Stories are
best told
by the
people
who have lived them.
David Simon
Luminate, SVP Marketing
“I just read the story of Luminate. It is beautifully illustrated and expertly annotated, with page-turner chapters on where we have been, where we are headed and how we will change the world. It is a map and a diary. It is simultaneously aspirational and true.
It will be used as a cookbook for the many who will touch this brand, so they can invent with us with a calibrated palate and in the flavors we feel best reflect our perspective.
For me, it's a string around my finger. Maybe a tattoo. Because although it is expansive in its careful and colorful description of Luminate, every element reminds me of the many conversations, the thoughtful debates, the thousands of things discarded so we could find what we would ultimately keep. It reminds me of the time and effort and heart and commitment you all made to bringing us here.
It is beautiful work and we thank you for it.
The line between artist and art is ethereal. You are a team of exceptionally skilled artists, but your superpower is the way you open your process to allow others in. You invited us to contribute as you created. Like a troop of improvisational art school MBA's, you fed off suggestions while guiding the efforts. You also made it so much more fun than it had any right to be. I'll attribute that to your being such a great bunch of people to spend time with, who all take genuine pleasure in what you do.
Thank you for everything you have taught us about ourselves and for allowing us to get to know you along the way.”
Brad Stell
ASAPP, VP Product Design
“A note to say thank you as we close [on a] partnership that resulted in something as innovative as it is befitting. We knew from the beginning this wasn’t going to be a simple ask, but you’ve somehow managed to capture the essence of this complex and evolving company.”
Cindy Curtin Knezevich
Salesloft, SVP Brand and Communications
“We couldn't have asked for a better brand partner than the Focus Lab team! Thank you all for your incredible work and inspiring us to be bold and tell our story in an authentic way. We are Focus Lab fans for life!”
Todd Ross Nienkerk
Four Kitchens, CEO and Co-Founder
“Our partnership with Focus Lab has been (and continues to be) among the most successful and rewarding I've experienced in my 17 years at Four Kitchens. Thank you all for everything.”
Dan Owen
Netflix, Global Director of Creative and Branding
“I now understand why Focus Lab came so highly recommended. I've never had such super-serving from a vendor in my entire life.”
Humberto Ayres Pereira
Rows, Founder + CEO
“One of the best investments that I've made ever in part of running a startup. And this is my fourth time.”
Sarah Kennedy Ellis
Marketo, CMO
“I couldn't be more proud to have Focus Lab as our trusted partners in all things related to our brand. #FocusLab4Life”
Elizabeth Hague
Very, Head of Brand and Demand Marketing
“I can’t thank you enough for building such a positive, healthy agency. You and your crew are exactly the people I always want to work with. I implicitly trust you all and shout your names from every rooftop I can find.”
Craig James
Lookback, CDO
“This project felt like a true collaboration and we've enjoyed both the process and the output. I especially want to thank the team for taking us on in a lean fashion. [...] Fantastic results.”
Emery Wells
Frame.io, CEO
“I love our new branding. Now that it's out in the wild and we've started replacing it everywhere, it just feels like the brand we've always wanted to represent ourselves to the world. I wouldn't hesitate to work with Focus Lab again.”
Kent Siri
Reify Health, VP of Marketing
“Establishing a brand that is equal parts human and enterprise-class in a saturated industry is no simple feat. We knew that going into this project. But Focus put forth a team and process that immediately laid our anxieties to rest. Their capacity to translate the complexities of our mission, identity, and value prop into a beautiful, clean, and meaningful identity was simply outstanding. I could not be happier with the result.”
Matt Powell
Bitwise, President + CEO
“Almost as a byproduct of not feeling really great about our brand, we didn’t share it as widely as we wanted to. Now that we have all this confidence to go out and hit the circuit, as it were, we’re hearing from a lot of people that we didn’t hear from for a long time. Having a brand that feels really good, and being able to get the feedback, and to be able to actually push on and grow this company. I just feel like it was such a hurdle for a while.”
Sergio Claudio
Zuora, VP Brand Experience
“What I’ve found over the years in brand transformation work is that branding is as much about internal transformation as it is external. While the Focus Lab team excels creatively, the real magic comes through in the partnership and process of working through the challenging discussions and continuous iterations that it takes to get to the best outcome.”
Sydney Sloan
Salesloft, CMO
“You told us we would go on a journey together. It was the most delightful, creative and collaborative team I could have wished for! Thanks to your entire team for the incredible work! You are all part of the Lofter family!”
Rebekka Kuhn
Nutshell, Creative Director
“There are tons of branding agencies out there who could do a great job, but a project like this comes down to a relationship and an understanding of our brand. Focus Lab had a previous relationship with one of our co-founders and did some work for Cahoots before, so they were definitely on our radar. [...] They understood very specifically what we were looking for and weren’t trying to nudge us in any particular direction that we weren't quite ready to take.
We had a very well-established brand and we were coming to them with a very specific set of deliverables, so it's not like they were building a brand from the ground up. They had a lot to work with already and I think that was a unique challenge that they were ready to embrace. [...] Focus Lab listened to us so closely that they were able to nail a pretty good direction within one or two rounds. And then it was just a lot of listening to our feedback and working with our own product team to make sure that their deliverables worked for us in a “boots on the ground” sort of way—getting the colors to work, making sure the typography worked. We were on a six-week timeline, and the refinement process is what took up most of the time. Their idea worked off the bat, it was just a matter of making it shine.”
Taylor Otwell
Laravel, CEO
“I’m thrilled with the branding Focus Lab provided Laravel. They are true professionals with an amazing attention to detail. Their passion for quality throughout the design process was inspiring and refreshing.”
Skylar Anderson
Aptible, VP of Design
“Partnering with Focus Lab and investing in our brand so early in our journey has been one of the best decisions we’ve made at Aptible. I can’t tell you how frequently it comes up--recruiting prospects...sales calls...applicants for open positions. Our brand and voice are almost always mentioned as having a positive impact. We stand out. On a personal level, I really loved working with your team--I miss the creative energy. On a business level, the outcomes were more than any of us had hoped.”
Dan Sheetz, Jr.
Tighten, CEO
“The results were fantastic, and the process was a joy. I can't wait for an excuse to work with y'all again!”
Charley Todd
Ted Todd Insurance, CEO
“Focus Lab took our branding to another level. Their team is incredible. There's nothing like the feeling of being excited and proud to show off your new brand. All of the deliverables that were promised went well beyond our expectations. But more than all the actual work that was done for our agency, the process of collaborating with the experts at Focus Labs is what I valued the most. They're at the top of their fields but they're also down to earth. Working with them, it really felt like they were part of our family business.”
Ken Babcock
Tango, Co-Founder
“We wanted to work with a partner who would be able to help us set the foundation, and [have] a holistic view of what our brand could be. And, being that we’re so early, it would be a brand that could scale itself. That was a big thing that we thought about too, which partner is actually going to help us get to a point where we can scale the brand.”
Michael Transon
Victorious, CEO
“It was a pleasure working with you guys, [...] I feel like there's a lot of affinity between our people and that's always really enjoyable and it makes work fun. And I liked that it's always great to chat with you guys and work through design iterations and feedback and I felt like we did a really good job towing the line between having fun, but never compromising on what we thought was good quality and where we all wanted to go. Very excited and in the best possible way, I hope we never have to work with you again because the branding is so good.”
Ted Boda
Udacity, Director of Design
“Focus Lab is one of the best design agencies I’ve worked with not only on a professional level, but personality wise as well.”
Laura Adelman
Bluewave Solar, Senior Director of Marketing Operations
“We looked to Focus Lab because we thought they could execute better on a vision than we could ourselves. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
David Chevalier
Surfe, CEO
“The new brand identity is stunning, from strategy to design we always felt completely right with you. And we already received so much positive feedback.”
Tom Hacquoil
Pinpoint, CEO
“I had very high expectations going into the project - needless to say these were met and then some. Focus Lab engaged our whole team in the brand and messaging process, got to grips with our business quickly and delivered a brand we’re really proud of.”
Taylor Kinser
Very, Art Director
“We could not have hit the ground running without [the mindset of a usable design system] and delivery of assets from you all! It empowered us to get creative and start working on future content even prior to our launch. Still talk about how much of a stellar experience working with Focus Lab was. Thanks!”
Craig Clark
Galvanize, CMO
“The successful teamwork here was pretty near and dear to my heart. Today, we’re smugly looking down the barrel of a damn successful rebrand. We started off on the right foot and never took that foot off the gas pedal.”
Brian Price
Kion, President and CEO
“Prior to working with Focus, we went through a rough patch with many marketing agencies that just didn't get our business, and dumbed down our value to very basic, indistinguishable areas. They single handedly restored my faith in working with outside marketing agencies and we couldn't have been happier with the results!”
