HeartSpark Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner and Principal of AKConsulting LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We rapidly build your content and organic marketing strategy to grow traffic, engagement, and authority. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HeartSpark Design to accomplish?

• Design new logo
• Deliver Brand Kit with colors, fonts, and treatments
• Migrate website to new CMS

SOLUTION

How did you find HeartSpark Design?

Referral

Why did you select HeartSpark Design over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Other

How many teammates from HeartSpark Design were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

With a stale, jumbled website and pretty much no recognizable brand identity, I needed to refresh my web presence to adequately demonstrate my level of expertise and accomplishment in the SEO space. I turned to Lauren Atherton for a new logo and website design that would authentically reflect my values and would attract aligned stakeholders. This would also involve a new CMS template and frameworks for web design. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brand kit complete with fonts, sizes, treatments, and colors
New logo with horizontal, vertical, icons, and stacked options
Completely new website with all old pages migrated and new design applied
Double my number of consultation requests based on the new design
And loads of compliments :) 

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

Not many have the ability to translate a feeling or a mission into a visual that feels perfectly "you". I wanted her to do what she felt was best for the brand, and it was a huge relief that she completely got what I am all about. Throughout the process, she kept me updated with emails and messages in Basecamp that were super easy to follow, and we launched on the goal date. 

What was your primary form of communication with HeartSpark Design?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

With only a few prompts to go with, Lauren did what only a few are gifted at: She took what she knew about me, my business, and goals – the (literal) je ne sais quois, and packaged it into a visual that is recognizable, personal, sophisticated, and dare I say, me. Fist pumping with every turn of the page; the logo, website, and brand style guide all had me grinning when I saw it for the first time. 

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

None at all - I truly loved working with Lauren and will again and again. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an officer of the WareHouse of Venice. We are a youth focused nonprofit helping area teens. the WareHouse opens doors for young adults to see new things and to see old things in a new way, and sometimes to see what they can't see: Hope, possibilities, a positive future, and...fun!

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire HeartSpark Design, and what were your goals?

Our website was created over 15 years ago. It was completely outdated and not at all mobile friendly. It was being updated through out of date software. In house didn't have time to stay completely current, so content suffered. We needed a completely new website that would function well on all devices, allow integration for registration forms, open an online shop, process donations and a contact form that could be flexible to cover multiple services we offer.

SOLUTION

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

When the world shut down in 2020, our Executive Director heard HeartSpark owner, Lauren on a podcast group she follows. When we contacted the podcast producers, to ask them to rebuild our website, they recommended HeartSpark.

The deciding factors: she remembered the podcast, we listened to it together, and immediately contacted Lauren. She definitely has Heart. Spark. And better yet, she "got" who we are and what we were trying to accomplish for the organization with a redesigned website. She's personable. She listens. She asked questions. She worked WITH us. Not FOR us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Originally we had no interest in rebranding. It really wasn't an option. But with Lauren's experience in color and design, she came up with several great options to refresh what we had. Old brand. New look. Better, more perfect colors for what we do. In Lauren's words..."this is who you are..." 

Virtual storefront window for our organization.

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

• Project person who worked on the schedules, meetings, and due dates
• Graphic designer
• SEO SME
• Lauren: Branding, Squarespace development, client interaction

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

1. Mobile friendly on all devices
2. Combined two existing websites. Changed both sites from .com to .org and migrated emails
3. Integrations with DonorPerfect, Constant Contact, Zapier, Stripe, Paypal, Fundraise Up had not been in place previously. They are all working well, saving enormous time and effort while effectively increasing our reach in the community.
4. Easy to update and manage events and activities. Reuse past events with small, easy changes
5. Increase in Contact Us page usage. Added a Stay in the Loop subscription for updates.
6. Trained our staff in use of Squarespace. Provided zoom training videos created specifically for our new site.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

PM style is best described as one that is flexible enough to work on multiple deliverables at the same time and not so rigid that changes / improvements cannot be used immediately. Agile PM is the closest categorization for our project with HeartSpark

Communication tools were varied dependent on the purpose: email, texts, zoom meetings, dropbox for files, google drive, conference calls without video.

Timeliness. Deliverable dates changed based on the needs of our business and the small size of our team. But these date changes were made with mutual agreement. HeartSpark delivered every item on time. Every time.

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

Many companies claim to be customer centric but when bumps in the process road occur, the focus and pressure becomes one of time management, regardless of fulfilled outcomes (or not). They never detoured building us a new brand and website that truly reflected our mission and how we accomplished that.

We need to portray Hope, possibilities, a positive future, and...fun for our area youth, middle and high school ages. A standard website just wasn't working and we all knew it. Then came the HeartSpark inspiration that made the difference. Everyone LOVES this brand / website. It lives up to and beyond our expectations.

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

It was truly an enjoyable experience. With our staff's combined decades of experience on many, many projects, this one is right at the top of our list of great experiences. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and executive director of Shine, a nonprofit children's theatre in North Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire HeartSpark Design?

We had never worked with a professional brand designer or web designer. We created our own Wordpress website a few years ago, and our site was not meeting our needs or representing our organization.

SOLUTION

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

I found HeartSpark through the Out In the Boons website. I was immediately drawn to HeartSpark because of their excellent design work and website. I could tell that their strong branding would be a great fit for our organization.

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

The process began with an initial call where Lauren Atherton learned more about the brand of our organization. She asked a lot of questions, which helped me better understand and clarify our current brand. That meeting ultimately helped us to best represent our nonprofit through refreshing the look of our brand and then designing the new website.

Then, Lauren provided an overview of our current brand design as well as an overview of the updated look. We went back and forth with edits solidifying the look with themes, assets, colors, fonts, descriptors, and more. Once we really honed in on the new look, we got started with copywriting for the new site. Then, Lauren provided a first look at the top 6 pages of the new site to make sure that she was on the right track. After making a few tweaks, she then designed the entire site. Along the way, we went back and forth with ideas and edits. All along the way, HeartSpark provided great communication to keep us on track!

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

We communicated directly with the designer and the copywriter, though others worked on our branding and site behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site launched one month ago. Our donors and clients are extremely pleased with the new digital look of our organization! We have seen increased traffic, inquires, and donations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their project manager was very communicative, prompt, and easy to work with!

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

There are so many positive things to say about HeartSpark, but their most impressive aspect is the quality of their designs.

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

I have to look hard for any areas for improvement. It was an extremely positive experience. It would be fabulous if there was an easier way to make payments online!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and CEO of the youth based nonprofit organization Children Striving Together where we assist at promise youth through enrichment activities, mentoring, and tutoring services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire HeartSpark Design?

We hired HeartSpark to assist with our website and pitch deck.

SOLUTION

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

We selected this vendor based on the professionalism and the referral we received.

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

We had a discovery call followed by a project list outline of how everything would flow. We did another call talking about everything we want on the website and it was very thorough. From there the work started to be done and we received updates to view what has been taken place at every stage.

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

We worked with just Lauren.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site traffic increased and we continuously receive amazing comments on our website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective.

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

I loved the knowledge Lauren had and how she really seemed to be vested in what we do for the youth.

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

None