Case Study

Kristi Klicko, director of Operations for the Medical Education Institute (MEI), says she worked with Chad Becker even before he launched his own design firm. Becker 505 has continued to provide this Wisconsin-based non-profit organization with design consistency through advertisements, multiple Web sites and educational-focused materials.

“If our things didn’t look nice, or as professional, we wouldn’t be viewed as credible,” explains Klicko. “This is why when he went on his own, we continued working with Chad.”

A quality designer

While the organization’s overall mission is chronic disease education, its current focus is kidney disease. Klicko says Becker’s services help keep the mood of the materials light and engaging, not bleak or despairing. This is especially important to the MEI’s executive director, Dori Schatell, she says.

MEI’s mission is to educate those with chronic disease on ways to manage their health and also improve it. It does industry research and also creates educational materials, offering them at little or no cost to patients. Its audience is mainly those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and caregivers, but also policy makers and health care providers.

Due to this, there is a wide range of design need within MEI’s multi-tiered focus. Klicko says Becker 505 brings the superior level of creativity necessary to meet the various genres and messages MEI sends. Then, he listens to what his client wants and takes that feedback to create designs of quality and consistency. In addition to media-focused pieces for this health care organization, Becker 505 has provided design and guidance for larger projects such as annual reports and educational books.

“Even if what we like may not be his design style, he gives options and is flexible enough to provide those options,” Klicko explains. “If we don’t know exactly what we want, he can see something else, and is able to receive feedback on the designs and not take it personally.”

Working with Becker 505 for the past 6 years has allowed MEI to carry a specific look through its materials. Klicko says the designs have been cheerful, warm and inviting, helping visitors relate positively to the sites and other promotional materials.

Tuned in

Klicko says Becker is tuned in to what the Schatell and MEI as a whole truly want. This only comes with years of experience and a willingness to listen and adapts, she adds.

“I think that helps with meaningful back and forth conversations,” Klicko explains. “He knows what colors she prefers and definitely always remembers that when doing an ad.”

For example, the Home Dialysis Central Web site is designed with a Dorothy/Wizard of Oz theme. The red ruby slippers, Toto the dog and other iconic images are implemented throughout. Klicko says it can get hard to be creative time and time again between the advertisements, promotional post cards, and other materials including the site pages. Becker always comes through, though. “I think he does a good job of listening to us and helps freshen up the look, even though it can get old to keep looking at Dorothy’s legs,” she notes of Becker’s work. “It’s been really helpful.”

The other organizational Web sites have their unique themes as well, ranging from a lighthouse to hot air balloons, but echo a common theme of kidney disease or kidney failure. Klicko says with the large amount of Web programs the organization can become split. “We can’t necessarily see what the Web programmers/developers are seeing and they can’t quite understand what we non-developer people are trying to communicate,” she explains. Becker is often utilized as that “middle person” and able to display graphically what Klicko and her team desire to communicate to the Web professionals.

As a non-profit, funding is the final says in any work that’s done. “If we get funding for a specific project, we definitely use Chad,” says Klicko. A project is currently in the works and Klicko says she’s confident MEI’s relationship with Becker 505 will continue and for that, she’s excited and grateful.