Case Study · SLB (Schlumberger)
6 Industry AwardsHow governing technical storytelling at Schlumberger earned 6 industry awards, and made a complex global portfolio easier to choose
Before Abstract Creative, the principal led brand and creative for Schlumberger's Well Intervention division — producing catalogs, infographics, digital programs, and trade show experiences that earned Best of Division, Gold, and AMA recognition. The systems built there are the foundation of how Abstract Creative works today.
Principal's Note
This work was produced during Efren's tenure as senior creative lead at Schlumberger, prior to founding Abstract Creative. The strategy, creative direction, deliverables, and all six industry awards are his work — built inside one of the world's most complex enterprise environments.
Organization
SLB (Schlumberger)
Role
Senior Creative Lead (In-house)
Sector
Global Enterprise · Energy Technology
Awards
6 recognitions · 2014–2017
Too much information. Not enough alignment.
Schlumberger's Well Intervention division held some of the deepest technical expertise in the energy sector. The problem was that different teams explained the same technology differently — inconsistent language, proof points, and visual standards — creating buyer friction exactly where confidence needed to be highest.
In a high-stakes capital equipment category, that inconsistency doesn't create hesitation. It creates elimination. Buyers who can't navigate the complexity don't ask more questions — they move on to the competitor who made it easier to choose.
The Core Insight
"The problem wasn't a lack of information. It was a lack of alignment. When every team tells the story differently, buyers don't get clarity — they get confusion. And confused buyers don't buy."
The Work
Standards first. Content second. Scale third.
The engagement was built in the order the problem demanded — governance before production, buyer clarity before brand expression, proof point hierarchy before visual design.
Brand guidelines built for technical complexity
A communication standard governing how Schlumberger's technology gets explained — proof point hierarchy, claim structure, and visual language — applied consistently across every team and channel. In a global organization, standards aren't bureaucracy. They're the infrastructure that keeps quality from fragmenting.
Award-winning catalogs and capability brochures
The Well Intervention Products and Services Catalog earned Best of Division, Best of Category, and a Digital Gold in the same year. The "Six Ways to Reduce Well Intervention Costs" brochure earned BMA Houston recognition. Both were structured around buyer use cases, not feature lists — the difference between documentation and a decision-making tool.
Trade show and traveling exhibit execution
The ASDP Platform Launch at the HFTC trade show earned a BMA Lantern Award. The Infinity System Trailer Traveling Exhibit earned BMA Houston Chapter recognition. Both translated complex oilfield technology into compelling live environments — proof that enterprise complexity and audience clarity are not in conflict.
Web, digital, and infographic systems
Digital touchpoints and infographic frameworks standardized to guide technical buyers toward confident selection faster — reusable, governed, and built for consistency across a global organization. Every format served the same goal: reduce the cognitive load required to understand and choose.
Award Record
Recognized across print, digital, and live environments
BMA Lantern Award — ASDP Platform Launch Event
Business Marketing Association · Aug 2017 · HFTC trade show conference
BMA Houston Chapter — Infinity System Trailer Traveling Exhibit
Business Marketing Association Houston · Aug 2016
BMA Houston — Six Ways to Reduce Well Intervention Costs
BMA Houston · Oct 2015 · Capability brochure
Graphic Excellence — Well Intervention Catalog (Best of Division)
Graphic Excellence 2015 Awards · Division 1 · Best of Division
Graphic Excellence — Well Intervention Catalog (Best of Category)
Graphic Excellence 2015 Awards · Best of Category · Offset
Graphic Excellence — Well Intervention Catalog Digital (Gold Award)
Graphic Excellence 2015 Awards · Digital Division · Gold
Why It Matters for Abstract Creative Clients
This is where the ICON Method was forged
The governing logic Abstract Creative brings to every client engagement — standards before execution, proof points before aesthetics, buyer clarity before brand expression — was built and pressure-tested inside one of the most technically demanding brand environments in the world.
When you work with Abstract Creative, you're getting a principal who has operated inside a global enterprise at scale, earned external recognition doing it, and built a methodology from that experience. That's not something most boutique agencies can say.
The environment
Schlumberger Well Intervention — deep technical complexity, global scale, multi-team execution, and buyers who needed to choose fast in a high-stakes category.
The system
Governed brand standards + buyer-use-case-driven content + repeatable production rituals = six industry awards and creative that held its quality across every cycle.
The carry-forward
Every client engagement at Abstract Creative draws from this experience — the same rigor, the same sequencing, the same belief that systems produce better creative than talent alone.
"He was an instrumental team member and lead Art Director for the group. His design skill was a showcase to others on the team. Efren is a punctual, responsive team player who can run projects from start to completion — he would be an asset on anyone's team."
Andrew Burwell
Digital Strategy Leader · SLB Gold Award 2023 · Direct Manager, 6+ years
All four phases were present in this engagement — Identity locked positioning and visual standards, Communication drove the catalog and brochure work, Optimization refined digital touchpoints, and Navigation built the governance infrastructure that kept execution consistent at global scale.
Phillips 66
KPI-linked enterprise storytelling inside a governed brand system — producing an estimated 14% engagement lift for a Fortune 100 energy company.
See how KPI-linked storytelling and governed brand standards moved measurable outcomes at Fortune 100 scale.
