A chat with Yasmin Ibison, Founder & Director of Critics Club
We sat down with the founder and director of Critics’ Club, Yasmin Ibison, to ask her what she thought of Studio Bennu, the project process and the outcome.
What were things like before working together?
Before working together, Critics’ Club did not have an established brand. There was no formal logo, font guidelines, personalised assets and templates, brand colours or guidance on the organisation’s tone and personality. Existing logos, assets and workshops tools had been created using online templates and so were not personalised. Furthermore, there was an existing Critics’ Club website – but this had also been made hastily using an online template and was not meeting the needs of the business. Specifically the blog section of the website was not user-friendly and made navigating the number of reviews clunky. Whilst the organisation’s mission, values and services were clear, I had no idea how to translate this into a cohesive and exciting brand.
Did the outcome meet your expectations?
The outcome more than met my expectations. I absolutely love the brand that has been created. Studio Bennu went above and beyond to ensure that I have everything I need moving forward – all outputs were extremely high quality and there was a high level of attention to detail. I feel like Studio Bennu went above and beyond on this projects – they were flexible to my other responsibilities and commitments and made time to fit around my schedule.
How did you find the process?
I really enjoyed the whole process, particularly how personalised the service was from the outset – you really took the time to get to know the business, brand and myself and showed enthusiasm and passion for the organisation and its mission. There was open communication, a constant feedback loop and regular check-ins and meetings, which made the whole process feel all the more collaborative and fun. Tom was approachable and personable and we developed a friendly and professional working relationship. I felt involved and informed with the whole process and always looked forward to each meeting to review outputs and discuss progress and next steps.
What was most useful to you during the project?
The beginning phases of the project were particularly useful – pulling together a mood board of brands that I liked / disliked and words associated with the business as well as mapping out two different style scapes and reviewing and giving feedback on them. I also found establishing the brand’s tone of voice and personality across internal and external channels to be very useful. Furthermore, the quick and responsive nature of communication between myself and Tom allowed the project to move forward smoothly. He was also extremely flexible and able to work to deadlines, particularly when these were brought forward at quite short notice. Finally, I enjoyed the ability to meet face to face to discuss the project in person; Tom was very skilled in asking lots of questions and distilling my ideas into clear visual outputs.
How has the business benefited from the project/outcome?
The creation of the brand and upgrading the website has helped drive programme sales, increased the business’ online presence and following. The creation of new programme tools and assets has improved the quality of the services offered – they look slick and professional and appeal to the wide range of stakeholders that interact with the business and the programme.
Would you recommend Studio Bennu to other businesses? If so, why?
Yes, 100%. The service was professional, high-quality and fantastic value for money. I have already recommended Studio Bennu to my network.
What can we improve on?
Nothing, I thought the whole process was fantastic.
Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for all the hard work!
