Traditional Agency vs Karpi Studio

The lesson I want to share with you today is one I learned during our last project (at this moment still an ongoing project). It was pretty big and shocking at the same time. Especially because I have been asked many times by my mentors: "Why are you different" and "Why should they choose you?" My answers to them always started with: "We are the best in...". I realized this is the wrong approach because somebody can always outcompete us every time and it is very subjective. Big agencies can outcompete us on research, we just do not have a big enough team for having dedicated researchers.

Only today I realized where we are different as a web design studio. I will have to run a comparison between our studio and traditional web design agencies. So I will explain their approach (majority of agencies – the bigger they are the bigger of a problem is it) and then our approach.

Traditional web design agencies have a strict process.

It looks something like this:

• Strategy
• Wireframes
• Copywriting
• High-Fidelity Designs
• Implementation (coding)
• Launch

This is in a nutshell a very normal web design process, roadmap or name it as you want it. At Karpi Studio we have a similar process and we have a huge checklist making sure we are on the track. However here our similarities with big agencies end. 

Sign off

All the agencies have experience with indecisive clients. Clients would take weeks to decide on the correct wording. It is a big challenge to manage scope, deadlines and even budget. It falls 100% on the shoulders of the agency.

To mitigate this, big agencies require the client to sign-off the milestone every time they finish some work.

It looks something like this:

• Strategy - when done client signs it off
• Wireframes - when done client signs it off
• Copywriting - when done client signs it off
• High-Fidelity Designs - when done client signs it off
• Implementation (coding) - when done client signs it off

The catch: If you as a client of such an agency run into ahá moment – let's say during the High-Fidelity Design milestone you realize a problem with messaging then guess what –you pay extra. 

Plus: Deadline extends.

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How we deal with sign-offs at Karpi Studio

Now, at our last project I realized something: Not that we have the same problem – we know that. Everyone has. I realized that we repeatedly allow our clients to get back to the previous stage and make sure we do it properly.

We always give clients the freedom to take one step back.

• Because we want them to nail it
• Because we believe in fundamentals
• Because we value the relationship with our clients

As a boutique agency playing with big players our work must succeed every time. --> Every single time

Now keep in mind, we don't charge extra for this.

It is our risk.

However if that would be standing on the place forever or circle back and forth then we will of course lose money.

So how do we make sure we don't lose money: We focus on output not features.

Example: 

Your ideal customer comes to your website. He sees nailed problems vs solutions. Then nice high quality design and super quick website. This is happening in his head: 

• "Wow I have to contact these guys"
• "There must be amazing people"
• "They must know their s**t"

While when your ideal customer sees website of your competitor he:

• Not understanding the value proposition
• Full of marketing jargons
• Full of empty promises
• Not projecting trust

We focus on output 100%

We are able to turn scope around in the middle of a project not because we contracted motion designers, animation front-end developers and 3D artists but because in our team, our experts can do this as one person with the help of advanced AI. 

Because we care about you as a customer to achieve your business goals. That goes above everything else.

The Telephone Game

Now, we opened another issue that our competitors do and we don't. Do you remember the telephone game we played as kids?

• A client expresses an opinion about the design but doesn't know the design terms. 
• A project manager may understand 50% of what client says
• Project manager transfers about 30% of what the client said to the designer.
• Designer actually understood 10% of what the client wanted.

Typical. Easier would be to put the Designer and Client on the same update call and leave Project manager away – yes we do that.

This was a simple scenario, now let's enlarge it to a regular full website redesign project: At every stage we have a different specialist taking care of a very narrow discipline..

• Strategy - UX researcher
• Wireframes - UX designer
• Copywriting - Copywriter
• High-Fidelity Designs - UI designer + Animation designer
• Implementation (coding) - A developer
• A Project manager which act as a parrot between client and the team 🤮

And no – there is no reason 1 person should not know all the mentioned disciplines. If you read 50 books in each discipline you are pretty much an expert. The problem is that before AI was not possible to have time to actually do all the work.

Today, how in the world can this make any sense for the company? How would all the people working on the project effectively share all the information? How can they do the best job?

They can't and that is why at Karpi Studio we have 1+AI for everything:

Strategy 

Designer + our proprietary GPT model that we set and train for every client. Also we update it constantly.

Wireframes

Designer + generative AI to save time with dragging elements around figma

Copywriting

Designer + our proprietary GPT model trained for the client + Client

High-Fidelity Designs

Designer + MidJourney + other 10+ AI models to save and do work for the whole team.

Implementation (coding)

Designer + Figma plugins to generate code + AI tools to refactor the code

Account manager  is also present to make sure the timeline is on time, payments arrive, people are paid, agreements are signed, all the team members have everything they need.

We hire multi discipline designers that are very experienced and talented in their discipline.

This is the lesson I learned – we have a unique approach. We will make your project successful, because  care.

So, do yourself a favor - work with people who care about your success.

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Conclusion

This is how we work. If you want to work with us - send me email.

Pavel out