Respondent Spotlight
The Art of Swoon Creative: Harnessing Design & Creativity for Greater Impact
by
Alfredo Ramirez
May 24, 2024
Dive into the story of Swoon Creative, an agency harnessing the power of diversity, creativity, and the Prosal platform for business growth and positive impact.3
Deep in the heart of Vancouver in 2017, a team of creatives converged over a greasy spoon $5 breakfast special. In the vibrant hum of the diner, they sowed the seeds of a design agency that would leave an indelible mark on the industry. With an amalgamation of unique skills, backgrounds, and a shared vision, Swoon Creative was born. Their mission: to tell powerful brand stories and amplify missions through impactful design projects. This is the story of Swoon Creative and its dynamic relationship with Prosal, a leading business development platform for agencies and consultants.
Swoon Creative is the brainchild of three designers who started their journey in 2017, each hailing from a different industry. As co-founder Beren Davis recounts, the idea was to create an agency that could undertake more prominent and influential design projects for brands and organizations across various mediums. Today, Swoon Creative stands as a small yet agile powerhouse of six full-time core team members, serving 15-20 clients across North America and internationally at any given time with unwavering dedication.
Located in Vancouver, Swoon's team works with handpicked partners to expand their services beyond graphic, branding, and web design. Their modus operandi involves close communication and collaboration with clients and nurturing their requirements with utmost care. Their remote setup has only enhanced this unique dynamic, fostering clear communication and strong client relationships.
What sets Swoon Creative apart from its contemporaries is its rich tapestry of diversity. The agency takes pride in its team's varied ethnicities, identities, and backgrounds, which lends a unique perspective to its creative process. This diversity has been a cornerstone in Swoon's ability to deliver excellent services to clients worldwide, catering to audiences that are just as diverse.
Swoon’s professionals take their work seriously but don’t let themselves get bogged down by serious. Their open culture allows them to joke, explore rabbit holes for creative sparks, and consider feedback and ideas, no matter where they come from in their company. This leads to equal professionalism and passion that positively impact the missions of the organizations they serve. Beren told us, “These projects go beyond visually appealing design, often serving a dire function, and this inspires us to push for innovation and the best solution to design problems.”
At the heart of Swoon Creative's success is Beren Davis. Beren, a designer by trade, carries a lifelong passion for creativity, people and a desire to contribute positively to society. His childhood experiences in southern Africa shaped his worldview, instilling the desire to make a difference. Armed with his sketchbook, people skills, and unwavering resolve, Beren walked the path of entrepreneurship and became the driving force behind Swoon Creative. Although his mentors tried to temper his entrepreneurial spark, Beren launched his agency just a few years after graduating college, an overwhelmingly successful choice as he says, “Six years later, an exciting list of happy clients later, and we’re still doing it!”
Swoon Creative's ethos aligns with its passion for positive impact projects. Beren and his team are drawn toward organizations focused on helping people and habitats in need. An excellent illustration of this is their work with FIRST UNITED, an organization offering services and support to those in need. Swoon Creative helped create a new brand strategy reflecting social justice values. The project involved diverse design aspects, from a rebrand and redesigned website to capital campaign materials and multimedia advertising.
This deep-rooted drive to create meaningful, impactful designs continues to fuel Beren and his team. As Beren asserts, the greatest rewards of their work are the successful results and testimonies from clients. Indeed, many of Swoon Creative's relationships with clients evolve into long-term partnerships, testifying to the agency's dedication and effective communication.
Beren says his biggest challenge is choosing which projects and organizations to work with. “We are blessed to have such a wealth of opportunities to connect with organizations that we would love to work with,” he told us it is challenging to choose which to engage. Because of their collaborative and communicative client relationships, the Swoon Creative team is careful not to overload their capacity so they can attend to their existing clients.
Yet, Beren is quick to credit Prosal for playing a pivotal role in Swoon Creative's success. As an agency owner, Beren appreciates how Prosal has streamlined their proposal process. By reducing the time spent looking for potential projects and facilitating effective communication with clients, Prosal allows Swoon Creative to focus on what they do best - crafting unique, robust designs.
It's fair to say that Swoon Creative and Prosal share a symbiotic relationship, with each entity complementing the other. Swoon Creative's vibrant culture, diverse team, and passion for positive impact, combined with Prosal's innovative platform, offer a compelling recipe for success. In turn, Swoon Creative is a testament to Prosal's capability to foster business development and drive agencies toward success.
Looking ahead, Beren aims to grow Swoon Creative further while preserving their unique company culture. Guided by his love for people, creative thinking, and a deep desire to contribute positively to the world, Beren sees Swoon Creative not just as a design agency but as an entity capable of reaching communities and habitats in dire need. And with Prosal as their trusted ally, the future holds immense potential for Swoon Creative to continue making waves in the industry and beyond.