Tag: client education

Competitors: With Whom do we Compete?

Posted on by Calvin Fabre

We Believe in More Pie

Business Schools tell us to study them. “Study your competitors, try to overcome them, try to do one or two things better than them so as to gain market share,” they preach. This is a “scarcity thinking” mentality. That is, we believe there is a fixed amount of “market” and we all want to get a bigger share of it.

Scarcity and Abundance Thinking

Steven Covey coined the ideas of “Scarcity and Abundance” mentalities. He writes, “The Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit—even with those who help in the production. They also have a a very hard time being genuinely happy for the success of other people.”

Covey continues, “The Abundance Mentality, on the other hand, flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity.” At Envoc, we are not “scarcity” thinkers, but “abundant” thinkers.

If Envoc is truly an Abundance-thinking company, then you won’t find us battling to share the pie that is called “market share,” you will find us battling to create more pie. One reason we call our creatives, “creative” is that they “create.” They don’t “rearrange” what exists, nor do they “acquire,” “takeover,” or “commandeer”—we create more creative pie. After one month of Envoc creatives crafting their designs, we have not stolen any market share, but rather, the world is 31 designs richer in market share than it was before.

Who is our Competitor?

In our eyes, our prospect’s indecision is our true competitor—not some other company with whom our prospect is comparing us to or who is battling us for market share. That is, we believe our clients have three options under consideration for their project: a) Do the project themselves, b) don’t do the project at all or c) work with Envoc to do the project. We don’t mention, think of, or bring up our competitors unless our client does. If they do, we acknowledge the existence of the competitor and praise them as a good company, but that is not why we are around the table in the conference room. Our strategies are belief, values and “better reality” driven. So, “who is our competitor?” It really doesn’t matter.

Piece of pie representing market share in a competitive landscape

Trust Your Designer

Posted on by admin

The thought of trusting your project’s entire visual identity with a professional graphic, web, or UX designer can be scary for someone who has never worked with one. This post was written to ease your anxiety and help you understand what’s going on behind those trendy, thick-rimmed glasses. Here’s why you can breathe a sigh of relief:

There is a great quote that I like to refer to now and again: “Designers are meant to be loved, not to be understood.” As a designer myself, I have come to terms with how true this statement is. Most of my friends wouldn’t laugh at the joke, “I shot the serif,” or go on a rampage about how awful the font “Papyrus” is (ick, just typing it makes me cringe). My husband, who is a Medical Physics Ph.D student, is just about as far away from having the “eye” as you can get. So trust me when I say that I know how foreign designers can seem to a non-creative person.

We are an interesting breed and we know it. We get that you don’t understand how we think, why we care so much about tiny details you didn’t even notice, or how important “white space” is to our sense of well-being in this cluttered world. But behind those inquisitive gazes and trendy outfits, we are actually really smart—just in a visual way. And guess what? We want to help you and your business. You can trust us, and here’s why:

A lot of people assume that designers are complete artsy-fartsy types—super emotional, irrational, and impractical. The kind of people who would sit around painting and writing poetry if they could (not that that’s a bad thing). And some are. However, we by and large do not consider ourselves to be fine artists. This is for a few reasons:

  1. We want to actually make a living (haha… but really)
  2. We like using our creativity in the real world, not only on a canvas
  3. Our preferred medium may be in print or pixels, not with pencils and paint
  4. We consider “art” to mostly be “for arts’ sake” whereas “design” is a means of problem-solving—with objectives, goals, and a clear purpose (It’s a long discussion.)

For these reasons, designers tend to land closer to the middle of the right and left-brain spectrum than on the far right. This is great news for you, our client. Why? Because we will give you:

  • Creativity with rationale behind it
  • Order, organization, and clarity
  • Something people WANT to look at (and keep looking at)
  • A clear message delivered in a strategic way
  • Visually engaging material that your customers will keep interacting with

Those things sound great, right? So don’t fret. We understand that it’s hard sometimes to let go of the familiar. For instance, we recently had a client that was having a hard time letting go of their preconceived design expectations for their website. They were set on a particular color and typeface that didn’t necessarily appeal to their ideal audience. They were hesitant to allow “white space” (empty space for design purposes) on their website and were adamant about filling up every open spot with their company tagline. But, with a little trust and a leap of faith, the client was able to let go of their preconceived notions about design and let us flex our expertise. With a few design comps and a couple of revisions, we were able to show the client that we had their goals in mind the entire time, and brought the project further than they could have ever imagined. The end result? A successful website and a happy client.

So whether you are working with a print designer, web designer, or user interface designer, know that you are in good hands. Our goals are your goals. You can sleep soundly knowing that we are professionals with knowledge and experience under our belts. When we do what we do best, our clients are always happy with the outcome. It’s ok to trust your designer, you will be glad you did!

Need to build a new or update an old website? Beginning a new company and need help with brand identity? Need a rebrand?

TRUST OUR DESIGNERS