Skein Agency presentation - what we are, who we are, and how we work. Brand strategy agency based in Glasgow, UK.

1. Skein Agency
JANUARY 2020
Some background info on us…

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Now for a
bit about us

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What is Skein?
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / N O W F O R A B I T A B O U T U S
Skein is a creative branding agency - but we do
things a little differently.
It’s not just about creating a nice looking brand; we
delve further. We analyse your brand’s DNA, what
message you want to get across, how you want
customers to see you - it’s from here that we help
you create an effective brand strategy with brilliant
results. It all starts with a clear message.
We believe in three things:
Work collaboratively, nurture curiosity, and strive to
be courageous.

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Who are Skein?
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / N O W F O R A B I T A B O U T U S
Between our two co-founders, Skein has over 40
years of experience:
Lee Vickers as creative director
Jus Call as brand strategist
We also work closely with other experts in website
design & development, copywriting, marketing, SEO,
lead generation, photography, video production,
press releases and media handling.
Our team is our strength. It’s thanks to them we can
create such an array of projects. Whatever your
needs; we have the team to accommodate.

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Work collaboratively
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / N O W F O R A B I T A B O U T U S
We love working with our clients to meet their goals.
We also love collaborating with other creatives to
brew up new and innovative ways to solve problems.
When we get a new project, we build a bespoke
team specifically for their needs. Every client is
different; so the team should be too.
We have a successful network of independent
experts. This gives us the flexibility to bring in team
members to suit every project.

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Nurture curiosity
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / N O W F O R A B I T A B O U T U S
“What if?”
It’s the first question we ask in any project.
It’s a simple question, but it opens possibilities,
pushes boundaries and makes us think a little
differently.
This approach is what sets us apart from other
agencies - we will never settle for ‘good enough’. We
want to constantly challenge ourselves, our clients
and the world around us.

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Strive to be
courageous
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / N O W F O R A B I T A B O U T U S
It’s not easy to be different; if it were, everyone
would be brave enough to do it.
But, we must have faith in our skills, our potential
and our goals. This is how we challenge traditional
thinking. This is how we push boundaries.
This is how we achieve fantastic results for you.

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Being small is a
powerful thing.
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / N O W F O R A B I T A B O U T U S
• Work is done by the experienced specialists, not
offloaded to juniors.
• Our overheads are low, so our fees can be too.
• We’re able to make decisions and react quickly.
• We create a bespoke team depending on your
needs.

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C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / Y O U R T E A M
Your team
Jus is all about results: results for projects and
results for clients. He focuses heavily on the
deliverables and setting KPI’s for brand strategy,
project management, digital campaigns and
marketing automation. This takes a great deal of
skill and knowledge from his previous experience
roles before co-founding Skein. His unique insight
comes from being on both sides of the table: as
part of the creative team but also as a client
seeking creative services.
Key industries worked in: Oil & Gas,
Construction, Car Manufacturing, and Legal.
Passionate about: Riding motorcycles, classic
cars, travel, and being with family.
Jus Chall
Brand strategist
Lee is the definition of creative. Not only does he
design, but he also comes up with campaign
ideas, brand development, and marketing
concepts - basically all things creative. Before co-
founding Skein, he specialised in print &
packaging design, then branched into digital and
web. Since 2003, he’s built his experience in the
industry as in-house graphic designers, agency
designer and a freelance designer too.
Key industries worked in: Engineering,
Financial, Legal, Energy, and Sport.
Passionate about: Photography, cycling,
biscuits, good design and typography.
Lee Vickers
Creative director
Kelly is our graphic designer and website editor.
She’s got a wealth of experience in the creative
industry and a degree in Visual Communication.
Her expertise covers branding, website design
and digital media.
Whatever programme, whether it’s Adobe,
Figma, Wordpress, Webflow, Strate 3D, HTML or
CSS, Kelly know her stuff.
Kelly Brown
Graphic designer

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C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / Y O U R T E A M
More of your team
Sil creates all content: Social, commercial,
feelgood, heart breaking, fictional, factual, all of it.
He’s always been passionate about capturing
footage and believe that with the right
conversation, a good cup of coffee and a bit of
creativity, nothing is impossible. Years of
experience allows him to accommodate all media
needs, whether that is in short-form quick
turnover social, or bafta-worthy, tear-jerking TV
adverts.
He can make it all happen.
Sil Derkx
Videographer & editor
Jennifer is a penguin-obsessed freelance
copywriter. She has worked as a marketing
copywriter for 5 years, with a BA Hons in
Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Always
researching the best copywriting techniques, her
mantra is that you’ve got to think about the end
goal; you’ve got to make the message clear; you
should use ‘you’ instead of ‘we’. The key is
making it about your reader, not yourself.
Her tone is friendly and chatty – helping readers
see the ‘real you’ behind the brand. After all,
people buy from people – especially ones they
trust and understand.
Jennifer Lynn
Copywriter
Eryc helps businesses position themselves in
the digital space.
Web Developer, designer, front-end
development, UX, UI, and digital strategies. He
has worked on projects for Mormaii, Kauffer,
VTEX, Wishbox, Engie, Advbox, Paco, and
Mpollo, in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK,
Europe.
As a multidisciplinary designer he thrives on
solving real-world problems for his clients, and
is constantly evolving as a creative to keep his
edge.
Eryc da Silva
Digital designer

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C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / O U R A P P R O A C H
Our approach.

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We listen.
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / O U R A P P R O A C H
Stage 1 / Briefing
All great projects start with a solid objective. So, start with
telling us your goals. If we know what you’re looking to
achieve, we can make a plan to get you there.
Stage 2 / Kick-off meeting
It’s time for brainstorming. We’ll pull together your bespoke
team and introduce you to everyone. This way you know
exactly who you’re working with - and who to go to if you
have questions at any point later in the project. Together, we’ll
brainstorm your project, ask you lots of questions, and make
sure we fully understand your brand and vision.

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We think.
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / O U R A P P R O A C H
Stage 3 / Strategic planning
After our meeting, the team will work on some strategic
planning. We’ll do some research, look at your competitors,
outline some key objectives - and generally get the project
planning underway.
Stage 4 / Creative brief
We’ll gather all our insights and research. This will be made
into a detailed ‘creative brief’. Basically, we’ll outline
everything we’re planning to do and make sure you’re happy
to sign off on the project outline.

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We create.
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / O U R A P P R O A C H
Stage 5 / Internal creative reviews
The team will explore design ideas. Looking closely at the
brief, your current brand style and personality.
Stage 6 / Feedback cycles
The best part! This is where you get to see our creative
ideas. It’s your opportunity to give feedback and tell us what
you think. We won’t be offended by your feedback; we want
your project to meet your expectations. After your input, we
can go away and make any changes/edits that you’ve
suggested.
Stage 7 / Design development and
application
Once you’ve signed off on the project, it’s time to start
implementing it. You get to see it rolling out across your
marketing and product offerings.

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We review.
C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / O U R A P P R O A C H
Stage 8 / Guidelines
After all that hard work, we want to make sure the design is
future proof. So, we create a brand/project guideline. This
means, at any point in the future, we are able to create a
consistent style again with similar projects.
Stage 9 / Debrief and client feedback
Finally, once everything is signed off, let’s meet for a coffee.
We can run through the project, review how the working
relationship was, and discuss any ideas for next time.

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C A C T U S I N D U S T R I A L / / P R O D U C T B R A N D I N G / / R E L E V A N T W O R K
Relevant work.
So, what have we done?

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Packaging design
concept for
Scottoiler chain
oiling devices.
Designed to be printed easily via
litho/flexo onto board or corrugate, in
2 colours.

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Concept 1
Identity system focusing on product family, with product
line identified underneath with colour-coding

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Concept 2
Identity system focusing on product line, endorsed by
product family which caries the line colour-coding

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Concept 3
Identity system with product family as masterbrand, with
product labels carrying the line colour-coding.

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Packaging design for
range of Sit & Sigh
orthopaedic
cushions.
Printed 4 colour litho onto board and
matt laminated.

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Info postcard
Hand-out postcard showing the features and benefits of
the Sit & Sigh cushion

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Trade show stand
Large format exhibition stand, banner, podium and digital
display

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Publication design
for British Red
Cross.
Layout design and print management
of two report publications.

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Publication design – British Red Cross
Layout and management of two report publications

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Publication design – British Red Cross
Layout and management of two report publications

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Publication design – British Red Cross
Layout and management of two report publications

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Graphic design & art
direction.
Packaging, publications, product
photography, exhibition display, event
identity, on-garment graphics,
copywriting.

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Publication design
Art direction, product photography, layout design, proofing

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Product studio photography
Clothing, products, models, packaging

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Press ads
Ads ran in various cycling magazines. Art direction,
product photography, typesetting, design, proofing

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Retail hangtags
Design of various hangtags for garment attachment

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Packaging design.
Graphic design for Oki’s EMEA
region. Production for corrugate,
board, paper & textile. EFIGS and
Cyrillic langauges. Product
illustration. Instruction manuals.

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Packaging design.
Graphic design for Oki’s EMEA
region. Production for corrugate,
board, paper & textile. EFIGS and
Cyrillic langauges. Product
illustration. Instruction manuals.

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Thank you.