mentioned before, a company is often a reflection of those who run and work for there therefore it is important for customers to feel confident in where they choose to spend their precious time and money.
Expertise I’ve Developed.
One of the most important things I have learned from the people at 1-Stop Design is to love your work environment. Right away I noticed upon walking into 1-Stop on the first day of my internship, how clean and bright the workplace was. Everyone’s offices are clean and organized in their own way, unique to themselves. The people themselves are super friendly, easy to talk to, and approachable. Not only that, everyone is fun; always laughing and smiling with each other. It’s a very refreshing group of people here at 1-Stop Design making it a very enjoyable environment and a place that I like to be at.
Talk to Our Amazing Team
Definitely don’t hesitate to reach out to 1-Stop, contact us here to get started on your company’s rebranding journey.