Creatively & Co.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a real estate appraiser and broker at the real estate brokerage firm I own.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creatively & Co.?

We brought them on board during a period of transition for the firm, which moved from an appraisal firm to a brokerage firm. Their job was to nail down artwork, including updating our logo and designing lawn signs, business cards, email footers, and, ultimately, a new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What was most important in terms of timing and priorities was landing on a company name. it was in flux, and I hadn’t registered with the state yet, so we had initial discussions around different options and their ramifications.

After that, they moved onto updating business cards. Because we’re a real estate company, lawn signs and updating the logo were also very critical. Our existing materials implied that we were only an appraisal firm, so they had to be revised. All three of these tasks took about one week in total, and the email signature took one more day. This was phase one of the engagement.

Regarding the website, they completely changed my existing solution, which was a basic WordPress site tailored to an appraisal company. They initiated a drastic shift, implementing the new artwork from the logo and yard sign. The result was a completely new website with an updated headshot photo, resume component, and header. The only aspect that stayed the same was the URL.

What is the team composition?

I only worked with Katie (Owner). 

How did you come to work with Creatively & Co.?

I came into contact with her through a real estate deal; she was thinking of selling her property, and we became friends. After viewing some of her artwork, I realized that she was very talented. The timing also worked out perfectly because I met her as I was beginning this transition.

How much have you invested with them?

We broke the project up into phases — $650 for the first phase and $1,400 for the second phase. Phase three will be $1,000. The total will be around $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2021. Currently, we’re making some tweaks to the secondary web page and are close to the finish line.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Creatively & Co. cares deeply about the quality of the finished product and does not cut corners! The end result: branding, messaging, and artwork that helped form a foundation that my company will build upon for years to come.

Everything they’ve done has needed to happen. It’s hard to quantify, as the site doesn’t have any lead generating capabilities, but I expect our reputation will continue to grow as people see our yard signs. I have a lot of trust in working with Katie.

How did Creatively & Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very straightforward in this arena. I enjoy working with just one person; one mind makes everything consistent. Katie’s responsiveness is very good. We communicate over email, phone calls, and texts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Her best characteristic is the deep care she has for the quality of work she does. Rather than releasing or declaring the project done, she continues to work, refusing to cut corners.

Additionally, her artistic ability stands out. A lot of marketing professionals have a good feel for the wording and SEO, but Katie’s graphic design skills are much better than the standard.

The marketing industry is so broad and has so many different aspects:

• company name creation
• color scheme
• font selection
• logo design
• artwork
• website design
• SEO
• messaging
• social media
• print media
• sign design
• etc.

What sets Creatively & Co. apart, in my opinion, is a) the ability to provide all of these services under one roof, and b) Katie is an incredibly gifted artist; the graphic design components produced by this company are just really well done-head and shoulders above the competition. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. Everything has worked really well for me. At some point she’ll have to figure out how to scale. I don’t feel that she was distracted from our work at any point, even though she’s just one person.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t come in with nothing but come in with an idea or a concept you have some level of conviction about. This will give Katie space to think through everything critically and creatively. She provides different options and offers good feedback. Get her involved as early in possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a candy business called Picakidz.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creatively & Co.?

We needed help with customizing our packaging — specifically, a custom mylar bag.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We explained to Creatively & Co. what we needed, and then they asked us a series of questions about our business, products, and the colors that we wanted for our packaging. From there, they handled all of the creative work.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one person from their team.

How did you come to work with Creatively & Co.?

We found out about them through Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April–October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having a new packaging helped elevate our brand. We also posted it on our website, and we’ve been getting a lot of traffic since then.

How did Creatively & Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style was great, and we communicated with them through the Upwork website.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their creativity and communication skills — they were always quick to respond to our questions.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

I honestly can’t of anything; they did a great job, and we had no issues whatsoever.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to answer all their questions well, so they can do their job efficiently.