Creativity takes many pathways at Growth Inc.
People are visual and signage can impact them on an emotional level. Whether working with clients on a high-level event project or a rebranding campaign, our team designs signage that helps people feel the culture.
It starts from the initial consultation we have with clients. Getting to know them and their brand creates the spark; learning about their marketing goals and printing challenges lights the fuse; collaborating on project solutions that are both effective and distinctive sets off a firework of design concepts that help translate vision into reality.
We spoke recently with some of the integral members of our team: Matt Taraboletti, Creative Director; Dan Sanders, Production and Graphic Designer; Rachel Gardner, Customer Service Lead, and Nick DiOssi, Customer Service Specialist. Here’s what they had to say about the company’s ‘Yes’ creative culture when it comes to clients, the process, as well as their own artistic inspiration:
The Design Team Philosophy
Not only is our creative work unique to each client, but the art behind the design is something else that differentiates our work. Matt’s BFA in Communication Design is from Kutztown University; Dan’s Associate Degree in graphic design from the Delaware College of Art and Design. This additional expertise helps us look at a project holistically, viewing it – literally – from every angle.
When it comes to design inspiration, modernist graphic design master Paul Rand – his work includes corporate logo designs for IBM, UPS, Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT – is a favorite of our design team. Dan admires Rand’s “belief in his own work, providing corporate clients with solutions and not options.” For Matt, it’s Rand’s “clean and timeless logo and design work.” As for their own styles, clean and simple is a common denominator: Matt is a minimalist, while Dan follows the ‘Swiss’ style of using grids for balance and sans-serif fonts.
Of the many Growth Inc. design projects worked on, memorable ones for Matt include the Personalized Fund Mailer/Package for Saint Mark’s High School and the Siemens Healthineers Quick Reference Guide rebranding project. Dan enjoyed designing options for the blood bank’s mobile blood unit – a large RV that was wrapped in vinyl graphics, and working on the building graphics for Loving Touch Animal Clinic.
The Collaborative Process
Before the design team gets started, our customer service team has their own work to do. They delve into discussions with the client to fully understand the rationale, purpose and history behind every project request. This discovery beforehand informs the design team’s creative process afterwards. Here’s how they describe it:
Q: Tell us about your collaborative process with clients.
A: (Nick) It’s rare that a client comes to us knowing exactly what they need. Often times, we are given the bare bones of a project and it is up to our team to collaborate with clients to take it to the next level. Once we are able to marry all of these ideas into a cohesive vision, our team goes the extra mile in moving the process forward and transforming what was just an idea into a tangible item that will help our client’s business grow.
A: (Rachel) It begins with translating a customer’s need into a want. A majority of clients, especially new clients, cannot envision their idea as a tangible product. We’re able to interpret their ‘wish’- however vague it might be – into printing/design terms and conceptualize it into a concrete image with them.
Q: What do you think keeps Growth clients staying as longtime customers?
A: (Nick) There are three areas that help us retain long-term clients. The first is our relationship with our clients: the most important thing to us. We want them to know they can trust us with any project. If they come up with a request that seems impossible, we remember our ‘Yes’ motto and find a way to give them what they want, no matter what. The second area is our quality. Whether it is customer service, printing, design or signage, our main focus is getting the job done at an exceptional quality. The third area is our speed. Most of the jobs that come in are rush jobs. Our ability to meet fast turnaround times, at a high-quality level, while putting the client’s needs first is really what sets us apart from the pack.
A: (Rachel) Our longtime employees. We are a small business that employs loyal, kind, creative, and fun people that become part of the Growth family. Our ability and desire to keep customers happy is contagious, and our loyalty to their success is returned with their loyalty to us as a vendor. We care about the business and the customers personally, and we want to show that as much as possible.
One thing is for sure, what Matt, Dan, Rachel and Nick all agree on is that Growth Inc. is a creative family that adheres to a singular mission. The essence of their work – from collaboration to design – can be summed up in one word: ‘Yes.’ It’s their action word!