Animating our logo with Keyshape for macOS
How we created the logo animation with the macOS application Keyshape.
Keyshape is a macOS application developed by Pixofield Ltd, located in Helsinki. It is a tool that enables users to create animations and save them as SVG files. SVG is the acronym for Scalable Vector Graphics, which allows users to create graphics that can be scaled without losing quality. Moreover, the file format supports interactivity and animation, and web browsers can render SVG files.
As a programmer, I found it to be an interesting challenge to animate our new logo with a vector-based animation tool. My goal was to create a brief scene that started with nothing and ended with the new logo fully formed.
Growing up, I always drew comics with my cousin Sven during summer holidays. We could only dream of having the skills of the classic Belgian and French comic artists. They seemed like wizards to us, having apparently reached an unattainable skill level. A wizard in that class has honored us with his magic and crafted our new logo; the immensely talented Vili Paoletić. He is a guy who will always overdeliver.
Keyshape
Getting to know the Keyshape app was an interesting challenge. It took some experimentation to understand the concepts, for example, how shapes can be grouped together and then rotated or resized as a single object.
My first attempt was to animate forward, i.e. starting with the initial square and then trying to shape it gradually into the resulting logo. That turned out to be too difficult.
The first attempt was to animate from the starting shape and transform it towards the target shape.
Backwards is the way forward
Since I knew where I wanted to end up, in the letter N of the logo, I decided to start from the end and animate backward towards the start. This turned out to be much easier. When I was done I used the Reverse Keyframes function of Keyshape.
The second attempt was to start from the end and move backward.
What does the Sprend say?
Everyone knows what a fox sounds like but what does the Sprend say? Well, there was really only one person who could possibly answer that question, and it was the Solna-based music producer John “Giovanni” Malmborg Sanitate. I more or less expected a soundtrack with a rap vibe, but Giovanni had something different in mind.
With the soundtrack in place, the animation could be finalized, and the Spaceship Sprenderprise could take off…
The Spaceship Sprenderprise
These are the uploads of the file transport spaceship Sprenderprise. Its mission: to deliver strangely big files; to find new senders and new recipients; to transfer files to places without bandwidth.
The complete animation with sound.
Show time?
The final step was to show the animation directly on sprend.com. This turned out to be harder work than making the animation itself. I wanted the it start automatically and to cover the whole window. I also wanted to be able to restart it on demand.
Showing an SVG file on a web page is quite easy. It can be added as a background image to a <div> element, which in turn covers the whole window.
.logo-animation {
background-image: url('/path/to/animation.svg');
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: center;
background-attachment: fixed;
background-size: cover;
position: fixed;
top: 0;
left: 0;
height: 100vh;
width: 100%;
z-index: 1000;
cursor: pointer;
}The problem with this approach is that the starting, stopping and rewinding cannot be controlled by code. Once it has run it never runs again!
So, I tried the alternative of having Keyshape generate a JavaScript-controlled SVG file. But I could never make it work no matter how many different ways I tried to include the SVG code: directly on the page or referencing the SVG file path. I simply could not debug this code and see what was wrong, so I gave up.
In the end, I found a workaround. Javascript code adds the background-image CSS style directly to the <div> element, whose value also includes a URL parameter after the file path. Here is an example:
background-image: url(‘/path/to/animation.svg?p=7847238972341’)
Since the url parameter is generated randomly the browser finally gave up on playing the svg only once.
A problem I, however, could not solve is that Safari does not completely support the animation. It looks weird at one point when the letter N is forming. Let’s hope that is a problem Apple will solve soon.
Love is in the UI
I had a lot of fun making the animation and putting it directly on sprend.com. Using animation as a part of user-interface design is a technique that can visualise transitions between states, and also make the usage of the service more pleasurable. Why couldn’t a boring file-transfer service utilize the same tools as video games or movies to convey information and emotions? Our vision is to turn Sprend into the most loved file transfer service. Animations are one of the tools in the box to achieve that.
“Create a link” feature
New sending option with sprend.com! Maybe you’ll prefer to create a unique link that you can copy and share in any way you choose (SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, email, etc.).
This feature is available for Sprend Free & Sprend Pro users. If you don't want to log into a Sprend account you can choose to create a link instead, and then send it from your own mailbox.
Either way, the message is not anonymous and has a better chance of not ending up in a spam filter. The receiver will click the link, as usual, to download at sprend.com.
Enjoy sprending!
GDPR Compliance - protect yourself and your customers when sending
Imagine, you are solving a demanding task at work. Sending important information by email to your colleague. Selecting the wrong address from a list of auto-complete suggestions and before realizing the error, you click send. Private data and confidential information went to the wrong person. Human error can happen to anyone. But this is a data breach that might have to be reported.
How to avoid such dangerous and unnecessary situations? Become GDPR compliant by using secure sending services. Without encryption and password protection, the data you share with others is not secure.
Sprend Pro allows you to send encrypted messages, where you set a password yourself and share it with the recipient (via a different messaging service). No one but the recipient and the sender can see the content of the material.
To minimize inadvertent mistakes, the Sprend Pro version lets you do something else. As long as the recipient does not download the file, you can remove it even after it has already been sent.
If you work with sensitive and confidential data, do not send it by unprotected emails. Our servers are located in Sweden. Become GDPR compliant and protect yourself and your customers.
New feature announcement: Store your files permanently with Sprend Backpack
Remember that with the Sprend Pro version, you could keep your files for up to four weeks? Many of you like it because that way you don't have to "clean" and Sprend takes care of it for you.
But some users would like to have a permanent storage space in addition to a secure sending service. Our Sprend Backpack allows it from now on. When sending, select the permanent storage period option and Sprend will store your files up to 100 GB in size.
Please keep in mind that this is a Beta, still a trial version of the feature subject to change for improvement purposes. Our way is to let the real users test it, which always beats the developer's ability to test. It's a way to provide functionality faster to the customer.
Try the Sprend Backpack and let us know your impressions.
Your feedback is valuable to us!
Let’sGrow 2023. - the largest ICT conference in Istria
The second ICT conference Let'sGrow, the largest in Istria, took place this year as well. We exchanged ideas, hung out, made new contacts, and had fun. Organized by the ICT Association with the assistance of the “Libra” marketing agency from Rijeka, everything went great.
The program included lectures, workshops, and business Speed Dating. It was a day of direct communication with students, visitors interested in the services of the exhibiting companies, and the creation of ideas at the moment. Once again, we were reminded of the power of live meetings.
Some of the topics of the panel were: "From school desks to unicorns", and "Behind the Screens. "Dispelling myths about work in ICT", "Do we need skills in the world of artificial intelligence?". In the role of ICT Supergirls, we heard the experiences of women in the ICT sector and their experiences in work but also in the search for a private balance. How did their companies support them in this, is it simple to pack a backpack and go to the other side of the world for a year? Mirta Štefanec from Infosit did it. Her company supported her and they succeeded regardless of the time differences. Iva Horvat from Mijena says that the flexible way of working was her salvation at the moment she became a mother.
We are very proud of our CEO Tanja and her presentation. She spoke about the Sprend manifesto - our six foundations, which create prerequisites for satisfied employees: tolerance, responsibility, fearlessness, pride, respect, and leadership.
We share some of Tanja's interesting thoughts:
"Mistakes are OK and they happen to everyone. The one who isn't wrong usually hasn't done much.
Do you believe that there is anyone in the world who goes to work with the goal of creating something catastrophic? Of course not! I deeply believe that the situation is exactly the opposite. We all want to achieve great results that he can be proud of.
And when great results are achieved, recognize, highlight, and reward those who are truly deserving of them, which are usually not managers.
One thing I try to think about, before reacting to someone's actions and attitudes, is that almost every one of us has an invisible backpack on our back: illness, family situation, some ugly experience, or trauma. Sometimes we don't fully understand someone's attitudes or behavior, but the reason is probably in that backpack.
Whether the employee will explain to us what is in the backpack is his or her choice. Respect."
The lecture concluded with Tanja's favorite character Dr. Max Goodwin, from the TV series "New Amsterdam".
"He is the director of New Amsterdam Hospital in New York that faces many different problems in each episode, which he solves together with his colleagues and the hospital staff. If there's one thing I'd like you to take away from this presentation, it's the question he initially asks his colleagues, no matter what the problem is:
How can I help you?"
Thanks to everyone who made this day more interesting! We look forward to Let'sGrow 2024.
LiarGPT
We had a talk with ChatGPT or should we say LiarGTP? Aware of limitations, but completely unaware that its answers would make us laugh. Don't believe everything you read. Unless it is written in green.
The CEO of Sprend, Magnus Nilsson?
Who is Sprend's CEO?
As of my knowledge cutoff date of September 2021, the CEO of Sprend was Magnus Nilsson. However, it's possible that there may have been a change in leadership since then. It's always a good idea to check the company's official website or other reputable sources for the most up-to-date information on its leadership team. Magnus who? We’ve never even had a CEO and hence no reason to replace him/her.
What are the differences between Sprend and WeTransfer?
WeTransfer and Sprend are both popular file transfer services, but there are some key differences between them. Here are some of the main differences:
File size limits: WeTransfer allows users to send files up to 2GB for free, while Sprend allows files up to 2 GB for their paid plan but free users can only send files up to 500 MB. Wrong and wrong again. Check out our Plans&Prices.
Security: Sprend offers more advanced security features compared to WeTransfer. Sprend encrypts files in transit and at rest, and uses two-factor authentication to verify user identities. WeTransfer uses encryption but does not offer two-factor authentication. Not really, nope, and untrue.
User Interface: Both services are designed to be user-friendly, but they have different user interfaces. WeTransfer has a simple and intuitive interface, with a drag-and-drop system for adding files. Sprend's interface is also user-friendly but includes more advanced options like password protection and email notifications. The whole previous sentence is incorrect since both services have the same functionality
Price: Both services offer free options, but Sprend’s paid plans are more expensive than WeTransfer’s. Sprend offers more advanced features like advanced security and larger file size limits, but at a higher cost. We are cheaper than WeTransfer.
Ultimately, the choice between WeTransfer and Sprend depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you need advanced security features and larger file size limits Sprend may be the better option for you. However, if you prioritize simplicity and ease of use, WeTransfer may be a better fit. I believe Sprend is pretty easy to use.
Conclusion: ChatGPT seems to making stuff up most of the time. But at least it is funny. I was LOL reading it! Special thanks go to DALL-E for showing our new CEO in the flesh.
Three important new features that will make your sending easier
To announce the next news in our service, we will have to quote Yoda: "You must unlearn what you have learned." We've had a few new features lately. Now you already know that the number of recipients to whom you can send materials has increased from 100 to 200, that you no longer have to send individual files but whole folders without zipping. Of course, we are talking about our Pro version of the service.
How to transmit wisdom?
"Do or do not. There is no try."
Photo by Emmanuel Dennier
From now on, you can just drag & drop your folders. It is no longer necessary to zip each folder, sprend.com does it automatically for you. The recipient will receive the documents with the folder structure intact, no matter how many files and folders you added.
You don't have to send large files with Sprend in one go. In case of need, press pause during the sending process, add some more files, before resuming.
But what if just at that moment when you continued, you realized that you added several files that should not have been here? With our third new feature, you can simply take away already-picked files in the process of sending.
With Sprend you don't have to start from the beginning, you don't have to remember where you left off, just listen to Yoda one more time and: "Pass on what you have learned."
New features are here!
From now on, you can drag & drop your folders, pause your upload or eliminate files you choose but don't want to send, without starting over.
Photo by Matteo Raw
Another new feature! Sprend has increased the limit of the maximum number of recipients.
Read where a disgruntled call to Sprend customer service led one December morning.
Hans Orlof contacted Sprend support one morning near the end of 2022. But let's tell this story from the beginning.
His family and friends will gather at a party he has organised for no particular reason. Namely, Hans Orlof was tired of having to have a valid explanation for everything. He thought that he no longer remembered what his Aunt Agnes looked like. The only thing he could remember was when he was a boy, she gave him a soccer ball that years later was run over by a car, becoming an egg-shaped memory. Uncle Alfred who wore a long pointed mustache that he touched when talking about something important. Does he still have them?
There were a lot of children his age, now adults, about whom Hans Orlof never knew much because he hated questions and equally giving answers. So he thought he could invite them all to the party and ask nothing again. But there was one problem. He decided to send his invitations to 102 email addresses. He trusts Sprend and has never let him down, so the sequence of things was logical. That will be the way he will send all the invitations. But then he was shocked! It was possible to contact a maximum of just 100 people. Who should he remove from the list? After a perfectly simple plan, this seemed like an intruder only there to disrupt the harmony.
Photo by James Orr
He quickly visited sprend.com, found the customer support number, and slightly losing patience waited for the voice on the other end: "Sprend support, Arne speaking". We do not need to explain in too much detail how this was a sufficient reason for the new feature. The maximum number of recipients with a Sprend Pro account has been increased from 100 to 200. But that's not all. Arne was invited to Hans Orlof's party and now they are good friends. Sometimes on Tuesdays they meet for coffee and come up with new features.
Any resemblance to actual characters and events is coincidental. No employee was injured in the making of this text.
New feature alert: “Folders in Folders”
Sprend developers bring you a new feature with which you will send even faster and easier than before.
Dear users, we have several news for you, but let's start with the first one. Our team of developers brings you the new feature Folders in Folders. How does this make your life easier?
Send the whole folder, not each file separately
You know that previously it was necessary to add each file separately. Now you don't have to. If you have a folder/s whose content you want to send, just drag and drop it, add a recipient, use encryption or not and press the "send" button.
Zipping the folder before sending?
Did we forget about this step? No, because from now on Sprend does it for you automatically. This was one of the most requested features and now we have it. You no longer have to think about it, have an extra step that annoys you. All you have to do is think about the content you want to send, and we do the rest.
Folder structure after sending
Let's imagine that you have arranged the content of your materials inside the folder as you wanted. With a certain meaning and to make it easier for the recipient to browse or further work on the same. What happens to the structure after sending it? We thought about that too! The recipient will receive the folder/s in the same form as it is on your computer.
The listed new advantages of the Folders in Folders feature are to make it easier for you to send files, reduce the number of actions and enable even faster sending than before.
Next week we will continue to inform you about our other new features, there is more. Happy sprending!
Don’t send. Receive!
We have released a new feature. From now, as a Pro user you cannot only send large files, you can also receive them. It means anyone can send you files up to 100 GB and encrypt them. The storage time is automatically increased to four weeks. Last but not least, the number of files is not limited to 10 files - you may receive up to 1000 files.
We have released a new feature. From now, as a Pro user you cannot only send large files, you can also receive them. It means anyone can send you files up to 100 GB and encrypt them. The storage time is automatically increased to four weeks. Last but not least, the number of files is not limited to 10 files - you may receive up to 1000 files.
There is no extra fee for this. It is included automatically in the Pro plan.
This is how it works. As soon as a sender enters your email address in the To field, the following Pro features get enabled:
The file size limit increases from 2GB to 100GB.
The number of files go from a maximum of 10 to 1000.
Encryption and password are enabled.
The storage time is automatically set to four weeks.
Here is a tip that is not included in the video. You can create a special link for those who want to send files to you. Click on the below link to have the recipient filled in and the the Pro featureas already enabled. Copy the link, change the email address, and send it via email.
https://sprend.com/?email=bernie@sprend.com
As always, happy sprending!
We have reduced the price of a one-day service
Good news for all those who need the service to send large files occasionally, so they decide to become users for a day. The new daily price is 1,6 EUR + VAT.
We hope that this way we will create an even better connection with our users. Sprend team is guided by the idea that the step to becoming a user should be as short as possible. In addition, we wanted not to feel expensive, with a belief that this decision will bring a lot of good to our users. The advantage of a one-day subscription can be not only for those who send large files but also for users who want to be sure that their file has safely reached the recipient, in such a way that Sprend will automatically send them a notification when downloading.
May it serve you well!
Photo by Kristopher Roller
Sprend support center - contact informations
Sprend support center is available via email or phone call. If you experience some problem, let us know. Try it free for yourself.
Arne Evertsson saving the world
Sprend is a very simple service for sending large files. You can send your large files quickly and securely. In the case that an obstacle arises along the way, you have a question or you would like to share feedback, feel free to contact our customer service.
Choose the way you prefer, via email: support@sprend.com or by calling the number: +46 10 129 29 10. You will not communicate with the robot or have to send forms and wait for our answer, but you will directly contact one of the members of our customer support team. The most interviewed person in the company, Arne Evertsson answers questions on this topic.
For how long have you been providing customer service?
In the beginning, the first couple of years we had an open feedback page where the user could quickly add a comment. That was a kind of crude support page, but we had to shut it down when there were too many spam comments. About nine years ago we got an official support phone number, +46 10 129 29 10. Support by email has always been available.
How does customer service increase loyalty in your opinion?
You know when you're trying to call your telecom operator and it turns out, they don't have a phone number. A telecom company that you can’t call? Maybe it is time to switch to another company?!. Almost every company nowadays is making it as difficult as possible to contact them. If you call them you will end up in a queue and if you’re lucky there is a human at the end. And if you go to contact on the website, you will end up in some kind of information system where you're supposed to search for an answer that isn’t there. Very tellingly, when you get an email from a company, it's almost always sent from no-reply@company.com.
But why are they hard to get? Maybe they have too many calls because their service isn’t working well. So that's why we are able to give good customer service — simply because Sprends works most of the time. There're always opportunities to make it better. But in general, it works. And it makes it possible for us to be generous about having a phone and email support available. For anyone, whether you're a paying customer or your use of the free service, we give the same opportunity for everyone. If you're a Team account user, a customer of a single account or you don't have an account at all, you're free to get in contact with us. So, does it increase customer loyalty? I don't know. Our customers have to contact us to do that. Most users of Sprend do not contact us. So maybe we should make Sprend a little bit more difficult to use? :-D Then we would get more calls, more opportunities to talk to people.
Is it hard to understand your customer's needs and wants?
No, usually it's not. They know what features we are missing and we know what we need to add. One day we will catch up with all features that I know we need to add, and all problems we need to fix. That day we will start to listen more carefully to our users! I mean, we are certainly listening to what people are saying, but basically, I know what we have and what we need to add. It is obvious to me.
Are you trying to act on promises you made to our customers in a sense of the improvement of the service? Such as sending multiple files at a time for example.
Some people call up and say: "I selected a file, and then I selected another one. And I don't know what happened, but the first one disappeared". So, sometimes it does happen that people call because they are expecting to be able to send more than one file at a time. It's that they cannot even imagine that they're not able to do it. Multiple file support is the next big feature we will release.
What are the most common things people are asking?
It would be like the call I got a couple of minutes ago, about a file that is gone. The time expired. So the question I get often is: "Can you bring it back?". I have to say no to that question. Because we delete it almost immediately.
Basically, we are not Google Drive or OneDrive, not a storage facility. We are the messenger, the company that transports files. Otherwise, we would have to be quite a different service if we were to keep all the files for any amount of time. It would be good to be able to help people get to the files because it could be that they have lost the file. This is maybe their last resort. If we put some effort and thought into that problem we might be able to implement a solution that helps some of those people. So people can mark and choose. For four weeks maximum to save their content.
Are you handling complaints and returns easily?
Yeah, absolutely. If there is any chance that somebody is not happy with the service, we always offer a refund. It says that in general terms as well, I guess people don't read it. If you're not happy you get the money back. I mean, it doesn't matter if you use it for half a year and you're unhappy, you get a 50% refund. Whether you pay by invoice or by card, we will refund you as soon as possible. Who wants to pay for a service that they are not using or not happy with?
Are you ever going out of your way to help your customer?
Sometimes the recipient finds out that it is not impossible to open a file, because of not having the correct software on the computer or something like that. One could argue that Sprend has provided its service perfectly. But at the same time, we want to help people to use the file or read the file or watch it or whatever they do with it, to use it. Any other way, there would be no point in sending something. So of course, I'm trying to help people find the correct software for opening that file that they have received. If I can, if I know.
It's good to have these calls because it puts good ideas into my head on how we can solve more problems. I have a file, I want to send it to you because you need it. Sprend wants to make that possible, and all the way because otherwise, it would be of no use to either sender or recipient. The whole chain needs to work. What can we do to make it like that? That's an interesting topic. Interesting challenge.
Sometimes you describe Sprend as a boring service, but do you have interesting conversations with customers?
That reminds me of Elon Musk and his company that is drilling tunnels, and it's called The Boring Company. Maybe I should join them. Because we are two boring companies, we could learn from each other. But yes, I do have interesting conversations with our customers often.
Are you ever bored?
I guess it happens. But we need to be able to appreciate small things, isn't that what it’s all about?
How we encrypt your files for quickly and secure transfer
Read how we at Sprend secure and encrypt your sensitive files and transfer them easily, quickly, and safely! Try to transfer big files free online!
Encryption is one of the most important features that Sprend provides to its users. What exactly it means and how it is different to send your files when you use it, we tried to explain in an interview with the creator of the service and director of Sprend, Arne Evertsson. We hope it will help you better understand and use our service in the future.
How secure is Sprend service and is it one of your priorities?
Sprend is as secure as you want it to be. If you want to be safe, you actually need to encrypt files before you send them. I guess that's true for any kind of file transfer service. You could install something like WinZip or any other kind of software that provides encryption. After you encrypt the important file on your own computer, you can send it however you like. Sprend, of course, uses the regular encryption that you have for websites, so called SSL or TLS, also known as HTTPS, that encrypts everything that goes between your computer and our server. And when the files have arrived on our side, they are, for Sprend Free users, stored unchanged in the same format as you have them on your computer.
Sprend Pro offers encryption
In short, if they are not encrypted when you send them, they will actually not be encrypted on our service, unless you pay for our Pro version where you have the option to set a password. In that case, the files will be encrypted as soon as they arrive on the Sprend servers. The technology is called Advanced Encryption Standard, AES-256 with a salted password.
Can anyone see the content of a file after setting a password?
After setting a password, the file comes encrypted on our hard drives, so that not even anyone from Sprend can decrypt or see what the content is.
Who is using this service the most?
That's a good question. We have some customers who use Sprend just for the encryption feature for sending confidential documents. Maybe they have customers who require it or they have the laws that are making it necessary regarding GDPR. Some government agencies in Sweden are using our service. Very happy with it. Probably because it's safe as well as works really well for sending files.
Visualization of the AES round function
How would you describe the encryption to the average user?
I get that question sometimes from people, we are obviously not doing a good enough job explaining that directly on sprend.com.
Encryption is taking a file like a Word document, a PDF file, a music or video file, simply anything that anybody could easily watch or see on a computer or a phone, and then scramble the bits and the bytes that are stored on the hard drive into something that basically no program can actually read and display in any way.
If you open that in a program for viewing text, you will see just random characters. If you open it in an application for viewing photographs, you would just see noise. And if you open it in a video player, it wouldn't be able to play it. And when you play it as music, it would just be something like a signal from space, like a complete noise. And only when you kind of run this program “backwards” with the password, you get back your file in the original format. But again, you need the password.
You're still answering the support calls, even after 15 years, could you explain what's the main reason?
I want feedback. Of course, I also want to hear if something is not working so we can improve it. I would like to hear that we’re doing good things as well. When I use a service online and I have some kind of trouble, I would like somebody to help me and take it seriously. Just try to provide the service to others that you would yourself wish for. Not that difficult to figure out, is it? We are available at +46101292910 or support@sprend.com.
Do you often get questions about encryption?
Users are generally confused by the encryption option. Seems like a good thing but they are not sure what it means and whether they should mark this option when sending something. It's important to emphasize that the files sent by Sprend are secure. However, if you want an additional level of security, where it is impossible for anyone but you and the recipient to see the content, then you need to choose the encryption option with a password of your choice.
What is the feature you’re the most proud of?
Well, we are trying to make file transfer simple, a lot easier than other services or other ways of transferring data. That has always been the main goal. And I think we have been successful in that. Even though we can still make improvements. I can go on about this topic for quite a long time. Maybe I should, and I have some ideas of how to make it.
Photo by Deleece Cook (Unsplash)
My last question would be, what are the new features that your users can expect in the near future?
First of all, we are releasing the feature to send more than one file at a time. We haven't had that right now. Our users have to zip their files before they can send them as one big archive, and we will make it possible to drag and drop several files in folders, so that would be the most wanted new feature that we will deliver very soon.
After that, I think we have lots of options, but some of them deal with making it easier to log in and sign up for the service. So that won't be as tedious as it is right now. A lot of people could benefit from that. Not only those who want SSO (single sign-on) but also those single users who just have one account.
But then I was talking about before; when you receive a file, I would like to make it possible to preview that file or to watch that film. Sometimes the user knows it's a video file, but cannot open it. So right now, there's nothing we can do about it, but tell them to ask the sender to send it again in a different format, or maybe to search on the Internet and see if there's some kind of software they need to install. But usually, that's not what the user wants to hear. That's a complex solution. They want to just play the file and be happy with it. We can make it possible to preview a file format that your computer does not know how to open or play. We can add that feature within Sprend, increasing the likelihood that you actually can view the document or see the movie or photo.
To summarize, during the development of a service, there is one common goal?
Yes, and that goal is always to remove annoying things and make things easier. Just go ahead and Send a file or check out our Plans & Prices.
Sprend is getting stronger - new developers have joined our team
We're happy to announce that new forces joined Sprend. Two new developers, Saša and Doroteo, will work on improving the service for sending large files with an existing team. Change is really the only thing that is constant and if it is absent, it starts to seem like we are standing still. We influence each other, thus gaining breadth and the opportunity to upgrade our opinions.
The process of searching for our new colleagues was repeated for the second time. The first time gave us hope that our way was good. We were lucky to find Ratomir, the first Pula great developer and a unique person. This is what you always hope for. That everything can be more than ordinary, even ourselves.
We continued this time with the same idea and hope. But you wonder at one point, will we be so lucky again? Then you remind yourself that there is no reason to worry. Unfounded fears seem to be repeated throughout life. Once upon a time, it was the first day in kindergarten, a roller coaster in an amusement park, and so on. With increasing responsibilities, we thought fears would increase too, but it is actually true that they are diminishing. We know it today.
Two excellent developers joined our team. What are we planning next? To provide them with everything in our power to make them feel welcome, stable, and stimulating for what they aim to achieve through their work. At Sprend, we are guided by certain principles that we consider the key to success. Tolerance, responsibility, fearlessness, proudness, leadership, respect. And above all, common sense as Tanja loves to say.
How will we know if we have succeeded? It is not up to us to say it. Time and others will tell us. As we will need to upgrade, change and adapt along the way. Only in this way can we believe that it is possible for our colleagues to tell us in a few years: it’s a pleasure to work with you. Nothing is more important than that.
Welcome guys!
Working together in the same office for the first time
A morning concert on a Friday meeting, preformed by famous musician, polyglot & developer Arne Evertsson
Once Sprend's Pula office was ready, in time of coronavirus, it wasn’t easy to make it a visited place. It would be nice if we could organize an opening party, but there's still hope since we never lack new reasons to celebrate.
So this pleasant place, decorated exactly as we wished, remained quiet. Until last week, when Tanja, our Croatian Sprend CEO managed to arrive from Stockholm despite all obstacles.
For the first time, we worked together in the same space. And there were no surprises. Except for the pleasant ones. The next thing may seem like something ordinary but really, not everyone does it. Tanja's knocking before entering the office is a very pleasant thing. It probably also depends on who you expect behind it, but the act itself has created a feeling which reminds me of masters of ceremonies. Pleasant intro in expectation of performance.
Our performance is our work. The week is behind us with an atmosphere of flexibility, a productive and inspirational way of working with frequent laughter. And the most important conclusion: we’ll share our desserts next week. We found the perfect balance.
I will conclude with the words of Dr. Rob Gilbert: "Working together works".
Who's standing behind Sprend?
Arne Evertsson
If you would like to know who's the captain of Sprend, here is the answer. It's Arne Evertsson, a developer speaking Esperanto and Croatian (one of the hardest languages in the world). Since always, he had a wish, to make a business of his own. As they say: "Fortune favours the bold" and he made it. Today, Sprend is expanding, having a Stockholm and Pula office.
Who is Arne? To know that, the best way it would be reaching in his childhood, but we'll skip that for now. In his early twenties, at the university, Arne made an educational game "Metris". He had his first job in 1995. and he was a freelancer in 1998. His first file-manager application called „UploadFolder“ was made in 2000.
But except for knowledge and talent, Arne likes to mention the ones who were together with him on the path of creating Sprend. Some of them working with him for shorter periods, others for longer but in the end, he managed to create Sprend - a company for sending large files with great business philosophy. Christoffer, Joakim and Stefan were those people, standing beside Arne at one point. Everyone who ever wanted to build something by himself knows how support is requisite. Tanja Evertsson was this strength all the way.
Today, Sprend's team of five is working with motivating business philosophy, in a stimulating, stress-free surrounding with a lot of humor. The one who brings it is in most cases is Arne himself.
“Metris” educational game Arne made in 1993.
T: Was it hard to let other people in Sprend?
A: No, not at all. I was searching for people for years. Sometimes I think that I spent too much time on that. Finding them, taking time to meet them, but in the end, very few were the right ones for Sprend. Maybe they didn't find the idea interesting enough (laughing).
T: Can we talk a little bit about leading people? I need to say, I noticed at our meetings that there are always much more things you have done than you are saying out loud. In general, people do the opposite.
A: Is that a question?
T: No, you're right, it's not. It's my noticing, and I know you would never say it for yourself. So I needed to. Do you find it easy for people to work with you?
A: Not at all. There were people who didn't like it. I'm very stubborn. And I'm a perfectionist. But also, I believe that in companies the hardest thing can be when the small problems became big problems. Like: "I'm the owner and I have a demand". Then you have classical "us" and "them", the owner and the employees.
T: What is your way then?
A: My golden rule is to behave toward others as you would like them to behave to you. Honesty is the quality I appreciate. Always stay honest. Things can be simple. When I speak with my customers on the phone, if they have some obstacle, I'm always trying to help and if that doesn't work, I offer them money back. You know, when someone is completely honest, people can feel it. In general, they never want their money back and in the end, we always find a great solution. You have many services when you get no reply emails, why? Is that polite? If you have a problem is it good to send a message: "Thanks for contacting us, but we don't want to speak about it now". We need to be available.
T: You're letting people make mistakes, not expecting perfection in every step of a working process, why is that?
A: By making mistakes people learn. It's very human to want to avoid pain, if you know there'll be punishment, you'll try to avoid it. But be able to talk to your boss, that's something.
T: How would you describe Sprend to someone who has never heard of it?
A: When you are feeling lost and lonely and a stranger turns to you, smiles, and says, would you like to join us? But in simple boring terms: Sprend helps you send files that are too large to fit in an email.
This is how our Pula office looks like
We had empty walls. Our space for making an office. The place in which we'll work, have new ideas, make our lives better and I always imagine, in some forty years this will be a building that retired me will pass on the way to the green market, thinking: it was one of the best jobs I ever had. But before future carrots, broccoli, fish, or salad, this is a short video about how it was and how it is today:
Sprend's customer support service - a real thing, not a myth
A topic about customer support services deserve to have a song. I really don't know how anyone yet didn't write one about such an important feeling: desperation while you're trying to reach it. It would become a huge hit. Millions of people would sympathize. It would be number one during the working part of the week. Then it would fell to second place, because of an even greater one: "Why are weekends passing so fast?". And on a third-place after, you're guessing the title: "Oh no, it's Monday again!".
To whom could you complain if the service for complaints is not answering you? Let's start from the beginning. It's a familiar feeling for all of us. Part of the story where we need to decide will we buy something and that is the last time that we'll have control over the situation. This light and great feeling. Everything is possible and our life will be changed after. No matters are we buying a toothpick (which is a really important thing in certain moments) or a house. Only in the case we walk away at that point, without buying it, this will become a perfect product for us. Our memory will bring it to perfection. But we don't have time for the imagination of feelings. The things are simple, we need something and it needs to fulfill the purpose.
It's not easy to stand behind the product or service after selling it. Not to make people feeling good only in those 10 minutes before buying it, but also, the whole time after. Be real. Even with the best ones, sometimes we have questions about it, but does it often looks any different than standing on the high hill and shouting it into the void? This echo we hear after is the same question returning to us, instead of the service providers.
Sprend has a different way from the beginning of its existence. Arne Evertsson, the founder, is still one of those who you'll get on the phone or by email, very easily if you have any questions regarding sending large files. Today, Tanja and Karin are the ones who joined him. No matter if you're using Sprend for free, or you're a paying, PRO user with more advantages, you'll get help. With our servers in Sweden, you can send large files easily, securely and fast.
With Sprend, you don't need to climb a mountain. Only if you like it and if you do it for sport.
Space Oddity
Tihana and Tanja get creative with office furnishing and decoration.
Space designing can be an interesting, fun, or sometimes even dangerous thing for human relations. One can never know what to expect.
We started planning the design of our office in Pula. Chairs, tables, colours, preferences, styles and measures. It would be good to start with measures. So we did. The rest was pretty much fun. When you realise that you work with a person who easily finds entertainment in a lot of things, it becomes magic. Till this moment, I always thought that I'm inclined to exaggerate with styles and wishes, so I tried to bring that back in balance. But completely unnecessary. Tanja not only supported me in each unusual suggestion, but she had it even more. At that moment I realised that her sentence: "Only a sky is a limit" is a vivid thing.
We're waiting for our furniture to come. One last thing is how to approach the entrance with an eight tons truck in a center of Pula. A small thing for us.
When you find a story in a cup of coffee
Where is the best coffee in town? Let’s find out.
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” T.S. Eliot
Some days are passing highly inspired, in some of them, we're in search of it. Brilliant ideas, practical solutions, something effective to be satisfied with ourselves and our work. Small things can always help in that process. Coffee could be one of the solutions. If the intention is to go out of the office, to take a walk and get one of the best cups in town, who knows on which corner the inspiration could find you. That's the main concept of our brilliant idea maker, Arne. So, exactly from Stockholm, he discovered Calm Wins Coffee & Cocktails in the center of Pula.
If you ask me, and I live there, I wouldn't know that the place exists. High quality, great tasting coffee. And here's the story about it: "Coopedota was founded in 1960. in Costa Rica. Currently has 900 farmers with families and it's an integral part of the development of a community of more than 8000 people".
Sometimes the magic is in Arne's code, sometimes in Tanja's remarkable skills of leading or Karin's brightness and humor. And some days it can be just in a cup of coffee. Wish you the best of luck with finding yours.