Marketing and graphic design are two of those things that just won’t stop evolving. And to keep up with this evolution a game-changing concept emerged – unlimited graphic design services. Among the pioneers of this innovative approach is Penji, a brand that has not only revolutionized the way businesses approach design but has also left a lasting mark on the industry. Penji has become such a familiar name in the creative industry and there are a host of reasons why that came to be.
So in this blog, we will delve into the intriguing history of Penji, uncover the back stories behind its founders, observe its evolution, and highlight its significant contributions to the world of unlimited graphic design.
Let’s get started by looking at an overview of the story behind Penji.
Penji’s success story is inseparable from the individuals who envisioned and nurtured it. The founders, Johnathan Grzybowski and Khai Tran started Penji with no past experience in graphic design.
The 2 Rutgers–Camden University alumni, one with a business management degree, and the other with a general science major and psychology minor, embarked on this venture driven by their passion for business and entrepreneurship. Despite lacking design backgrounds, they aimed to align their educational experience with their endeavor to fulfill the needs of their community and provide jobs and internships for Camden residents and students.
Established in October 2017, Penji quickly gained momentum. The company after its inception, consisted of a 25-person team worldwide, with 13 members based in Camden, including Rutgers–Camden students and alumni.
Come 2019, they could no longer accommodate the growing company in Camden due to lack of space and in October of 2019, they moved to Philadelphia.
Initially, they were committed to hiring from Camden, giving locals the opportunity to work. And now even though their main hub is located in Philadelphia they’ve moved to hire from countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Australia.
Let’s now have a look at Penji’s brand identity.
The Penji logo is a wordmark logo that reads the brand name Penji. It has undergone 3 known changes throughout the years since its inception. However, all three versions keep the purple lettering intact.
The company has not explicitly given an explanation of the story of its branding. But with the use of color psychology and the general meaning behind the word we can conclude that they’re trying to give out a cool, creative, and modern vibe that goes perfectly with the rest of their brand and service offerings.
They have a mascot called the Penji Bot that looks like this:
Much like the Penji word and color meaning, the bot could symbolize a futuristic approach to graphic design.
We will now move to see a brief overview of the way the service evolved through the years.
Penji focuses on providing businesses with high-quality designs on demand. As the brand evolved over the years with unlimited graphic design being the base model, it recognized the need for a more flexible model that could cater to the growing demands of clients. And so they have been improving their offerings, their platform, and the types of services they offer to fit this bill.
Today, Penji stands as a comprehensive unlimited graphic design solution for businesses seeking creative design solutions. From logos and branding materials to social media graphics and custom illustrations, Penji’s services have expanded to cover a wide spectrum of design needs.
Their team of skilled designers, armed with a diverse set of talents and expertise, ensures that each project is crafted with precision and creativity.
Here’s a look at their current offerings:
For a more in-depth look at the service visit here.
Another quite recent milestone is the new Penji Marketplace feature. There you can go through each portfolio belonging to the designers available at Penji and decide on which designer best suits your style.
Or, you can let their AI pair you up with the most suitable designer concurrent to the project you need executing.
Penji’s dedication to excellence has not gone unnoticed. Their commitment to pushing boundaries and consistently delivering top-tier designs has solidified their position as a trailblazer in the unlimited graphic design arena.
They grew from zero clients to more than a thousand clients in a little over a year. Which is most impressive. And by 2019, they were working with brands like Reebok, Lyft, and Pepboys.
In 2019 Penji also made it into the list of Inc. 5000. Penji was the first startup in Camden, New Jersey to make it to this list of the fastest-growing companies in the US. Penji was also an honorable mention in the 2019 RealLIST.
They have also been featured in leading publications like Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., The Washington Post, HuffPost, Philadelphia, and Technically.
In a podcast interview with Innovabiz, Jonathan Grzybowski mentions 2 very important factors to remember that he still practices to this day. And those are regular check-ups on customers both new and old and good SEO practices.
Regarding the former, he says that finding out how they’re helping solve customer problems is a main ingredient to nurturing a good relationship with said customers. Their main questions to them are “Why are you using Penji and what does it help achieve for you?”
And about the latter, he says that some people say that SEO is a dying art, but he says not to believe them because they’re liars. Good SEO practices have helped them get to where they are today by generating leads.
And in their outbound marketing strategies, they use cold emails, he says. They structure these emails where they really make the first line attention-grabbing and very personal. They do this by going through the social media channels of potential clients to gather insights about their preferences etc. They then use this information to structure the email. That has greatly helped them generate leads because he says customers appreciate it when you take the time to understand them. That has been the success story of Penji.
Watch the full interview here.
In the ever-evolving realm of unlimited graphic design, Penji stands as a beacon of innovation and creativity. From its humble beginnings to becoming a driving force behind the unlimited graphic design movement, the brand’s journey is one of determination, vision, and excellence.
With a motivating history, visionary founders, a global presence, and a portfolio of remarkable achievements, Penji continues to shape the design landscape and inspire others to think beyond limits. As businesses continue to seek ways to enhance their visual presence, Penji remains at the forefront competing head-to-head with other unlimited graphic design services, ready to shape the future of unlimited graphic design.
