BRANDCAST MAKES IT SIMPLE

All our premium templates are included free with a subscription.

3

the Challenge

Reimagine Design

Innovative solutions can’t be sold with old methods

“PDFs fall short — they don’t reflect thought innovation to the client.” —Lisa K, Creative Manager

The business of corporate interior design has changed significantly over the years. Gone are the drab days of cubicles; now companies want to provide spaces for their employees that create a sense of belonging while fostering collaboration and productivity.

Canopy Jackson Square : San Francisco, CA

Soylent rooftop space : San Francisco, CA

“What used to be a lounge is now where people like to work,” says Lisa Knowles, Creative Manager at Pivot Interiors. She joined Pivot in 2002 and has seen firsthand how the industry has had to adapt to the demands of a different kind of corporate workforce. She and the rest of the team have become thought leaders in workplace strategy to meet the needs of their customers. “We specialize in creating moments within the office.”

As Creative Manager, Lisa is responsible for the look and feel of Pivot Interiors’ brand. Not only does she want Pivot to stand for excellence in interior design, but she also wants the brand to stand for the kind of innovation that Pivot uses in approaching all aspects of its business, including the way it sells.

PDFs: The Old Way of Submitting Proposals

While much of Pivot’s business has come through years of developing relationships with customers, the bulk of their new sales comes through submitting proposals as new projects go up for bid.

“These bids are always ours to lose,” says Lisa, “so we need Pivot to come across in a new and unique way.” Traditionally, this was accomplished by designing custom PDFs for each new proposal. Lisa would work with Emily Gibson, Pivot’s Senior Content Strategist, to adapt PDF templates designed in Adobe.

“We used to produce stacks of binders for these bids,” Lisa admits, thinking on all the assets that would have to be gathered and included in each new proposal. Selling Pivot’s creative vision takes a lot of visual materials, and consolidating all of those materials into a cohesive document was a time-intensive process. “Each proposal would take two to three weeks to prepare.”

The Problem With PDFs

Despite all the time and effort spent preparing these custom PDF proposals, they still fell short of the level of creativity Pivot wanted to convey to potential customers.

“We’re selling innovative solutions for clients but we weren’t presenting in the most innovative way,” says Lisa. “PDFs fall short—they don’t reflect thought innovation to the client.”

“Static PDFs feel corporate and boring,” agrees Emily. As Pivot’s Senior Content Strategist, she felt both constrained by the limitations of PDFs as well as daunted by the amount of work each required.