POWERED BY COLLABORATION, HELPING BUSINESSES BRAND THEMSELVES
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For a brilliant example of how
dezinsINTERACTIVE helps other companies brand themselves, look no
further than the design agency's
own logo.
A green and gray sphere embossed with a leaf, the symbol perfectly
conveys the natural flow that's taken dezinsINTERACTIVE from humble
origins to award-winning web design and marketing agency. The idea
of synergy even extends to the firm's branded office interior with
fresh greens and tans, representing their organic approach to
client relationships.
Founder and managing partner Orhan McMillan uses words like
"spherical" and "synergy" to explain how dezinsINTERACTIVE helps
clients discover and deliver their message through design,
technology and marketing. Far more than just website designers,
dezinsINTERACTIVE's full menu of identity, internet and exposure
services are tailored to reinforce each client's market
presence.
The circle of success is powered by collaboration.
"From the moment a new client calls, I am listening-to their
goals, to their personalities, to everything that makes their
company unique," McMillan explains. "Then our creative director
comes in and listens. Then our programmers. We are all
collaborating to determine what their company's identity is and how
to brand that."
"A lot of designers try to make the customer fit the market. We do the opposite," McMillan adds. "That's why our slogan says we 'revolve the market around you.' "
The process is a lot like the evolution of dezinsINTERACTIVE
itself.
It began as a freelance graphic and web design business McMillan
started while working as a designer for the Gonzales Weekly. In
2005, he partnered with Paul Keesler to take dezinsINTERACTIVE to
the next level. Since then, the company has grown 200% each year to
become a fullservice web development, custom programming, design
and marketing agency.
dezinsINTERACTIVE clients encompass a diverse range of privately
owned businesses, corporations, government agencies and nonprofits.
As managing partner, McMillan leads a team of creative, IT and
marketing specialists. Most of them joined the company almost
serendipitously through one connection or another.
Creative Director Natalie Gillis, with a bachelor's degree in
visual arts and experience in graphic design and marketing, is one
of the right people who happened to come along at the right moment.
" I take great pride in being able to conceptualize a design that
is unique and personal to each and every client," Gillis
says.
The job of revealing a client's identity through technology falls
to Sam Razi, director of programming development, who also came to
join the team in a very natural way.
"We are always two steps ahead in terms of innovation, whether
it's social networking or a technology our clients haven't even
thought of," says Razi, an information systems graduate of LSU and
IT manager with 15 years of experience. "We get our clients
thinking in new areas."
McMillan notes that dezinsINTERACTIVE is also unique in that it
has "an amazing set of designers and an amazing set of programmers.
Usually you only get one or the other. "
The results are plain to see. dezinsINTERACTIVE recently won a
silver ADDY from the Baton Rouge Chapter of the American
Advertising Federation, an impressive feather in a young agency's
cap.
McMillan is also proud of dezinsINTERACTIVE's proprietary
content management system (CMS) that allows customers to update
their own websites. "Most CMS programs are cumbersome, complex and
non-intuitive. We designed a CMS that is simple to use yet just as
powerful." Thanks to its staff's expertise, dezinsINTERACTIVE
websites are truly customizable far beyond the standard templates.
dezinsINTERACTIVE also excels at campaigns for Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube and LinkedIn, as well as iPhone apps to increase brand
awareness, customer loyalty and traffic.
It all goes back to dezinsINTERACTIVE's mission of revolving the
market around its clients.
"Our clients are at the natural center of all we do," McMillan
says, "and from there we empower their market relationships, new
ones and the ones they've had for years."
