Belka Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a freelance jewelry and art doll maker. My pieces are primarily showcased in galleries in Europe and around Los Angeles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I wanted them to build a website to represent my art dolls and act as a vehicle to engage gallery owners and interested buyers.

What were your goals for this project?

To create an online portfolio and be able to easily sell artwork through my website. I also wanted to creatively tell my story without detracting from the aesthetics of the website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was recommended their firm as a good partner.

Describe the project in detail.

They build the website from its inception to completion, providing help with creative and design choices.

What was the team composition?

I worked primarily with the project manager, though there were also programmers, designers, and web developers involved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My website has attracted attention from several prominent galleries, leading to four prestigious showings. I've also received interest to participate in national and international competitions for my work. Sending potential clients to my new site has truly raised the bar. I can show both my process and my work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had regular communication and, despite the time differences, they were incredibly fluid in their engagement and response times.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’ve always found that other studios talked a lot but often struggled to listen to my vision. In contrast, Belka Studio's team listened to my ambitions, my concerns, and adhered to my budget. They were direct in their suggestions, while still always maintaining their passion to see through my goals.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They performed perfectly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of WODProof, a CrossFit app that allows athletes to record their workouts and track their performance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belka Studio?

We hired Belka Studio to help develop our app from scratch.  We’d worked with a previous agency in the past, and we didn’t get the desired results from the experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with another agency who made the basic design of the app, and we provided it as a basis for Belka Studio. From there, we worked together on creating user stories for the new features we wanted to implement. After I approved each screen for the app, Belka Studio developed the platform with both iOS and Android versions.

Within the app, their team built several features. Users can record videos using an existing panel. There is a tool that allows users to save training logs, display videos in split-screen mode, and use a functioning search engine. It also serves as a type of social media app because of the way Belka Studio developed it.

What is the team composition?

The number of teammates varied, but I worked with 13 people at the peak of the project. They provided project managers for the development and design portions of the work. Their team also dedicated resources to manage timelines and our scheduling needs.

How did you come to work with Belka Studio?

I’d heard of Belka Studio through a connection and decided to reach out to them. After explaining our previous experience and expectations, they promised to deliver everything we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

W spent $200,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–September 2017. The first iteration of the app took one month, but we continued working on user stories and adding updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our community loves the platform and we’re seeing sales from in-app purchases. We’re completely satisfied with Belka Studio’s work and feel confident in the direction of our success. I fully trust their team, and everything went smoothly.  

How did Belka Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

No matter what time of day or night, Belka Studio was available. If I had an urgent need, they were willing to work with me to find an answer. Unlike other agencies, they worked with me around the clock, if needed. We primarily used Skype and Slack to communicate.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personal attention they provided made it clear they were dedicated to my project. I felt like they prioritized my needs, even though they had other clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was satisfied with Belka Studio and can’t think of anything they could improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend clients ask Belka Studio to explain every step and break down the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and owner of Pic-A-Cake. We over a digital marketplace to sell customized cakes, facilitating the ordering process between customers and suppliers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belka Studio?

Given that our marketplace was a completely new product, we needed a business partner that could help us come up with and implement marketing solutions. This involved identifying how to brand, position, and market our product in addition to creating marketing materials.

I reached out to Belka Studio to support my business. Beyond providing designs for my platform, they helped us with investor presentations, animated marketing videos, and a simple WordPress site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I first started working with them, they helped me ideate my product and flesh out the platform design. At the time, I didn't have any professional documentation but sent them my own wireframes instead. They asked me questions, tweaked my materials, and instructed me on how to improve the overall UI.

From there, we collaborated to create special presentations and animated marketing videos to attract prospective investors. These assets served as public demos to highlight the platform. They also provided design work for a simple WordPress site to promote my business.

The platform itself allows users to order customized cakes from suppliers. It features an editor function where users can modify their cakes and place orders to participating suppliers on the market. Belka Studio provided designs for the initial demo after six months, and we've continued to improve it since. 

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with the project managers, which is convenient for me, but Ora (Director of Business Development and Marketing, Belka Studio) is my main point of contact. If needed, I can also communicate directly with the designers.

How did you come to work with Belka Studio?

A friend of mine had success working with them before and recommended them to me. After looking at their website and proposal, I called them.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we've spent $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in May 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their designs and suggestions, we now have a working platform with paying customers. End users have given good feedback on its UX, and the product is attractive and well-designed. Belka has really helped me make decisions and improve my platform. Professional and quick, they communicate effectively at all stages.

How did Belka Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a focused process, using Trello and Jira to coordinate the project. The project managers allow me to see who is and isn't working, which is easier than reaching out to individual designers. In terms of communication, we spoke via Skype and email. We also had conference calls once or twice a month.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had a bad experience with a previous agency, so I was so happy to find Belka. They're more collaborative than they need to be; if I have any requests or challenges, they remain open-minded and try to find solutions. Even now, I continue to work with them to make adjustments to my platform.

Furthermore, not only do they understand my work methods and needs, but they also know where I can sometimes fall short. They have a customer-oriented attitude and strive to do a good job rather than handling the technical side and leaving me high and dry. That commitment is important to me and makes them special.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great to have their team handle the entire development process, but they don't specialize in backend work. When I needed some support in this area, I had to go to another vendor.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

After outsourcing so much work, I now understand how important it is to do your homework before approaching a studio. Being as prepared as possible can save time and effort. Thankfully, Belka is a strong option, whether you're a professional or someone less experienced like myself. They have excellent project management and UI skills to guide you in the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of Clear Future, a micro venture capital (VC) firm invested in over 16 startups and early-stage companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belka Studio?

We needed development help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide development help for both our VC and the startups we work with. For us, they built and continually support our website and design presentation templates. Regarding our startups, they provide code, build dashboards, and work on both front- and backends. They even built a website, iOS app, and an Android app for one of our startups. If any of our startups needs something, we connect them with Belka Studio.

What is the team composition?

Though I don’t deal with them directly when they work with our startups, I worked with their representative here in Israel while they built our website, as well as a designer/coder.

How did you come to work with Belka Studio?

One of our startups introduced them to us. They’d done some front- and backend coding with our startup, and we saw some excellent presentations they’d done. After seeing that they were very professional and affordable, we started working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've provided great products for an amazing pricing. Everything that they’ve done has been nice, neat, and up-to-date with industry practices. People have said good things about both our presentations and our website.

How did Belka Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate solely through email and provide them with approved scopes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide outstanding service and value. If something is urgent, they do everything possible to provide it on time. They never tell you something’s impossible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Simtex. We develop and offer cellular packages for tourists. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed help building our logo, and producing materials for our online presence.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the brand materials to be creative, high quality, and representative of our company’s essence.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After a long search, I found positive testimonials of Belka Studio and selected them.

Describe the project in detail.

We started the project by establishing our expectations and coordinating. From there, they immediately began working on the logo and produced all the materials we needed. This work included creating banners for our social media accounts and writing video scripts. 

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and their team of experts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results from their work are the highest of quality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They completed the project as quickly and efficiently as possible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As a team, they were accessible and willing to achieve perfection and satisfy our needs. I enjoyed working with them.