ActiveColor

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of three owners at a prosthodontics practice. Prosthodontics is a field in dentistry that focuses on reconstructive dentistry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ActiveColor?

We engaged them to redo our website. We’re dentists, so we know nothing about website design. We’d used another company, but we were frustrated with their progress. It was taking forever and things weren’t working correctly.

We had a very basic website that wasn’t compatible with new devices. We wanted it to display correctly on both desktop and mobile devices, to be user-friendly, and to be up to date with the latest technologies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a discussion about our goals, style preferences, and the functionalities of the site. ActiveColor gave us a preliminary design. We wanted a boutique, high-end, non-generic style, which is completely different from the templated look of typical dental websites. 

They then developed new websites for our practice and nonprofit teaching center, and they’re currently maintaining and updating them. We’ve made a refresh recently. Especially with COVID-19, we wanted to update our educational materials on infection control. 

ActiveColor has updated the site to the latest technologies over the years. SEO is something we could be doing better, but it doesn’t drive our business, so we haven’t really focused on it

What is the team composition?

We’re working with Damjan (Principal & Creative Director). We’ve also had project managers and designers reach out to us from time to time to discuss layouts and other items.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far is around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ActiveColor in 2008, and they’ve continued to update the websites over the years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The site is mainly a way for people to verify our identity, and we don’t get many new patients through it. We don’t really monitor metrics, since most of our business comes from word-of-mouth referrals, but patients will tell us from time to time that we have the most beautiful website they’ve ever seen.

How did ActiveColor perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s very easy to work with Damjan. The communication was clear on what he wanted us to supply and what he was going to supply. ActiveColor is effective and responsive whenever we reach out to them, and they meet deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They tailor the project to the customer’s needs. We specifically asked for a unique style. We’re three women, and I think that the site reflects our aesthetic, but it’s also informative.

The main aspect of ActiveColor that we like is the ease of communication and smooth, direct working relationship. We’ve never had to keep checking up on them to resolve an issue as was the case with other people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide more education for customers like us, who know nothing about SEO and other website aspects. For instance, someone complained that the website didn’t have a feature for hearing-impaired people.

ActiveColor’s main focus is website design. We’ve engaged SEO people, but we’re not that keen on spending hours on writing content only to get three patients per year from it. The team could consult us on changing keywords or other elements that don’t require a lot of extra work.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

As with anything, if you’re clear on the list of wants and give them effective responses, it’ll go very smoothly. Both parties need to be clear on what the goal is.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a busy cookie shop in the center of Amsterdam.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ActiveColor?

Our website was made before we opened our store, so it could use an update. Plus we wanted to add a webshop to the site.

I searched online to find a website that I really liked and I found a mesmerizing one, theneverlands.com. I was so blown away by the design that I asked the developpers for our own project.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to make a magical and warm website. It turned out to be everything I hoped for.

SOLUTION

How did you select ActiveColor?

I searched online to find a website that I really liked and I found a mesmerizing one, theneverlands.com. I was so blown away by the design that I asked the developpers for our own project.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a Zoom call with the Creative Director to discuss the wishes, possibilities, costs and intentions. After the start of the project we had weekly Zoom calls with the Creative Director, Design & Art Director, Lead Full Stack Developer and the Illustrator.

What was the team composition?

Design: Creative Director, Design & Art Director, Lead Full Stack Developer, Illustrator. Commissioning party: Store manager and me (owner).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We get a lot of compliments on our new website. The webshop fits in perfectly. It took away a lot of inefficient work for us, since the ordering proces is now automatized.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

You didn't really noticed that all our time zones were very different, everybody was flexible and involved. Respons times were very quick.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The end result. It's a one of a kind. You'll not find it anywhere else.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Launch day was a bumpy ride, but hey, isn't it always?

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I have multiple companies, but the primary one is called GSD Creative, a productivity company. I also have an events company that I’ve had for 20 years and a coworking space for women in Nashville, Tennessee. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ActiveColor?

I needed to develop a website years ago, and now they help me with my businesses and clients. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ActiveColor did our very first website almost 20 years ago, and they’ve been with me for almost two decades, helping us with every business that we launch. They're not just a part of my company; they're also a part of multiple creative companies that are my clients that I oversee.

The scope depends on what is needed. For example, I have some clients at the very beginning of a new company, and we work with many investors. ActiveColor works on many parts of the branding, such as the logo, visual identity, and content creation. Some clients want to develop apps. 

In the first five years, they’ve built about four or five different websites for companies. Each time we need to overhaul our site, we go to them as well. 

What is the team composition?

Sometimes, there are five or six people. However, my main points of contact are Damjan (Creative Director) and Alex (Lead Web Developer). Then, there’s Anya (Digital Strategist), who also works on some of our clients. There are team members in the background, but I don't need to communicate with them day-to-day or week-to-week. 

How did you come to work with ActiveColor?

I found them on the website of a club called The Edison. At that time, I built my own little website, which was terrible. The club’s website UI and the customer journey were incredible. I wanted to find out who did their website, so I scrolled down to the bottom and saw ActiveColor. I reached out and emailed them. 

The next day, I got an email back, and we got into a call. There were other providers in Nashville, but they were not thorough. ActiveColor asked me a bunch of questions that none of the other companies had asked me — they were very thorough. 

How much have you invested with them?

For my brand, we’ve spent between $100,000–$250,000. However, in terms of the other clients we collaborate on, it’s well over a million dollars. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in January 2001, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

When people go to our websites, they say they are beautiful and organized and everything’s easy to find. We’re talking about 10 websites that aren’t just mine but all of the clients. I’m a luxury designer for one of my brands. It’s important that when potential clients reach out or comment, they’ll see how well my site is put together, how it’s always updated, and that speed is good. 

My clients always say I’m keeping up with the times and changes, thanks to ActiveColor. They’re very detail-oriented. They make sure the UX — whether it’s an Android or Apple product — and all the analytics are set up so that customers get the best experience and customer journey. 

The impact is huge. Comparing them to other competitors in the creative space from a design perspective and the performance on the frontend, I know the backend is set up appropriately.

How did ActiveColor perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Asana, but I can usually email them. I know that they use Asana internally because I’m a client under their project management system, but my company uses some CRMs. We also use Zoom, where we always schedule calls to talk. To be very honest, nothing ever falls through the cracks. 

The other thing that had an impact on me is their customer service. If something goes down or not working for whatever reason, we have a response within a few hours. They solve problems very quickly. As far as the ROI goes and what we invest in our digital assets, the service is just priceless. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

ActiveColor members are such good communicators from a customer service perspective. If one of our projects is moving from one person to another, they’re always letting us know, which is great. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have a few clients that are married to their designs. Damjan would come in and tell them upfront when it’s not going to work, along with the reasons why. I have to tell him that we need to be a little bit softer. I appreciate the directness and don’t have the time to fluff things up, but every once in a while, some clients need that if they’re a little bit too close to the brand. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If they’re looking for a long-term company that wants projects done the right way, they will embrace the fact that ActiveColor has so much experience. 

Time is short, and we can only take on so many projects as a company. I only want to take 10 clients a year who are going to be in it for the whole year because it brings my team an opportunity to dig in. These apps and sites are not an overnight thing. Therefore, leaning on ActiveColor’s experience is best if it’s a long-term relationship. 

A website is never done. An app is never done. Facebook is making a million changes every week; WordPress is constantly changing. Every platform that we build on is constantly making changes. Asking how long the project will take is not how it works. Investing in monthly support would be best for them, and their engagement with ActiveColor. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the director of marketing for Lawry's Restaurant Inc. The company is family-owned and it’s been in business for almost 100 years. We have six fine dining restaurants in the country, and our most iconic brand is Lawry's The Prime Rib. Aside from that, our company owns other fine dining restaurants as well as a couple of gastropubs, and a casual concept restaurant called Lawrey's Carvery.

The company has restaurants under the Lawry's name and other fine dining restaurants that don't have the name. Also, we have six international and four domestic prime rib restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ActiveColor?

We have a design company that we’ve partnered with for website development. However, we were looking for another agency to revamp our website since our previous partner was too expensive for us. We needed a team that could produce high-quality work at a cost-effective price for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ActiveColor revamped our website. The team was tasked to bring in our two platforms — mobile and a desktop — under one umbrella. They currently handle maintenance and other small projects on our backend.

What is the team composition?

We directly work with the owner and we also contact two team members on a daily basis. There are also two more members who work on the technical and development tasks.

How did you come to work with ActiveColor?

We screened 4–5 different companies that specialized in the restaurant industry and had creative abilities. We wanted a local team here in the Los Angeles area so we could work with them face-to-face to have a stronger relationship.

Another criterion was the balance between technical and creative skills. We wanted to work with someone who could deliver that to us.

During the decision-making process, it came down between 2–3 companies because we came across agencies that had technical abilities but lacked the outside-the-box thinking skills. Ultimately, we went with ActiveColor because they were really open to working with us. We felt that they wanted to collaborate with us as opposed to just making recommendations.

They weren’t the cheapest nor the most expensive agency, but they fit right in our particular budget. The price came in right where we needed it to be.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve already invested almost $50,000. The initial quote was $39,000 but due to the things that we wanted to add to the website, the cost went up.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing engagement began in July 2018. They currently handle maintenance and work on little projects that we can’t do on the backend.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

ActiveColor successfully brought our two sites under one umbrella which helped make managing our sites more efficient for us. In terms of Google presence, our old website wasn’t delivering for us and we were struggling with our SEO and visibility. The team helped us with what we needed in SEO.

They allow us to track our website traffic — the number of visitors and the activities on the site. I can’t give the exact metrics or comparison from the old website but the number of online reservations has substantially grown since the project began. Overall, our business is generally performing strongly across the board.

How did ActiveColor perform from a project management standpoint?

ActiveColor is excellent in communicating — this is something important to us. They've been responsive even before and after we signed the contract. Our teams communicate through email, phone calls, texts, and quite often we have in-person meetings when needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is open to all types of communication and is highly responsive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could work on making websites ADA compliant. This was from our initial brief and it wasn’t the top priority so perhaps that’s why we may have lost sight of this. It would be helpful if they could’ve shared how they made the ADA complaint. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Customer Experience Design of a healthcare company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're a German multinational company specializing in pharmaceuticals, consumer healthcare products, agricultural chemicals, seeds, and biotechnology products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ActiveColor to accomplish?

• Coordinate and execute the design of a website for Grants For Apps (G4A)

SOLUTION

How did you find ActiveColor?

Other

Why did you select ActiveColor over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ActiveColor were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The complete design process of our website, including stakeholder management and delivery of the final product (website) in both design and code, ready to deploy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Site performing well
• Site 100% self-manageable by non-technical users
• Happy stakeholders
• beautiful design

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management was proactive, reliable, empathetic, and focused on finding solutions. I rate it a perfect 10 out of 10!

What was your primary form of communication with ActiveColor?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Genuine care for delivering a high-quality end result, along with exceptional design and coding skills to achieve it.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ActiveColor could have done differently?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Four Faces

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Four Faces is a marketing and technology solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ActiveColor to accomplish?

• To develop a web-based application

SOLUTION

How did you find ActiveColor?

Referral

Why did you select ActiveColor over others?

Referred to me

What was your primary form of communication with ActiveColor?

Virtual Meeting

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

ActiveColor was commissioned to develop a web-based/mobile application that collected "medication experiences" from users. It required UX/UI designs that compelled and motivate people to participate in ExactMED's social medicine movement, so the application had to be visually engaging in telling the "ExactoMED story" and easy-to-use, especially in questionnaire participation. The deliverables included a web-based application and a mobile application prototype.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• The web-based application was completed and launched per the scheduled timeline.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management was done excellently. Their client communication was timely, and the application was completed on time. All of our needs were met with professionalism and transparency.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

ActiveColor is very strong in both UX/UI design and backend development, so as a full-stack development team, it is a one-stop shop where all development needs can be handled.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ActiveColor could have done differently?

Our experience working with them has been excellent.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on December 7, 2020.

Collin Lee

Co-Founder, Four Faces

Advertising & marketing

1-10 Employees

California, United States

$200,000 to $999,999

Aug 2016 - Ongoing

Project summary

Over a four year engagement, the team at ActiveColor has supported a marketing consulting company with a variety of a project. They assist with UX/UI design and web app development.

Feedback summary

All feedback on every project has been positive. The skilled team at ActiveColor is creative, responsive, and communicative. Their personable approach makes them a trusted partner to the client.

BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a marketing consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with ActiveColor?

We hired them for UX/UI design and web app development support.

SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed the expertise in UX/UI design for support with our client projects.

What is the team composition?

We’re only working with the owner, but I know he has a team of developers.

How did you come to work with ActiveColor?

A friend referenced them to me. I liked their style of design.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with ActiveColor started in August 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

ActiveColor was our first UX/UI design team in our first project as a company. We started it all together.

Our clients are very happy with their work. Since we’ve started, we’ve done five projects that each client has been pleased with.

How did ActiveColor perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is excellent at communicating. We use email, text, phone calls, and Zoom. For project management, we use Google Drive. We needed a simple, collaborative platform to share everything with our clients. ActiveColor makes sure to come back with a wireframe we can share with our clients, as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a small, agile, and responsive team. Whenever there are problems, they get on them very quickly. I also liked their style of design, responsive service, and development efficiency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been very happy so far. They’re our number one partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to their expertise, suggestions, and input. Clients usually have their own visions, but once they get down to the technical level, more things come into play.

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5