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Why I Unfollowed You on LinkedIn.

Why I Unfollowed You on LinkedIn.

by Step2 Branding & Design | Mar 5, 2017 | Rants & Raves

You are the only one in the world with your perspective. So, why not share it? How about a provocative question to start a discussion? There’s no reason why you can’t join the dialogue and help us shape it.

Why We Chose Insourcing over Outsourcing

Why We Chose Insourcing over Outsourcing

by Step2 Branding & Design | Mar 25, 2015 | Rants & Raves

If we all avoid the shortsighted allure of bigger, quicker margins, and keep our eyes focused on building relationships and delivering high-quality products and services, we can reverse these trends and secure the futures of each of our industries.

Recent Posts

  • Build Brand Loyalty through Relationship Marketing
  • What’s in a Name, Anyway?
  • Five Messages to Avoid in Your Marketing
  • WHAT Are You Selling, Anyway?
  • 15 Ways Your Website Could Be Hurting Your Business … and What You Can Do About It

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LATEST BLOG POSTS

  • Build Brand Loyalty through Relationship Marketing
  • What’s in a Name, Anyway?
  • Five Messages to Avoid in Your Marketing
  • WHAT Are You Selling, Anyway?
  • 15 Ways Your Website Could Be Hurting Your Business … and What You Can Do About It
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TESTIMONIALS

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After Foundation of HOPE expressed interest in creating a new brand image and accompanying promotional materials, Step2 Branding and Design worked closely with the HOPE staff to design an eye-catching logo that effectively represents HOPE. Step2 then designed a clean, inviting, easy-to-navigate website, as well as several brochures and business cards for our organization. We continue to work with Step2 to update our website. The Step2 staff never fails to be accommodating, professional and happy to help us with our various requests. It's a pleasure working with them and it's reassuring to know that we can consistently rely on Step2 Branding and Design.

SUSAN ORR, MA, Executive Director    Foundation of HOPE   
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You can see Ron’s creative mind whirling as you describe the concept you want him to consider. He understands quickly, thinks strategically about communication solutions, asks the really important questions, then produces an impressive result and stays flexible and open to change.

RICHARD SKAARE, President    SkaareWorks   
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I worked with Ron at Tollgrade Communications for two years, at Netronome for almost three and several years thereafter. He’s one of the top marketing communications directors in Pittsburgh, with strong skills in promotion, awareness, lead generation and tracking, and the best graphic designer you’ll meet.

JARROD SIKET   
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The Step2 team has been working with Ainsworth Product Innovations since 2011. They consistently deliver the goods with high-quality package designs, whether original or expanding upon our existing brand lines, copy development and sales support. Much of the work we do is conceptual and gets presented to some of the world’s largest retail buyers. Ron and Karen have been able to capture our vision and equip us with great designs for these important presentations.

WALT WDOWIAK, Director of Innovation, Insights and Packaging Development    Ainsworth Pet Care   
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As a social-purpose start up in the business of law-industry, my company’s marketing needs are specialized and complex. Step2 Branding & Design recognized this immediately, and worked with me to develop an affordable appropriate scope of services. Most importantly, I felt like I was working with both a consultant and a partner – experienced, reliable, diligent, and talented. By distilling and articulating my vision, Step2 put me in a position to promote my company to serious stakeholders, and, thus far, I have had measurable success in this regard. I definitely look forward to working with Step2Branding moving forward.

MIKHAIL N. PAPPAS, ESQ., Managing Member    Legal Means   
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Scott & Christie Associates has worked with Karen for more than a decade. We love the work she does for us; it’s always fresh, professional and makes each of our businesses look great. She has also been a true asset helping us communicate the spirit of our nonprofit work. No matter what project we give them, including logos, publication design, ads and educational materials, the Step2 team has responded with work we’re proud to put our name on.

JEFF RIHN, CFO    Scott & Christie and Associates   
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Ron played an integral part in building our company and product brands for more than ten years. He is an invaluable partner, aiding in photographic art direction, layout, design and even point-of-contact with finished print work. Whether developing print ads, electronic media or product logos, Ron worked with us to achieve the results we needed to move our brands into the marketplace.

ROBERT FIRMENT, Director of Operations    IRIS Technologies   
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After hearing countless clients and colleagues telling me that I’m, “Much more than a handyman,” I knew it was time to take a step back and consider re-branding my business. Luckily, I had already known Step2 Branding & Design, and felt they would be the right fit. We got together and discussed my strengths, competitors and aspirations. After a thorough process of exploration, my business now has a new name, tagline, logo/identity, messaging and web site. My brand has finally arrived, and I couldn’t be happier! Everything was right on the mark! And, by keeping me involved in the process, I never lost ownership and am moving forward with something I can truly call my own.

TONY ROZIC, President    TRU Craftsmanship   
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I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Ron for nearly 20 years. From the beginning, he has guided our company from an infant start-up with little marketing and advertising direction to a small manufacturing company that reaches markets around the globe. From magazine ads, catalogs and brochures, to complete website makeovers, Ron has provided an invaluable service. Our company deals with thousands of manufacturers, both big and small; and I have given Ron’s name to any who have asked about our marketing.

MAX ANDRZEJEWSKI, Founder    CNT Motion Systems   
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Over the last 30 years, I’ve worked with many of the top agencies around the world. Sometimes you find that what you really need is right in your back yard. The Step2 team not only delivers top-notch creative work like the “big boys” (or girls) do, they do it without the excesses that sometimes come from larger firms. They’re also not afraid to challenge their clients when they think it’s needed. I find that particularly refreshing and vital to a productive relationship.

RON JESIOLOWSKI, Former Director of Design for DelMonte and GlaxoSmithKline Corp.   
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When I set out to brand my new business, I had no idea what a challenging process it would be. I turned to Step2 Branding & Design for what I thought would be help on the design side, but Ron offered so much more. He guided me through every step of the branding process, continually stretching my thinking until I was able to zero in on the message I wanted to convey. Ron’s guidance was invaluable, and I would highly recommend him to anyone who is seeking branding expertise.

KATHY SERENKO, Business Writing Communications & PR    Your Selling Point   
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I had just decided that I wanted to venture out on my own as a personal trainer and needed to get my name and brand out in time for the holidays. Ron took the vague ideas I had about the symbols and colors I wanted to use and crystallized them into my logo and brand. His work was exactly the jump-start I needed to get going, but the thing I appreciated most about working with Ron was his honesty and willingness to tell me what would and would not work and providing me with the occasional, much-needed reality check.

NISHA PATEL, Owner    Scythian Strength & Fitness   
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I quickly learned after running two businesses for 3 years, that having current, easy-to-navigate and thorough websites were extremely important. When the time came for me to invest in the project, I hoped that Ron would be available to assist me. He had created my logos, so I wanted the continuity in design. But I can honestly say I got much more than that. His ability to help me understand the process, his quick responses to my questions and his incredible understanding of what I wanted resulted in two websites that could not be more perfect. My clients not only have all the information they need in a single click, but they also enjoy seeing frequent updates, pictures and videos that I can easily add thanks to the ease of design. The hits to my site and the increase in clients is true testimony to the success of this project.

LUANNE O’BRIEN, Professional Ballroom Dance Instructor & Owner    Integral Ballroom   
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We’re relatively new owners of a long-established business in Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District. Although we initially retained the original business name, we suddenly found that we needed to change it. Step2 “stepped in” and proposed several new ideas, including the name we selected and now use. A new tagline, logo and a few ads later, we never lost a step. We love our new name and look; our customers love it; and we’re moving forward!

ERIC NOLAN, General Manager    Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange   
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I have had the unique opportunity and pleasure to work with both Karen and Ron at different companies. I find them each to be very creative in their approach, confident in their ability to deliver strategically on-target solutions, and self-motivated to manage projects under tight timelines. They have great communication skills and well-rounded experience in many aspects of the graphic design arena. I would highly recommend them for any graphic design project.

DIANE RIBA, Partner, Strategic Design    ConsumerCentric Marketing   
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On behalf of David’s House Ministries, we are very satisfied with the logo and stationery design. Step2 is easy to communicate with and very creative. If you want creative, out-of-the-box thinking, I would highly recommend Step2 for your branding needs.

CECILIA CRAWFORD, Board Member    David’s House Ministries   
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As the Founder of a small, tech-based mobile app company, I have to act fast and watch my costs. Step2 Branding & Design was able to quickly understand my needs to be cost-conscious, while delivering a package that addressed all of my wants, all while listening to what I was asking for. Their experience helped us to create a logo, website and branding material … exactly what I was after.

LEVI BENSON, Owner    Get The Hookup!   
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I’ve known Ron since 1999. He’s a highly skilled, creative and versatile graphic designer adept in roles from writing content to strategic communications development. I worked with Ron for over seven years and feel that he would be an asset to any company looking to tap his skills and experience. From a creativity standpoint, his work is always clever, fresh and focused, yet he is also one of the best technical copy editors I have ever worked with. He wears many hats well. I look forward to working with him again in the future.

DAVE SHUTTS, Former Senior Manager, Tech Communications    Tollgrade Communications   
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Having published more than 100 fine art lithographs, I understand the value of a superior designer. Ron has had an incredibly positive influence on my photographic endeavors. In many cases, he was as much the creator of the final image as I was. Many of my photographic prints are the result of several of my images being joined together in a preconceived manner for dramatic effects. Its Ron’s Photoshop expertise that makes that all possible. The term “Photoshop Wizard” is reserved for the elite operators in this business. For Ron, it’s well-deserved.

STEPHEN SIMPSON    Take a Hike Publishing   
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I have been a client of Step2 Branding & Design for roughly 6 months now. In that time, Ron has shown a natural ability to get to the core of the message. Most marketing firms I had talked to in the past had just wanted to sell me on them designing advertising. Ron was different. He discussed my Vision, Mission, and Purpose and had me spend time working on and developing that. Once I had that figured out, we then started discussing advertising. Ron gets it. He understands the need to work within a budget and still deliver a very powerful message. I would recommend Step2 to anyone looking to develop a marketing message.

GREG EMSLIE, Certified Business Coach    FocalPoint Business Coaching of Western PA   
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Telemedicine is a new and growing area in healthcare. When we started our new venture, we knew that we needed to have a name, identity and internet presence that would allow our patients to know that we were their right choice for their physical therapy needs. For us, digital marketing was an important part of our business plan and Step2 Branding & Design was our solution. Their team was able to take our vision and create a digital experience that expresses our aspirations and values. I believe that by having Step2 on our team gives us that competitive edge.

ERIC O’BRIEN, PT, MS, OCS    TeleTherapy Direct   
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As an expanding but small, locally based religious and charitable mission serving the poor in Chimbote, Peru, we were definite novices when it came to developing a website that could effectively tell our story, inform our current donors, and attract and engage new supporters - all in a cost effective manner. Step2 Branding & Design proved to be the perfect partner. Ron took the time to understand our objectives and provided both excellent technical services and practical guidance in developing our new site. He is thoughtful in approach, sensitive to our mission and financial stewardship obligations, and incredibly responsive. Our Board is delighted with the results of his efforts!

GRETCHEN ROOS, Member, Board of Directors    The Chimbote Foundation   
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When I started my business, I had an idea about what my message was. I went forward with various people and firms developing individual marketing messages and spending money trying to get my them out — all with little to no success. I met Ron from Step2 Branding & Design, had a brief chat and arranged a meeting. I showed up at that meeting with lots of ideas and plans. Ron was very patient, listened to all my ramblings and then started asking me questions. Thirty minutes later, I was laughing, because he was coaching the coach on what my business really was, who my perfect client is, and what my Unique Selling Position is. Ron is not only creative when it comes to developing your marketing, he is brilliant in getting you to sharpen your message, understand what your real business is, and what you need to do to reach your perfect customer.

GREG EMSLIE, Certified Business Coach    FocalPoint Business Coaching of Western Pennsylvania   
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After sharing information I felt important about me, my message, and the essence of what my writing embodied, I awaited Step2 Branding and Design’s suggestions for brand and logo. In quick time I was sent logo options to review. I was so excited at the work that was done. It was very clear that my information had been valued, and they were able to create a logo that was beyond my expectations. In addition to that, their advice and expertise in the branding process took the job out of my hands altogether, freeing me to work on other aspects of rolling out my new image. I would gladly recommend Step2 Branding and Design. Thank you for all you’ve done for me and my business!

REBECCA L. MATTHEWS, Christain Author   

STEP2 BRANDING & DESIGN

At Step2 Branding & Design, we help organizations identify what makes them great and use it as the foundation of a brand that gets them noticed, connects with their prospects, builds loyalty and adds value to their businesses.

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Wexford, PA 15090
724.814.4067
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