High Contrast

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pluria is an office-as-a-service solution designed exclusively for companies and their employees. Through Pluria, companies offer their employees the freedom to work from any workspace in the network, while the employees find and reserve their desks directly from the mobile app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

We hired High Contrast for logo design and for the design of our website.

What were your goals for this project?

A logo and a website that are in-line with our brand

SOLUTION

How did you select High Contrast?

For webdesign, we selected three agencies for the pitch and and analyzed their offer, portfolio and approach proposed for our brand. for logo design it was a similar process.

Describe the project in detail.

Web design: defining website concept and style website architecture presentation (wireframe), development of site design based on the architectural sketch and customer feedback a version is included for each layout / page, responsive layout development / finishing (self-adaptable depending on terminal / browser)

Logo design:

• Research, moodboarding (references), and approval of directions by the client
• Logo proposal based on directions (mood board, keywords, logo construction, color suggestions, mockups)
• Logo kit (logo in different formats with full background or transparent, bitmat .png and vectorial.pdf

What was the team composition?

Designer, web developer, account manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We proudly use the logo and website designed by High Contrast.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

very good

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It's a a very dedicated team and they work with the client to find the best solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are pleased with the services.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Red Entertainment Group, a company that manages some of the largest projects worldwide in the music industry, streaming the best beats of the most popular cultures to the most underground.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

We worked on the group's logo and visuals, two product brands (naming, logo, visuals), app UX and UI for a confidential project, web design and development for another project.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to improve the UI/UX and also the branding.

SOLUTION

How did you select High Contrast?

We found the company on LinkedIn, accidentally.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected this vendor, we had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our goals and objectives. We met and had several brainstorming sessions in which improved not just the branding side of the projects, but received great ideas on the UX/UI part too. The process was: We talked about the project, get to a conclusion about the next step, received an estimation and the offer, and started the project.

What was the team composition?

The team was composed by a creative director, a project manager and a designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our visuals and the products' UI/UX improved significantly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication was great, we usually talked via e-mail.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We tried several design companies worldwide, but nobody impressed us as High Contrast did. It was interesting that almost every time we received the results we were like: "Wow!". Usually, we ask for many changes until reaching a final version, but in this case with High Contrast, the results were great without making significant changes.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We didn't find minuses or areas to improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Okian.ro is the largest online English language bookstore in Romania

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast, and what were your goals?

We wanted to build a website that brought the entire catalogue of books published in the UK (almost 1 million titles) to the Romanian market. Through various third party integrations (APIs and data feeds), High Contrast built (from scratch) and designed an easy to use space where book lovers were able to quick find and buy any book currently in print in the UK.

SOLUTION

How did you select High Contrast and what were the deciding factors?

They were recommended to us by other business partners.

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

Okian.ro was a very complex project that spanned almost a decade. It is impossible to detail project steps, other than to say that a custom website of this caliber involved daily work ranging from design, development, new API and ERP integrations, as well as troubleshooting and maintenance.

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

We worked with a project manager and a creative director, two or three coders and several designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Soon after its launch in 2008, Okian.ro became the go to place for book lovers, building on its success year after year and seeing constant increases in traffic and ROI.

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

We had quarterly meetings, used email and Trello. Our project manager was always hands on and very responsive.

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

They built a complex backend that was also easy to use for our non-technical team. We used it daily to update product information, merchandise the homepage, create landing pages and online campaigns.

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

The High Contrast team is very young and the coders were sometimes learning on the job, but in the end this didn't affect us that much, because things always got done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the head of marketing & business development, co-founder at a specialty coffee shop and roastery. We are headquartered in Brasov’s Coresi new neighborhood. I oversee our marketing efforts as a company, including our social media, messaging, new product development, online shop, and branding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

We needed help for creating the foundation for our general branding: the logo and other visual elements (flyers, stickers, location signalization). We also needed the visual identity implemented with our specialty coffee packages.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a new logo and set the brand foundation that would incorporate and communicate our company’s identity with our target customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select High Contrast?

I have previously worked together with High Contrast before and I've always been super happy with their work, so it was the obvious choice.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The process began with a discovery session where they listened, learned about our new company. We’ve also completed a very detailed form with targeted questions that helped them really understand the goals and vision for our brand. After those initial meetings, they created a wireframe for our brand including the logo, messaging materials, social media guidelines.

What was the team composition?

I had worked together with the project manager, the art director, and the designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a new local brand, we’ve received massive positive feedback for our new logo and the brand image in general.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We've constantly been in touch with their project manager and we’ve always received updates on the progress of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We really appreciated their drive and vested interest in our success.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always room for improvement and they are constantly stepping up their game.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of an e-fulfillment company in Romania. We’re now expanding to Bulgaria and Hungary. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with High Contrast?
We wanted to build an online platform. We needed a company that could build an entire platform where users could onboard themselves, and we could integrate multiple warehouses, provide dashboards to users, etc. The main purpose was to improve our clients’ fulfillment experience with our business. We needed a website that was much more than a presentation website. High Contrast helped us with the new web solution as well as a solution for mobile so our users could see their orders and deliveries in real time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
It was a complex project, and we knew that High Contrast could present our services on the website and also build a dynamic dashboard for our users, integrate with multiple ERP solutions and warehouse management systems, and build multiple interfaces for different types of users. We use a software-as-a-service plastform, to which they needed to integrate an open API. They also needed to integrate with our warehouse management system, which has the same setup as it is a SaaS platform with an API.

How did you come to work with High Contrast?
We had worked with High Contrast before to build an online store platform. They were chosen from a selection of agencies. We hired them for a challenging project: a big online bookstore with 1.5 million products. The information came through different sources, and it needed to be populated and integrated for stock management, so it was a complex build. We went to High Contrast because, based on our previous experience, we knew they could handle it all.

How much have you invested with High Contrast?
High Contrast bills us by the hour. We have a confidential rate with them, which is €30 ($35) an hour. I don't know what they bill others.

What is the status of this engagement?
Our current project with High Contrast is an ongoing one. We started developing it a year ago, and our work together will continue for some time. It’s a project that has a lot of technological needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
Our clients are currently using the solution, but we still have an entire roadmap of features that have not yet been implemented. The solution we are building is a working product that is in the mockup or wireframe stage and needs to grow. The user feedback is good. What we are doing in this fulfillment business is much more than the client usually expects, so they’re thrilled about it. We are satisfied with the work High Contrast has done for us, and the quality is what we expected. Our previous experience is what made us choose them again. We know we have good communication on what to expect and they deliver. We do discover bugs from time to time when a new release is done, but they’re usually fixed quickly so it’s not an issue.

How did High Contrast perform from a project management standpoint?
We interacted with 4 people in their agency: an account manager, their CEO and founder, the main developer on the project, and the designer who did all of the dashboards. I know they have other people on the server and API side, but I wouldn't know how many. Their project management is pretty good. They have an account manager who takes care of everything. We usually discuss the next feature that will be developed in advance, and they estimate deadlines. There might be times when they go over deadline, but they usually let us know that beforehand, which is fine. The communication is pretty good. There’s no week that passes that we don't have a meeting or a call, so we keep in touch pretty often. We use Trello for features, bugs, everything.

What did you find most impressive about High Contrast?
The main reason we work with High Contrast is that they don't expect to get specs from us for everything. They are proactive in participating in and contributing ideas to the project. We discuss features and build wireframes with High Contrast before they design and implement them.

Are there any areas High Contrast could improve?
Maybe they could take a more proactive role in bug discovery. On the other hand, that’s fine with us, because that gives us more time. The other way would be for them to have testing for a week or two before release, and they don't really like that, which I’m fine with. However, other clients may find that not structured enough.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a full-service consulting and implementation, cloud migration and support company. My current position is PMO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast, and what were your goals?

We needed help in creating a new visual identity for our company. Our goals were to reconstruct the company webpage, logo, fact-book as well as becoming more visible to our existing and potential new clients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The vendor was recommended directly to our CEO by a company with similar profile to ours.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

The main deliverables were:

• a positioning document for the company
• a visual identity concept
• new logo
• company factbook
• company website

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

3-4 people throughout the phases of the project, always accompanied by the artistic director.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most important outcome of the project was an elegant and meaningful company identity, translated in a refined B2B presentation of our services and technologies, consistent with our values and our work.

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

We maintained a close collaboration throughout all phases of the project with all High Contrast team members involved. Communication has been not only very professional and insightful, but also friendly and supportive.

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

Their commitment to understand our business characteristics in order to further speak the same language when explaining our goals and expectations. Furthermore, their efforts successfully translated into deliverables which spoke our minds.

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

Maybe explain a bit at the beginning the artistic/creative terms they use in the industry, so as to not feel lost in google searches:).

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO at SaaS platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

Redesign of the website.

SOLUTION

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

HighContrast was recommended by one of their satisfied customers, a friend of mine.

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

Great flow and communication.

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

We worked with 2 people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website looks great.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective workflow and they easily understood the requirements.

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

They are smart, open minded, flexible and talented.

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

I was very happy with the cooperation and I will call them again, when needed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Modern Workplace Marketing and End User Communication Specialist

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

Creating internal materials to promote internally the IT tools within the company.

SOLUTION

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

We have requested the offers from 2 agencies which includes also the concept for our project and the solutions they see. After the pitching meetings we selected High Contrast due to their concept presentation and cost offer.

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

Promoting IT tools within the company. Contest concept. Articles & quizzes preparation.

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

We met and worked with 4 persons from the agency from copyrighter to CEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Organized content in regards with a race that we worked together at. Creative articles and quizzes, together with the visuals aligned with our company brand rules.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Biweekly meetings with the agency of half an hour on Tuesday and Thursday, to align on the to dos and discuss the open points, give and receive feedback.

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

Creativity, openminded persons, and great results. I liked their flexibility in creating the materials we requested.

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

The initiative to track the changes, updates in only one place should be in focus for the next projects and should come from the agency.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CEO of Undelucram, a group of employer review platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

Improvement of UI/UX

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Recommendation

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

Entire UI/UX reshape for our platform. Objectives, understanding of difficulties, solutions, implementation

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

• CEO
• Marketing Socialist
• UI/UX Specialist

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fresh design, user friendly

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Easy & efficient communication

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

They focused on their client's needs.

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

Nothing that comes in my mind

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founding partner of a consulting company, specialised in executive leadership development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

The creation and production of a new website. This included the branding creation, look and feel for the company.

SOLUTION

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

The team was committed from the start and very easy to speak with. A nice team of talented individuals.

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

Very simple process involving the creating of all branding elements for Integral, right through to the design of the website design creation. HC supported us to get the website build completed.

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

Three people from design, creation to client management and quality control.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We continue to work with HC and consider them a strong partner.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very smooth.

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

I enjoyed the ease of communication.

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

All went well.