Once again this year, we have awarded additional, non-entry recognitions through our Distinguished Agency awards. These awards are given based on the achievement of the sum of all work entered into the competition. The Top Agency award is considered our highest non-entry honor and we would like to congratulate DynamiX, from Kennesaw, GA as the winner for an unprecedented second year in a row.
With us today, we have Jeff Jahn, Founder of DynamiX Web Design to discuss the award distinction that they have earned.
HIA: So, here we are again Jeff, you have won the Distinguished Agency Award for 2016. Not only did you enter the most projects into the 2016 competition but walked away with the highest number of awards hands-down. What does this mean to your company?
DynamiX: It means a lot to be recognized. Our team works hard to remain innovative across a spectrum of different industries, and these awards help to validate that our team is continuing to push the envelope of what people expect and want to see.
HIA: Talk about how your company is positioned in the marketplace and the types of clients you have been able to acquire and keep.
DynamiX: We are extremely focused as a company, not around a specific niche but in terms of the type of client that we want to work with. They have to be interested in pushing the envelope, telling a story and doing things better than the others in their space. They have to care about their customers and work hard for them, as we never want our work to advance a company that isn’t doing the best they can for their customers.
HIA: We have asked you about your company’s history and background before but talk, if you would, about how your company is evolving, how you have managed such success and maintained a high-quality of work with the volume of work that your teams produce.
DynamiX: I think it’s about focus. We turn down 75% of the prospects who come to us interested in a DynamiX site, based on a finely honed set of standards and goals that we have developed over the course of 12 years in business. This allows us to keep doing our best work without fear of becoming bogged down in low quality projects, and gives us much more potential to create high impact work for our customers.
HIA: I want all of our readers and participants to know that this award is not given simply to the company that enters the most work in the competition. Rather, the award was given because of the depth and quality of work that was entered in the competition. Yes you had the most entries, but I think your placement percentage is also impressive. Not only were you winning awards, but you were placing well in all categories you entered work into. How will you continue produce industry leading work as you move forward and continue to push the envelope of design and user-experience?
DynamiX: It’s all about having a fresh perspective. We don’t enter a development considering how best to make an incremental improvement upon something that we’ve already done. Instead we start each project as if it’s the absolute first client we’ve had in that space and focus on how to tell their story in a unique way. This allows us to have many clients in a particular industry, and for each of them to thrive independently and stand on their own.
HIA: You have talked about your teams before but we always like knowing what makes DynamiX special and what kind of a culture do you value at the company?
DynamiX: We’re very much a team and family oriented environment, and there’s distinct pressure not to work too long and too hard. That might seem counterintuitive, but we’ve learned the hard way that cramming more work into the day and staying late does not lead to better work or a high level of creativity. We want our team thinking clearly and focused, rather than the “results by volume” approach we see so often elsewhere.
HIA: I think that, based on the 2016 entry field, it is fair to say that the trends we’re seeing right now are a renewed focus on simplicity and streamlined content delivery. The winners this year not only did that well, but they have blended solid experience design and branding experiences into well designed content. However, to some degree, we haven’t seen any major shifts in the Web for a couple of years following the shift to more responsive web sites and the integration of localized content. How would you describe the state of the Web today and where do you see it trending for 2017 and beyond.
DynamiX: I think the past year or so has been about simplifying. We’d hit a point as an industry where there was so much focus on saying it all, putting everything in your face right away, that it became a turn off even in a visually pleasing design. Today we’re moving back to being able to focus on a single message at a time, and crafting that in a way that it’s pleasing for a visitor. There’s also much more focus on making sure that experience is quick-loading, which leads towards simpler experiences.
HIA: Clearly you find value in entering the competition and, more importantly, winning awards for your team as well as for your clients. Talk about what the awards do for you as a company and even individually.
DynamiX: The awards are a great benchmark and third-party validation that we are continuing to push the envelope with our work. It’s not the end goal by any means, but it’s a nice nod to the fact that we are doing more than is common within our industry.
Jeff, thank you for taking the time to talk with us again this year. We are truly excited to share your story, your successes and insight with our audience as well as promote the great work you do. Once again, congratulations on the Top Agency award for the second year running. You should be very proud of this achievement. We wish you continued success this year and hope to have you back in future competitions.