Case Study : The Arbinger Company
The Arbinger Company is a management consulting ¤rm based on principles developed by scholar C. Terry Warner. Arbinger’s book Leadership and Self-Deception is a national bestseller.

The Arbinger Company is a consulting firm that works with major aerospace, information technology, and telecommunications companies to create brand awareness and sales. Until recently, all contact between the company and client was in person. Although Arbinger advised the executive teams of large and influential companies, Arbinger training materials were laser-printed documents produced in the office. This method worked for the people and companies with whom they had strong personal relationships, but costs were high and Arbinger wanted to develop new business and an image known for quality and professionalism.

The Problem :
To establish credibility with people and companies they had never met, Arbinger needed their training to make a good impression on new clients in the early stages until the benefits could be seen. This high-quality good impression needed to be built on a somewhat limited budget.

The Solution :
Meyer & Liechty created an entire identity and communication system for Arbinger, beginning with cost-effective logo and stationery that built confidence in the quality and professionalism of the company. Usability was a big factor in the development of training materials and much thought was given to designs that would facilitate learning. This led to the design of Arbinger training materials that were initially produced individually for each client.

In one case, five hardbound books were handmade using leather, tyvek, and aluminum for the CEO and executives of a major aerospace company. The Arbinger logo was prominently featured on the cover and inside pages, and the books were well received. Later, the hardbound books were produced in batches of 20 to 50 on an "as needed" basis. Meyer & Liechty was able to produce these books in small quantities using low-cost printing on fine papers and a small bindery. The books looked expensive, but were, in fact, impressively high quality and very reasonable in price.

Next, marketing materials were needed to go beyond Arbinger’s personal contacts to reach those they could not see in person. Communicating the value of their services was not a problem in a face-to-face meeting, but Arbinger had never successfully explained their value in a written form that resulted in a personal sales call.

Meyer & Liechty produced a brochure for Arbinger that created that experience. It teased about the hard results that could be achieved through Arbinger consulting, adding the substance and credibility needed to support the claims. The intention was to incite the desire of the reader to know more about self-deception and to imply a call to action.

Now when clients come into contact with Arbinger marketing or training materials, the experience is consistent with the quality of Arbinger in person.