Afterglow Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am co-founder at Linguix.com, an AI-based writing assistant and writing skill improvement app. We develop SaaS software that helps people to fix mistakes in their writing and take personalized language training to boost their language skill in the long run.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Afterglow Studio?

We are working with Afterglow on our website, its visual language and UX as well as animations development. These are crucial elements for our success, improving conversion, and onboarding users as we offer multiple features that people need to understand right away.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We looked for references on Behance and Dribbble and were impressed with the quality of designs folks at Afterglow were able to create for their previous customers.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We had several introductory conference calls, where we described the product, our mission and goals. Afterwards, the first version of the design was created in a couple of weeks. It was a big surprise for me, that experts at Afterglow were able to grasp the spirit of the project very fast.

So, there were only minor amendments made before a renovated website gone live. Later on, we've worked on smaller tasks when we were releasing new features, etc. This summer (2021), we've teamed up for a massive redesign again, involving illustration preparation and new animations development, and again, everything went through perfectly!

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

In total, we've worked with five people: Pavel (founder), Lana (project manager) Illustrator Designer Motion designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can't say a lot here, just go visit our homepage, review the perfect graphics and animation, and you'll understand the level of quality there guys can deliver for your project: https://linguix.com/

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was good, I was always able to receive timely reponse on the status of our project. If there was a need to move the deadline or reschedule something, guys reached out to me in advance, so that we could discuss the possible changes.

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

My top three things here are:

• The quality of the outcome. It really looks perfect
• Its adaptability, it was easy to take it and build something new upon it with our in-house design professionals.
• The communication: it was always friendly and professional

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

They need to grow the team, so that they could work even faster, ha-ha

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Insurance Services and the leading provider of private flood insurance in US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Afterglow Studio?

Complete website and UI re-design.

SOLUTION

How did you select Afterglow Studio and what were the deciding factors?

An impressive portfolio of past projects.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Their team was provided with wireframes and ran with the project from there.

How many resources from the Afterglow Studio team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with a very organized project manager who was super responsive and always available.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the design down to the smallest details was the work of world-class professionals. Not only was the design beautiful and engaging it exhibited a deep understanding of best practices user interface design. I would put the studio's level of expertise on par with the largest and most well-known design studios in the world.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their workflow and project management exceeded our expectations, and the level of professionalism was mind-blowing. Met every schedule and deadline and over-delivered on every expectation. It is very rare to work with a remote team that operates so flawlessly. The communication was outstanding.

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

The website design and user experience design were expert level. It was flawlessly down to the smallest detail. I have engaged dozens of designs studios and have been responsible for millions of dollars of web design work over the last 20 years. AfterGlow ranks as one of the best studios I have ever worked with.

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

My only regret is that I wasn't introduced to them 10 years ago.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Digital Marketing Specialist at Solvoyo, a Supply Chain Planning and Analytics Software company based in Boston.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Afterglow Studio?

Solvoyo is an intelligent supply chain planning and analytics platform. Powered by AI & ML, we convert complex supply chain decisions into simple ones and make them autonomous. The brand identity of Solvoyo is "Magician". Our current website did not reflect our brand identity and the sense of simplicity we provide with our software.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We looked for web designers at Upwork. One of our previous employees suggested Afterglow as they had a great working experience with them before. His reference was important for us. After looking at their previous work and our intro call with Afterglow, we were convinced that they were very professional. As a result, we believed we would become good partners on this project.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After a series of discovery calls to discuss our goals, we received 3 initial designs for the home page on Figma. As we were not happy with the initial designs, afterglow continued to create new ones according to our feedback. Once we choose a theme for the main page, they applied it to the rest of our page categories. They designed a character illustration for our brand and created 17 different posses of it. They also prepared an animation of the character to be inserted into the home page.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

As far as I realized, we worked with 4 people, including the Co-founder, the project manager, and 2 designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design and each illustration they created truly represent our brand identity and business values. They provided clear and thorough documents that our developer team could easily use.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was easy to communicate with and provided us frequent feedback. We had in-person meetings and communicated through Slack. The PM was very responsive every time. They also received my feedback through Figma and they quickly applied all the feedback we gave.

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

They were good at creating the character with crisp colors and cute poses. Also, they were very impressive in applying a next-generation-looking design to the overall website. They were very responsive to our feedback.

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

It took us time to agree on the design theme. Unless you show clear, visual examples of what you would like to see, they have difficulty applying your words and vision into a design. We went back and forth several times until we reached the final design, but the quality was more important than speed and we ended up with a perfect design.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at The Profs. We are an EdTech company that matches experienced and high-quality tutors with students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Afterglow Studio?

We were looking to refresh our website, taking into account UI/UX. Essentially, we wanted a new website design and animations. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a fully functioning website, but it felt quite outdated — it didn’t target our demographic. We called Afterglow Studio to help us with the redesign and update. In the initial stages of our collaboration, we did some consulting with their team. We gave them lots of documentation, so they would understand the scope of our project in regard to the UI/UX, design, and mood boards.

They provided us with different concepts and ideas made on FIGMA, and after several revisions, we decided on one. From there, they were able to start with the home page and so on. They are also helping us with the frontend development.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Lana (Co-Founder) and a lead designer.

How did you come to work with Afterglow Studio?

I was looking for designer agencies and freelancers on Dribbble, and we probably had at least 30–40 prospects. We chose Afterglow Studio because of their designs and the relationship we built with them. They were super friendly, flexible, accommodating, and we got along really well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested somewhere around £3,000–£5,000 (approximately $4,000–$7,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started collaborating in October 2020, and it’s still ongoing. Currently, The first phase of the project has ended, but we contact them whenever we need something designed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is still not live, so I’m not able to give specific feedback. However, I can say that we were quite hesitant to color changes as we were quite attached to our website colors. However, after Afterglow Studio’s team made the redesign to the website, it looks more modern and more accessible to people; we are happy to be working with them.

How did Afterglow Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We have regular meetings, and we mostly use Slack and FIGMA for project management. In the first few weeks of the collaboration, we met every 3–4 days. They are extremely communicative, and I am able to jump on calls with them within 24 hours’ notice. If they aren't able to meet a deadline, they tell us immediately. We are able to plan for that turnaround. Afterglow Studio is really outstanding.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professional design is what makes Afterglow Studio stand out. They’re fascinating, thorough, different, patient, and playful. Also, the cost is a big benefit for us. They are significantly cheaper than a lot of the other agencies we met.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is no area that I can think of. If there are any issues, we will speak to them and resolve them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Definitely go for it. They will let you know if the project is something that they can handle since they are very open about what they can and can’t do. They're a really safe pair of hands to go with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an online courses website, and I’m the co-owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Afterglow Studio?

We’d been on the market for two years, and we wanted to upgrade our initial site. We wanted to give it a more professional look and feel, and to implement a technology stack better fitted for Google SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them my requirements, and I provided them with the necessary information regarding personas and the "About Us" section, so they would get familiar with these data. Lana (Co-Founder) walked me through the whole design process, and she showed me the way we would cooperate, both in Figma and in Slack.

By using Slack and communicating heavily, we went from one page to another. We started with the homepage, and they provided us with two completely different design approaches, out of which we selected one. Once we decided on the general design parameters, we carried on with the other pages of the site. Currently, I'm waiting for them to extract all the graphics and put them into the final Figma file.

What is the team composition?

About 4 people from Afterglow Studio are assigned to this project.

How did you come to work with Afterglow Studio?

I found them by searching on Dribbble. I went through many portfolios and I was astonished by Afterglow Studio's design style. The second reason was that Lana called me and walked me through the whole process of how the project would be performed.

Since I already had an idea of how the collaboration would look like, I decided to go ahead with Afterglow. Soon after that, Lana introduced me to their project manager and design team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2021, and the project is close to completion. All the designs are done, and we’re just waiting for the final file.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm really amazed by Afterglow Studio's designs. We've just signed the contract for the development part, so we’re in the first phase. After the implementation phase, I’ll be able to measure the impact of their work.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been really great, and I'm satisfied with their work. With the use of Slack for direct communication, all of my issues and concerns have been met and resolved immediately. All my comments have been assigned to the team's designer and implemented well. 

They set up email as our key communication channel. When we discussed the project's expectations, we had 1–2 meetings per week. Currently, our communication with the rest of the team is done on a daily basis. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produce great creative designs, and their project management process is very strong. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have no areas to improve, and the process has been smoothly and professionally implemented, and we haven't had any problems. Overall, I'm looking forward to doing our next project with Afterglow Studio.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re a big company, but I’ve only worked with a few of them. I'd advise their future clients to pick the same project manager that I did.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Saber Liquidation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Gift Card Arbitrage

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Afterglow Studio to accomplish?

• Designs for New App

SOLUTION

How did you find Afterglow Studio?

Online Search

Why did you select Afterglow Studio over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Afterglow Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

SOW was to design a IOS app that allows users to receive points on photo submissions that can be redeemed for gift cards. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team was presented multiple designs to select from 

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

PM delevered on time. There was not a moment where our team felt underserved by Afterglow Studio.

What was your primary form of communication with Afterglow Studio?

Virtual Meeting

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

Organization with deliverables 

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Manager of a hospitality & leisure company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We rent out vacation homes within Europe to our guests.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Afterglow Studio to accomplish?

• Responsive Web App Design
• Landingpage Re-Design (responsive Design incl. illustrations and animations)
• Smaller Design tickets

SOLUTION

How did you find Afterglow Studio?

Online Search

Why did you select Afterglow Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fits our budget
• Great portfolio

How many teammates from Afterglow Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We hired Afterglow to find firstly focus on designing our web app including responsive design and suggestions for branding. The work had to be very detailed to provide as much visual indications for our FE developer. Afterwards we had some smaller design request regarding the web app like additional views, change of layout etc. We also continued working with Afterglow on branding such as the logo and our landing page. 

Here we provide them with a simple wireframe and gave them the freedom to design and give the right ui/ux suggestions. The project is currently in the last stages of finishing where they also help us with the development of the landingpage within Webflow.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team but especially our management were very satisfied with the designs that Afterglow came up with. Progress was clearly showing our ability to move from one page to another in a short amount of time. Thanks to the extensive communication from both sides everybody was always kept up-to-date and the process was therefore efficient.

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

Afterglow was outstanding in terms of communication and getting the things done. Having the communication for updates centralizied in Slack, helped everyone to react quickly. Specific feedback was given directly in Figma and therefore the Designers and Project Manager knew what was wanted. Afterglow was happy to go into multiple feedback rounds with us and work until we found a solution that we were happy with.

What was your primary form of communication with Afterglow Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The fast execution while still being able to hold up the quality to a really high standard. Their communication and project management were excellent.

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

I think both sides had to get into a grove of working together. The only thing I can think of right now is agreeing on some "standard rules" for efficient feedback sessions with the client. But in our case we figured out the perfect way of working together.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder & CEO of BATCH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Enhance people health and creat community society

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Afterglow Studio to accomplish?

• Creat ui/ux design for a mobile app
• Design a landing page website
• Creat a branding identity that matches the brand strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find Afterglow Studio?

Online Search

Why did you select Afterglow Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Afterglow Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Creat a ui/ux for a mobile app, branding and webdesign

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design matches our desired outcome, the functionality is amazing, the branding was a top-notch. We loved every aspect. We loved how the team was helpful and understanding.

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

It was a great project management, I loved every aspect of the partnership.

What was your primary form of communication with Afterglow Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Amount of revision and understanding in order to reach the best possible outcome, moreover they help with building that decision and in term of design and quality they provide

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

Can’t add anything in this field because everything was perfect

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the publisher of TriviaWhizz an energic quiz website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Afterglow Studio?

We hired Afterglow to create bold, bright, and playful hero images for all of our quizzes on a variety of topics.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I'd worked with Afterglow on another project and given their diverse portfolio of projects I thought they'd be perfect for the job.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After exchanging a few emails to coordinate the design direction and color layouts for the images, Afterglow got to work designing an initial set of 5 images. Once feedback was taken into consideration, Afterglow then produced the remaining 220 images over the course of 1 month.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

In total, I worked with two members.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The images were delivered in the correct format and slotted easily into the site design. All the background colors matched perfectly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was friendly and incredibly responsive. I was able to leave feedback directly on the design which was promptly updated.

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

They were committed to providing an excellent design solution, always going the extra mile to ensure we were 100% happy with the final outcome.

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

At times some things were lost in translation, however, these were always promptly remedied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of mechlabs.ai

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Afterglow Studio?

Web design/ User Interface and User experience

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Found them online after a google search.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Website Design

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Web design/ User Interface and User experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with the team at Afterglow was a fantastic experience. They did much more than what I asked for. Always on-time, always open to feedback and overall just did a wonderful job. All of our team was delighted with the results and I will look forward to working with them on an ongoing basis. Also have I said that they did all of that while going through a war (Russia invaded their country, for those not aware of the situation)?

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Flawless

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

Their communication and quality of the design.

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

No.