A roaster needed names, a voice and a bag.
Volta Coffee
- Creative DirectionV.
- Brand Voice & NamingMichelle R.
- Packaging DesignMarvin H.
- Launch ContentAva J.
Approach
How it works.
One brief, one creative director, and a team built for the job. This is what happens between getting in touch and getting the work.
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01
The brief
Week oneYou send one form and it reaches V. directly. A first conversation follows within a few days — about the problem, not the deliverables. Often the most useful thing to come out of it is a different brief from the one that went in.
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02
The team
Week one to twoV. chooses the people: usually three to five, from a network of twenty, picked for this project and no other. You get a short proposal naming each of them, what they're there to do, the schedule and the cost. Nobody is added to fill a gap in someone's calendar.
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03
The idea
Weeks two to fourBefore anything is designed, the team agrees the single idea the work will hang on, and you agree it too. It is usually one sentence. Everything afterwards is tested against it, which is what stops a project with five specialists becoming five projects.
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04
The work
The middleThe specialists make the work; V. directs it. You have one point of contact for creative decisions and one for schedule and budget, and reviews happen at agreed points rather than continuously. You will always know what you are looking at and what you're being asked to decide.
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05
Delivery
The end, and afterFinal files, guidelines your own team can actually use, and a handover with the people who made them. Several of our projects were built to be run without us afterwards — that is a feature, not a lost retainer.
Building the team
Three briefs, three different teams.
The team follows the problem. These three projects share a creative director and not one collaborator.
A museum needed its collection online, and a table in the gallery.
The Cabinet
- Creative DirectionV.
- Interface DesignTasha P.
- Creative TechnologyKendel B.
- Web DevelopmentKevin O.
- Specimen PhotographyRobbie S.
A production house needed a mark, and a way for it to move.
Vela
- Creative DirectionV.
- Brand DesignJosie R.
- Motion DesignDerik T.
- Video DirectionMike J.
Who does what
One contract. Two jobs, kept apart.
V. and the team
- The brief, and the idea the work hangs on
- Choosing and directing the specialists
- Every creative decision, and every review with you
- The quality of what ships
Influence Design Studio
- One agreement covering everyone on the project
- Schedule, budget and day-to-day project management
- One invoice, and paying the collaborators
- Rights, licences and handover
Questions
What people ask first.
Can I hire one of the collaborators directly?
Not through the collective, and that is deliberate. Every engagement runs through V., because what you are buying is a team chosen and directed as one — not a list of freelancers. It is also why the profiles on this site carry no contact details.
What if I only need one discipline?
Tell us. Sometimes a project really is just a website or just a film, and the team is two people. More often the brief turns out to need something it didn't mention — a name before the logo, a strategy before the campaign — and we will say so before you commit to anything.
Who will I actually be talking to?
V., for the creative work, from the first conversation to the last. Influence Design Studio for contracts, schedules and invoices. You will meet the specialists on your project, and work with them directly at the points where that's useful.
How is it priced?
Per project, quoted after the first conversation, once the team is known. There are no packages and no day-rate menu. The budget range on the inquiry form isn't a commitment — it tells us what kind of answer is realistic.
How long does a project take?
It depends on the brief. An identity is typically a few months; a launch film or a website of any size is similar; a campaign can be faster. The proposal gives a schedule with dates, and Influence Design Studio holds everyone to it, including us.
Who owns the work?
You do, on final payment — one agreement with Influence Design Studio covers everyone who worked on the project, so there are no separate licences to chase. Anything licensed from a third party, such as a typeface or music, is set out in the proposal.
Can you work alongside our in-house team or another agency?
Yes, and often. The team is built around what you already have: if you have developers, we won't bring one.