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Balkan Bros: Building a Legacy of Trust from Progressive Insurance to AWS

Balkan Bros Agency’s success is a story of long-term relationships, trust, and creative innovation. From a strong start with Progressive Insurance in 2016, the agency’s growth has been propelled by a steady stream of collaborations that have evolved. Ongoing work with Progressive helped shape internal tools and led to an impactful partnership when Progressive’s design lead transitioned to AWS. This exciting connection began a new chapter for Balkan Bros, as they were later brought on to design a new supply chain platform at AWS.

Balkan Bros: How Long-Term Trust Turned into Cross-Company Collaboration

Balkan Brothers’ (BB Agency) journey is proof of the power of long-term relationships, trust, and creative innovation. What began as a design sprint for Progressive Insurance’s agent portal in 2016 evolved into a seven-year collaboration. The relationship grew so much that it transcended companies through a seamless transition, moving from Progressive to AWS, thanks to an ongoing connection with the design lead. This partnership led BB Agency to design a supply chain platform at AWS, showcasing their adaptability and readiness to take on diverse projects.

BB Agency’s enduring cross-company collaboration was built on consistent performance, clear communication, and a dedication to creating exceptional work. Their commitment to delivering high-quality work has allowed the team to plug into large organizations without disrupting workflows. This is a true example of how trust-based relationships can fuel creativity and business growth.

Designing for Scale at Progressive

Progressive discovered Balkan Brothers on Dribbble in 2016, initially tasked with redesigning the internal agent portal used by over 30,000 agents. What began as a short-term project quickly became a long-term collaboration as the team became a key influence in the design of Progressive’s products. After the success of the agent portal, BB Agency went on to work on HomeQuote Explorer (HQX, Progressive’s flagship home insurance tool) by enhancing UX/UI and front-end prototyping. User testing satisfaction was consistently above 90%. This story is a testament to the team’s capabilities and the impact they make through their clients’ products.

BB Agency was successful with Progressive because they could integrate seamlessly, move quickly, and focus on clarity, making them the go-to partner for future projects.

From Insurance to Infrastructure: Transitioning to AWS

In 2020, the same client who had worked with BB Agency at Progressive moved to a leadership role at AWS. BB Agency was called upon once again when the opportunity came to build a new platform within AWS’s supply chain space. Despite the different industry, pace, and challenges, the relationship with their contact, Tom, allowed them to hit the ground running. The team was brought in to lead product design, collaborating closely with AWS teams to shape the UX and visual language for the platform’s first release.

“[I] had the pleasure of partnering with BB across multiple organizations over the past 7+ years. Every time they bring passion and a curiosity that has always been able to unlock design solutions that deliver results.”

They also helped create demo videos and internal presentations for AWS leadership, with the platform debuting at AWS re:Invent in 2021, one of the largest tech conferences globally. This project marked the start of an expanded collaboration between BB Agency and AWS. The connection between the two projects wasn’t just the client. It was the trust built over years of execution.

Visibility That Scales: The Power of Dribbble

Dribbble has been a critical part of BB Agency’s success, playing a key role in their visibility and client acquisition over the years. It was through Dribbble that Progressive first discovered BB Agency, and the platform has consistently provided high-quality leads ever since. Through the platform, they have secured long-term partnerships with notable brands like Teachable, redesigning their website that contributed to Teachable’s $250 million acquisition by Hotmart, and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, for whom they designed and branded multiple U.S.-based health products.

Dribbble has also led to high-impact collaborations with ThoughtSpot and other enterprise-level companies, opening the door to rebrands for tech startups like NuxtJS and Material UI. More recently, a $150,000 project was secured through the platform, reinforcing Dribbble’s role as a vital tool for attracting serious, long-term clients.

What’s Next: Repositioning for the Next Chapter

In 2025, BB Agency is celebrating their evolution and global growth by preparing for a full rebrand. After over a decade of steady success, their goal is to position themselves as a creative agency catering to both international brands and smaller clients, while maintaining their core principles of clarity, consistency, and meaningful relationships.

Today, they work from 16 locations worldwide, with a culturally diverse group of over 10 nationalities. Despite their consistent growth, the BB Agency remains focused on good work and building strong client partnerships, making each client feel valued and important.

Key Takeaways

  • Client relationships scale when the work does: BB Agency’s seven-year collaboration with Progressive and AWS shows how trust and consistency lead to long-term partnerships and scaling impact.
  • Dribbble creates opportunity, execution sustains it: Dribbble helped open doors to opportunities with Teachable, ThoughtSpot, and NuxtJS. BB Agency’s execution kept those relationships going.
  • Enterprise design doesn’t require overhead: BB Agency has proven to integrate quickly into large organizations, delivering at scale while maintaining smooth internal workflows.
  • The next chapter is underway: BB Agency’s upcoming rebrand reflects the team’s global expansion and readiness to take on new challenges while staying true to its creative roots.

Currently, the team at BB Agency continues to focus on steady growth and trusted partnerships while delivering high-quality creative solutions. Regular involvement on Dribbble continues to help open doors, and the team’s focus on collaboration, consistency, and execution keeps them open.

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