Case study: JB Accounts
We recently had the pleasure of working with JB Accounts – a Cornish accounting firm that prides itself on its friendly, approachable, and no-nonsense attitude (something we aspire to ourselves!). We very much enjoyed this project, not least because we were able to get several of our preferred partners on board to help out. So, we asked the lovely Jennifer of JB Accounts if she’d mind us writing a case study about the project – and she agreed! So here it is:
The problem
When Jennifer launched JB Accounts, her priority was to hit the ground running, not to make everything pretty and tidy. So, she put together a basic website that would let potential clients find her online and give a brief precis of what she was offering.
The site was functional, but not particularly impressive. Jennifer describes it as ‘quick and bland’. Most importantly, it felt soulless. It didn’t reflect Jennifer’s personality, or give any hints about what she’s like to work with. It looked like exactly what it was – a placeholder.
Jennifer knew that she needed more than a rushed DIY site, so when she bumped into Heather at a networking event, the next step was obvious. ‘I liked her attitude’, says Jennifer, ‘and I had exactly the kind of issue that Sox specialise in’.
The project
It didn’t take us long to work out that the root issue wasn’t as simple as a rushed website. There was an overall lack of joined-up branding that wouldn’t do Jennifer any favours in the long-term.
I thought I just needed a website’, says Jennifer, ‘but Sox helped me to think about the bigger picture and the different elements that need to combine to make the full package.’
Making websites is something that we do all the time. It would have been easy for us to simply redesign the site and leave it at that. But we want more for our clients. So, we encouraged Jennifer to step back and think about the bigger picture. Who, exactly, did she want to attract to her business? How did her website fit into her wider business strategy? How did she want to be perceived by potential clients?
‘Branding’ is a buzzword that makes many of us roll our eyes, but the truth is that proper branding is about a lot more than just playing with shapes and colours. Elements like style, graphics, photography, tone of voice, structure, and so on are all vital for building a credible, consistent presence that pulls in customers. Branding helps potential customers to understand who you are at a glance, and can be a lot more useful than you’d think in building a strong, consistent reputation as a business.
Ultimately, Jennifer badly needed some branding.
The partners
A full branding job is beyond our remit, but luckily we know plenty of people who can help. So, we called in the services of James Mossop of The Pink Octopus – a brilliant branding specialist, and Claire Wilson of Elowen Media – a fantastic professional photographer. Together, we collaborated to build both a brand and a branded website that would do justice to Jennifer’s business.
James Mossop and Pink Octopus branding
The branding element began with a structured discovery call. James had a few simple questions to start the process off – Who is the business for? What does the business do? Why does the business exist?
This initial conversation helps to build a picture of the operation, the person behind it, and the clients it serves. ‘This helps when I put pen and paper’, says James ‘because I’m constantly questioning that mark or text – will it help attract that perfect person, or will it have the opposite effect?’
From this simple start, a coherent brand based around Jennifer’s personality and professionalism quickly emerged. Together, Jennifer and James were able to come up with a brand palette, a logo, a tone of voice, and more. James has kindly shared some of his notes and sketches with us, so that you can get an idea of the process. Check them out!
James had seen early on that Jennifer’s own personality would be the biggest interest (and selling point!) for clients, so he worked hard to persuade her to put more of herself into her new website. This wasn’t easy at first. Like many professionals, Jennifer struggles to see herself rather than her services as a focal point for her brand. ‘Being told I needed my face front and centre was a shock!’ she tells us, ‘but once I accepted that, the process was easy.’
This is where Claire, the photographer, came in.
Claire Wilson and Elowen Media photography
‘We discussed how she wanted to represent herself in the images, in a way that suited the way she works and who she works with’, says Claire. ‘We chose a home office environment, with clothes that would make her feel comfortable while also representing how she normally works.’
Claire was careful to put Jennifer at ease during the photoshoot. ‘The environment itself was small, and the lighting wasn’t perfect, but I’m used to working in all sorts of locations.’
The most important thing for Claire was making sure that Jennifer felt comfortable at all times. ‘Most people I photograph don’t like being photographed at all’, she says, ‘so that is my key focus’.
Within three days of the session, Jennifer was given a wide range of colour and monochrome images to choose from. Choice and variety are important for Claire, who doesn’t believe that clients should be restricted to just a few polished images.
The website
And now, it was down to us to put all of this hard work together into a website. Luckily, our partners had done an amazing job beforehand. The photography added warmth and personality to the page, and the brand identity was clear and easy to incorporate into a web design.
With the branding notes in front of us, we worked to build a site that felt friendly, inviting, and professional, as well as being easy and intuitive to navigate. Throughout the build we worked closely with Jennifer to tackle small issues and make adjustments until it was perfect. Jennifer describes these issues as ‘niggles’, but niggles are important to us! We wanted Jennifer to feel proud of her site when it was finished, so we (especially Graham) took a lot of care over every single site element.
The results
We don’t like to toot our own horns – so we’ll let Jennifer do the tooting for us:
‘Sox have created a professional website which has much more personality than my bland attempt. Being told to sort out my branding has made my practice look much more professional. Overall, the new branding and site has given me more confidence and I feel slightly less imposter syndrome!
I thought I just needed a website, but Sox helped me to think about the bigger picture and the different elements that need to be combined to make the full package. I’ve already recommended Sox to others!’
Thanks Jennifer 😊 We loved working with you. Thank you for believing in us and trusting us – even when we started throwing branding experts and photographers at you!
You can check out her site here.