eskimo design

Natasha Hasemar and Zoë Pollitt have always believed that great design can really set a brand apart – which lead the pair to establish Eskimo Design 12 years ago.

“Our vision then as it is now, is to reveal beauty, and create desire. This philosophy is grounded in a strongly held belief that it is only when consumers make an emotional response to a visual communication, do they make a connection to a brand,” Natasha said.

Natasha and Zoë were inspired to start Eskimo as a result of recognising a real gap in the market for a design and creative studio that specifically serviced the more premium fashion and lifestyle sectors.

“We both share a real passion for what we do, and have a great working partnership – as we worked together at Vogue for five years and prior to that had studied at college together for four years,” Natasha said.

Since then, Eskimo’s design and art direction experience has extended to a wide range of areas encompassing branding, design, art direction, print, digital, moving image, environmental and publishing.

The design firm has worked in many business arenas ranging from fashion, arts and lifestyle, to property, finance and travel. The common element of each client is an underlying appreciation for the art of visual communication.

Eskimo recently engaged Bill Kerr, an Enterprise Connect Business Adviser to undertake a free Business Review.

This came from a desire to access Government assistance during the global financial crisis – which also gave the business the time it needed to re-focus on its core offer.

The Business Review found that there were three key areas that required improvement:

1.    Lack of a formal strategic marketing plan/strategic marketing process
2.    Expansion into digital and other new services
3.    Skills and technical capability improvement

“As a result, we’re currently working with Shirlaws on developing a strategic marketing plan and gaining a deeper understanding of our business positioning and functionality, which in turn will allow us to implement change,” Natasha said.

So what were the impacts of the Business Review on Eskimo’s business and was it worthwhile?

“It opened up new opportunities and made us more aware of what we want and how we can achieve this (through refining our offer) and turning our business plan into action.

“We would recommend other creative businesses get involved, as you get free assistance from the Government and it gives you the time to re-focus on your business. You also receive a benchmarking report – which is always good to know how you are faring against international competitors – and includes a SWOT analysis,” she said.

Natasha and Zoë valued Bill’s assistance because of his outside perspective, his experience and his ability to guide them through the process.

“The Business Review was also valuable because it was challenging – and it gave us new ways of looking at the business. Knowing that the Government is helping small creative businesses made us feel supported, and we benefited from the findings in the benchmarking report, because this information is often very difficult to access in our area of expertise,” Natasha said.

http://www.eskimodesign.com.au/