CASE STUDY
Branding firm leverages web development services
Published:
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Creative focus maintained by offloading technical development and micromanagement to a dependable partner.
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Seamless brand experience delivered by combining Substance’s creative strategy with WLA’s technical execution.
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Hidden overhead, providing high-level development expertise while keeping projects strictly within client budgets.
ABOUT CUSTOMER
About Substance
Founded in Chicago in 2005, Substance has established itself as a dedicated branding firm known for creating authentic brand identities. Over the past decade, they have focused predominantly on non-profits while also serving a variety of for-profit clients. Substance specializes in comprehensive branding strategies, offering services such as brand research, strategy, naming, visual identity, and messaging. Their brand expression can include everything from websites, brochures, and signage to vehicle graphics and other marketing materials.
While their core strength lies in brand strategy and creative expression, Substance recognizes the importance of integrating reliable web development into their branding efforts. To achieve this, they collaborate with external partners, ensuring they deliver a complete brand experience without compromising their focus on strategic and creative elements. This is where their partnership with White Label Agency (WLA) comes into play.
THE CHALLENGE
Facing web development hurdles
As their projects grew in scale and complexity, Substance encountered a significant hurdle in managing large-scale website projects. They discovered that expanding in-house to hire developers didn’t make sense for the company, as different clients preferred different CMSs, making it financially impractical to maintain a diverse in-house team.
On the other hand, handling extensive sites with individual freelance developers also proved challenging due to limitations in the freelancers’ bandwidth and the need to avoid micromanaging the development process. “We prefer to focus on ensuring the website aligns with our designs without overseeing every detail of the development itself.” explained Matthew Brett, Substance’s Creative Director and Founder.
Recognizing the unsustainable nature of solely relying on individual freelancers, Substance sought a more dependable approach. It became evident that they needed an alternative solution to tackle their web development needs.
Substance began exploring partnerships with specialized agencies, with the goal of finding an experienced outsourcing partner capable of efficiently handling their technical requirements. Through a recommendation from another satisfied WLA partner, they discovered White Label Agency (WLA), where they found the expertise and support necessary to manage their web development projects effectively.
“We prefer to focus on ensuring the website aligns with our designs without overseeing every detail of the development itself.”
Matthew Brett
Creative Director and Founder
THE SOLUTION
Seamless integration and expert solutions
WLA offered Substance a scalable, efficient solution to their web development challenges. The collaboration began with a clear understanding of roles and expectations, ensuring a smooth workflow from the start. Initial discussions with WLA’s account manager helped establish communication cadences and set clear responsibilities for project-based and dedicated development services.
Substance was impressed by WLA’s structured approach, which included weekly meetings and regular Zoom calls to keep everyone aligned. This consistent communication was crucial in addressing any issues promptly and ensuring the project stayed on track. Additionally, WLA introduced Substance to their dedicated development team, facilitating direct communication for more technical details.
Matthew found this process rather effective. “The team at WLA was very flexible and accommodating,” he says, “especially with our hands-on clients who frequently requested changes.”
One more factor that successfully contributed to the collaboration was WLA’s use of tools like Userback, Slack, and ClickUp. These platforms allowed Substance to provide visual feedback easily, facilitating the revision process. “The Userback tool was extremely helpful for us as it enabled visual and intuitive feedback, which is essential in our line of work,” Matthew noted.
THE RESULT
Enhanced efficiency and cost savings
By leveraging WLA’s expertise and robust processes, Substance was able to focus on their core strengths—brand strategy and creative design— without getting bogged down by technical challenges. The partnership with WLA improved their capacity to handle large-scale projects that individual freelancers could not effectively manage.
Additionally, their collaboration resulted in significant cost savings, as hiring a similar web agency in Chicago would have been much more expensive and beyond many clients’ budgets.
The collaboration between Substance and White Label Agency highlights the importance of combining creative expertise with strategic partnerships, resulting in better management of complex web development projects and customer success.
By choosing to work with White Label Agency, you can efficiently handle large-scale web development projects by avoiding technical hassle and freeing up your time to focus on your core strengths. Trust us to manage the technicalities and transform your web development challenges into seamless solutions.
The team at WLA was very flexible and accommodating, especially with our hands-on clients who frequently requested changes.
Matthew Brett
Creative Director and Founder
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