In SaaS, every second counts. Product launches, marketing campaigns, and feature rollouts happen at relentless speed—yet creative processes often lag behind. Traditional agency models, with lengthy briefings and endless feedback loops, struggle to match the rapid pace of the SaaS industry.
Enter ‘shorthand’—a fundamentally different approach to client-agency collaboration.
What is ‘Shorthand’? Accelerated Creative Through Deep Understanding
Great SaaS design partnerships aren’t built on endless meetings and repetitive instructions. Instead, they thrive on trust, proactive communication, shared user insights, and a deep understanding of your platform’s evolution. ‘Shorthand’ isn’t about cutting corners; it replaces repetitive briefing cycles and redundant communication with proactive understanding—accelerating your creative production without compromising quality.
Dave Greene, Head of Operations at Perpetual, explains:
“For SaaS teams, process is paramount. ‘Shorthand’ isn’t just a communication style; it’s a streamlined process built on deep understanding, allowing us to move with the agility that SaaS demands.”
The ‘Shorthand’ Advantage: Outpacing Traditional Agency Models
Here’s how ‘shorthand’ directly benefits SaaS teams looking to streamline their creative workflows:
1. Instant Updates: References, Not Instructions
- Traditional Bottleneck: Detailed briefings delay updates to decks or whitepapers.
- Shorthand in Action: Referencing previous decks allows immediate understanding and rapid updates.
- Impact: Deep familiarity with your content ensures efficient delivery without repetitive explanations.
2. Scalable Campaigns: Templates, Not Reinvention
- Traditional Bottleneck: New social graphics for every feature launch slow SaaS marketing efforts.
- Shorthand in Action: Modular templates allow rapid, consistent campaign execution.
- Impact: Reusable assets speed up marketing, ensuring quicker feature adoption.
3. Proactive Explainers: Anticipating Your Roadmap
- Traditional Bottleneck: Waiting on finalized specs for explainer animations delays communications.
- Shorthand in Action: Early concept development based on product roadmap ensures timely, aligned delivery.
- Impact: Embedded understanding of your pipeline accelerates strategic creative production.
4. Data-Driven Whitepapers: Iteration, Not Revision
- Traditional Bottleneck: Reactive revisions to underperforming whitepapers slow optimization.
- Shorthand in Action: Rapidly proposing and implementing data-informed design improvements.
- Impact: Proactive optimization drives immediate improvements in lead generation.
5. Real-Time Collaboration: Informal Communication for Urgent Updates
- Traditional Bottleneck: Formal approvals slow urgent social graphic updates.
- Shorthand in Action: Agile, informal interactions swiftly deploy critical visuals.
- Impact: Faster turnaround capitalizes on real-time marketing opportunities.
6. Brand Fluency: Confident, Consistent Animations
- Traditional Bottleneck: Extended review cycles for brand consistency slow production.
- Shorthand in Action: Deep internalization of your brand guidelines enables immediate, accurate execution.
- Impact: Consistent, seamless brand experiences delivered faster.
Brad Heberbrand, Head of Brand at Armis, emphasizes:
“Partnering with a team fluent in our ‘shorthand’—from whitepapers to social graphics—is a game-changer. They proactively deliver work deeply aligned with our brand, accelerating our overall SaaS growth strategy.”
The Future of SaaS Creative Partnerships
Shorthand isn’t optional—it’s essential. By streamlining your creative processes, shorthand lets your team focus more on strategy and innovation. Ready to transform your SaaS design workflow? Let’s talk.
Walter Wynne, Founder of Perpetual, emphasizes this shift:
“The SaaS sector operates at a different velocity. Traditional agency models simply aren’t built for this speed. ‘Shorthand’ represents an agile, embedded approach that fuels design-driven growth, giving SaaS teams a real competitive edge.”
