We are proud to announce that Elements was awarded three American Graphic Design Awards from Graphic Design USA! Below is a look at our winning projects; follow the links for full case studies.

Much Kneaded Wellness Therapies

Category / service: Logos + Branding

View case study

Vaniglia Pastry Studio

Category / service: Logos + Branding

View case study

Hood® Hat

Category / service: Social Media Marketing

View case study

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We’re proud to announce that Elements was awarded an American Web Design Award from Graphic Design USA for the new website we created for our friends at Caldwell & Walsh earlier this year. This was a major transformation from their previous site and shows off their fantastic work at important spaces of learning and living. Visit caldwellandwalsh.com to see it in action!

A Website Built to Impress

Caldwell & Walsh is a construction management, design/build and general contracting firm servicing the northeast with a focus on education, healthcare and laboratories with offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

Elements was hired to completely redesign Caldwell & Walsh’s website and establish a new, clean design to highlight their beautiful work. Our strategic use of an approachable color palette carries viewers through the site, and the use of larger images not only gives viewers a closer look at Caldwell & Walsh’s projects, but creates an experience that details the spaces and showcases their expertise.

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Amy was recently featured in February’s issue of Marketer, The Journal of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS)! Below is her article about the secret to winning more work — a must read! Article / images ©Marketer, The Journal of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, February 2019, www.smps.org

Anyone who sells products or services understands how difficult it can be to win business. You often find yourself up against prospects who are under pressure to control costs, and therefore only seem to be interested in your price.

How do you move the conversation past price to demonstrate your value in the marketplace, and justify the price or fees you deserve? The secret is to compose a powerful customer value proposition.

What Is a Customer Value Proposition?

A customer value proposition is a clear statement that can help direct prospects to focus on what your products/services are truly worth and what makes you unique in the marketplace. It should explain how you will solve potential customers’ specific problem(s), how the solution will benefit them, and why they should select your products/services over your competitors. This is your unique selling proposition. Once a prospect understands what you offer, they can make an educated decision about whom to work with or what to buy.

Most companies do not have a value proposition, or they do not have one that truly impacts and motivates client opinions. I believe it is because many companies (and marketers) do not fully grasp the power of a well-written value proposition—or understand how to use one to win business—so it’s not in everyone’s purview. This is great news for you, because it can be to your sales advantage to write and use one.

The value proposition should be created with your marketing director or team—so that the messaging is on point and consistent, and aligns with your brand. Then it can be turned over to your sales team to use in proposals and/or pitches. Below, I break down the three steps to crafting your own customer value proposition.

Step One: Make It Distinctive

Invest the time to uncover and understand what your prospects are looking for. Learn everything you can about their business, pain points, and unique requirements/preferences. It may be beneficial to create a customer persona. Armed with this knowledge, it becomes clear how your offerings exceed those of your competitors on the precise points that are of utmost importance to your prospects. Determine one or two points of difference that will provide the greatest solution and value with the most unique distinction from your competitors.

Step Two: Make It Measurable

Demonstrate and document the value of your products/services and communicate this in such a way that is relatable to your clients’ business priorities. To make your value proposition persuasive, you must prove that you fully grasp their critical challenges. Use case studies to demonstrate savings, value, and results they would receive if they choose your products/services.

Step Three: Keep It Going

Prove your value proposition over time. This is not a one-time effort; you need to sustain and maintain your unique claim. Your value proposition should be adopted company-wide—not only by sales—and it should guide the way you conduct business.

Your customer value proposition should be the foundation of your business strategy. It should be your call-to-action to focus deeply on exactly what you offer, what challenges you’re addressing, and how best to offer a solution. It should also encourage you to continue to look for ways to distinguish yourself and for ways to communicate your uniqueness to your prospects. A great customer value proposition will affect every part of your business and align your company top-down. If done correctly, your effort will be rewarded with winning more business, better products and/or services, and increased customer retention/satisfaction.

Now that you understand the secret power of a great customer value proposition, will you create one for your business?

Need Some Inspiration?

Here are two examples of companies with great customer value propositions:

Uber

“Tap the app. Get a ride. Uber is the smartest way to get around. One tap and a car comes directly to you. Your driver knows exactly where to go. And payment is completely cashless.”

Why it’s great: Uber’s customer value proposition centers around convenience.

Apple, Inc.

“Why there’s nothing like an iPhone. Every iPhone we’ve made—and we mean every single one—was built on the same belief. That a phone should be more than a collection of features. That, above all, a phone should be absolutely simple, beautiful, and magical to use.”

Why it’s great: Every phone is a collection of features; what makes Apple’s customer value proposition unique is their commitment to simplification through design.

— Amy Graver | Elements, Principal & Creative Director

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The winning projects were for the design of a high-end trade show booth design for Ocean Hugger Foods (maker of Ahimi®), Swapples® branding and packaging, Connecticut Stone’s website, Jaymo’s Sauces social media campaign and a coveted judges’ award – which is special recognition by a judge in the show for their favorite piece – for branding a whimsical, unique vacation suite of materials illustrated by Don Carter.

The awards were celebrated at an elaborate ceremony and attended by designers, advertising executives, photographers and illustrators across the state on June 28 at Saint Clements Castle in Portland, CT. We were truly honored to be recognized by our peers and the judges for our submissions to this always competitive and respected event.

Thank you to our clients for the great projects and your continued trust and support. Onward!

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Elements recently won multiple awards—including silver, bronze and merit—at the 63rd annual Ad Club CT awards!

We were awarded merit in the ‘miscellaneous design’ category for branding and design; the bronze was for our recently completed Swapples® package design and the silver was for our high-end trade show booth design for Ocean Hugger Foods (maker of Ahimi®). The awards were selected from competing Connecticut advertising and design agencies, and honored exceptional work in several categories that elevate and inspire creativity across the state. The awards were celebrated at a ceremony held on May 24 at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, and we were honored to be recognized by our peers for submissions to this year’s prestigious competition.

Thank you to our clients for the great projects and continued trust and support!

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We are excited to announce that our team was awarded an American Package Design Award from Graphic Design USA for work on behalf of our client, Uji Smoothies.

The American Package Design Awards is a more than 50-year-old annual, national design competition conducted by Graphic Design USA Magazine, recognizing the best work in graphic design and emphasizes the value graphic design brings to business. This year’s entries topped 2,000, and only a highly selective top 15 percent were recognized with an award in this year’s competition. We are honored to be among them.

UJI Smoothies is a nutritional smoothie beverage company that uses the best grains from regions around the world to create a delicious and healthy beverage. Elements created a refresh of the packaging to convey the healthy and delicious ingredients sourced globally.

We congratulate our client, Uji Smoothies, with whom we share this distinguished award. Go team!

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Don’t get Amy Graver started on the power of design. Or maybe you should. She lives it. Breathes it. Write about it. That’s why when her clients are looking for the most awe-inspiring ways to use it in their promotional, marketing and communications initiatives, Graver is the first one to jump on the pedestal.

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