Picture the scene… it's 2007, the London Olympics are still 5 years away, Apple has just announced the very first iPhone and Real Life Design (as we were back then) has started providing technological solutions to bluechip clients like Sony and Marks and Spencer. This is the story so far!
In 2007, the online world was a different place. There were a variety of social media platforms competing for market share, web browsers were largely incompatible with each other and understanding how to make the most of the emergent web was baffling and complex for Marketing Managers, Business Analysts and Creative Directors alike.
Divide and conquer
There was a huge communication and technical divide between those who 'got' the technology (the geeks) and those who could see the huge potential and wanted to leverage it for their business. They just weren't sure how to.
Clients often placed considerable trust in technical consultants to meet business requirements by building tech solutions. The client was often not in the driving seat and was at the mercy of the aforementioned 'geeks'.
Meanwhile, those 'geeks' often didn't fully appreciate the business aims underpinning the solutions they were building.
Large software vendors often implemented aggressive sales strategies whilst their solutions didn't match what the client needed. Or they simply didn't offer good value for money.
At the other end of the scale, freelance developers couldn't provide the long-term, after-care support their clients really needed. The very nature of their business model meant they were always moving on to the next contract.
Over time, demand for feature-rich websites and software solutions grew. However, there didn't appear to be a decent middle-ground offering between the expensive gold-plated solutions provided by the large companies, and the pragmatic get-things-done approach of freelance developers.
Timing was perfect for a new way.
Along came Real Life Digital
From its inception Real Life Digital's aim was to bridge the gap between people and technology. This was, and continues to be, achieved by marrying good communication, technical expertise and responsive support whilst maintaining focus on the client's return on investment.
The 'Real Life' ethos was, and still is, about solving your web-based problems in the most down-to-earth and effective manner possible. This has been achieved by eliminating the time-consuming project management layer often used by large creative agencies. In our experience, this often results in delays and miscommunication.
Client-centric
Clients tell us that we have found a formula that works for them and which means that they like working with us.
Our clients speak directly with our creative and technical team, leading to quicker turnaround times. Efficient and direct communication makes our clients lives as simple as possible when they work with us.
The Real Life Digital team work across disciplines, are fluent in project management and are great communicators.
Even today, that is quite a unique offering in our industry.
Going Digital
By 2015, the term 'Digital Agency' was becoming more common. However, we felt that 'Digital Solutions' was a more accurate description of the projects we had delivered for clients.
What's more, by this time web design had taken on so many different, ambiguous meanings that it was time to rebrand as Real Life Digital.
What does this mean for you?
Retaining our values was never in doubt. Rebranding was the perfect opportunity to fine tune our focus on giving clients greater value and a wider service offering in the digital space.
Communication is key
As a typical Real Life Digital client, you are not usually technically minded. You are an expert in your own area or are a business manager. As such, we have become adept at tuning in to different needs, concerns and communication styles across our clients' organisational structures. This means that you receive our services in a way that meets your needs.
When you choose us as your web partner, we give you confidence that we will simply "take care of it" when it comes to technical matters.
You don't want to be bored by the nitty-gritty technical matters in the same way you wouldn't expect a bricklayer to show you how to lay bricks - that's what you hired them for!
Best practice comes as standard
By choosing Real Life Digital, you benefit from our investment in research, development and Continuous Professional Development. This means that you can rest assured the latest best practices are being used for your projects. We explore all opportunities to bring even greater value to the table and keep you ahead of your competitors.
Building relationships – not just websites
Throughout our journey, we've remained true to our ethos and values. We are immensely proud to have built strong, lasting relationships with our clients where we are often viewed as a natural extension to their core business. Clients value the responsive and proactive working relationships they benefit from.
Planning ahead
Looking to the future, we are excited to be extending our service offering, enabling clients to capitalise on various emerging technologies. But this doesn't mean we'll stop looking for ways to improve what we already do! We continually look for ways to improve our processes and offer greater value to our clients.
