IKM

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & CEO of SmartWithIt, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Educational technology and publishing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• Logo and page designs for a new product line.
• Corporate website design and implementation.
• Event display design and promotional materials.

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Clutch Site

Why did you select IKM over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from IKM were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Develop a brand logo for a new product. 

Develop an overall branding style.

Design and develop a corporate website as well as an official reviewer website to host review materials for official state level reviews.

Draft and co-create copy for the website. 

Develop a banner and table cloth design for an event.

Develop a ppt and word template that incorporates the brand elements and is suitable for presentations and printed materials. 

Develop promotional stickers for an event. 

Misc. marketing support. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Functioning website.  Material goods (display banner, table cloth, stickers).  Beautiful presentation template.  

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

Incredibly responsive, timely and efficient.  

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Working with IKM was exceptional from start to finish. Their team strikes the perfect balance between creative innovation and practical business sense - they understand that every dollar needs to deliver value, and they consistently exceed expectations on that front.

That said, it’s IKM’s creative approach that really impressed me. They don't just execute your vision - they enhance it with fresh perspectives and innovative solutions that make your brand stand out.

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

Overall I was super pleased with all the IKM work!  The only area I can think that could be done differently is that while it was great to have a single point person, I know others collaborated as well, and it would be great to get to know the others a bit more, hearing their thoughts and ideas first hand.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO and Nurse Practitioner of Simple Consult

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Simple Consult is a 3-nurse practitioner practice that provides medication refills for and urgent care treatment for common conditions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• interactive professional word press website
• integration with current electronic medical software

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Online Search

Why did you select IKM over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from IKM were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

I've worked with IKM Creative and Ian and Lynn since 2021 for my first medical start up business which was extremely successful and later started this project.  These projects were a bit complex and required a lot of nuance and not only is the product amazing, but their responsivness and timliness as well as broad strategy guidance beyond simply building a website is and has always been remarkable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For the original project started in 2021 but recently updated, it has been improved to increase SEO value per recent update and gross sales exceeded $100,000 due to the effectiveness and quality of the website and the flow of it.  For this more recent business that has yet to officially launch, the website is amazing and there is no doubt that it will be a successful business, largely due to the professional branding and product created by IKM

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

Items were not only delivered on time, often items were delivered ahead of schedule and response was always instant, as well as when last minute edits were necessary

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

Virtual Meeting

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

The responsivness, the personal relationship they have with the client and most importantly the understanding of the client's intent and need for personalization of their product.  They are also willing to change on the fly and patient with last minute edit or project revamps requested by the client

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

Honestly no.  They have provided guidance the whole way and while they leave the final decisions appropriately with the client, they masterfully provide advice that can help the branding and web design maximize its effectiveness. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the President of Velocity Transactions, a tech company. We provide a solution for people in the payments industry to offer crypto payment options to merchants. Our technology enables customers to pay with cryptocurrency in their wallets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IKM?

We had no brand, so we hired them for brand development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IKM developed and implemented our brand through our website, garments, swag wear, shirts, collateral material, and trade show displays. We had a fractional CMO who worked with the team and guided the project. The CMO gave the team a brand feel and guidelines. Then, we developed the color scheme and the look and feel of the brand. From there, they created our logo, which was used in our website, trade booth display, business cards, handouts, and apparel. The team also provided us with a brand guidebook that included our fonts, colors, and logos, helping us ensure that our brand was consistent across everything we did.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people, including Ian, the founder and principal, who was our main contact. Lynn, the project manager, ensured that everything was understood and that we met the deadlines. The creative director was our trade show contact; he created our booth display and apparel, and the senior designer developed our website.

How did you come to work with IKM?

Our fractional CMO guided us to IKM.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–March 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This all happened in literally a week or a week and a half. They were unbelievable. So it was a fast-track, unbelievable, herculean effort that they made.

We went to a trade show, and it was a wild success. We made over 100 contacts at the show, and we were about three people deep at the booth at all times. Everyone asked to get our shirts, and we appeared extremely approachable, which was part of our brand. We were positive. People loved engaging with us and were overwhelmingly responsive to what we offered. It was amazing. It was truly amazing. Overall, they exceeded our expectations.

How did IKM perform from a project management standpoint?

They met the deadlines every time and stayed on budget. If there were any additional expenses, they explained them to us. The team was the most efficient I’d ever worked with. We communicated using Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They interpreted our brand vision quickly and efficiently. The team kept us on track and helped us make decisions. We never felt pressured and didn’t have to go back for revisions because they nailed it — they knew what we wanted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I wouldn't change anything about our experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand your brand and vision before engaging with them. If you do that, they’ll deliver for you very quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of Marketing of SpiderOak

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Space Cyber Security

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• Brand Refresh
• Website Development
• Product Naming

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Online Search

Why did you select IKM over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Branding Experts

How many teammates from IKM were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We have used IKM a few times now, they were hired to refresh our corporate and product branding, create a new website from top to bottom, establish a new look and feel, help us find a name and logo for a new offering

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered everything they were contracted to do, on time and on budget. the deliverables, new website, logo's, names, etc were TOP NOTCH! 

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

Everything was on time, they were available 24/7, I had the CEO's cell phone number and could call him anytime and he would always respond. They were very patient and accomadating to our schedules, they took direction very well, and were not afraid to push back when thought we were wrong.

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are creative and branding geniuses. They are supurb in building consensus across a team of executves with very strong opinions. They kept us firmly planted on tried and true brand and marketing principles, they are responsive, incredible talented, and a pleasure to work with.

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

None that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of Serellium

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help businesses enter the federal market. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• Design our company logo and brand.
• Design our company website.

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Referral

Why did you select IKM over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from IKM were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

IKM designed our brand logo and style; designed and developed our full website including messaging refinement, content arrangement, and layout; and supported our launch strategy through social media graphics, messaging, and tactics to amplify brand and website announcments. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

IKM completed all deliverables on time or ahead of schedule. All check-ins on product previews exceeded expectations. All deliverables were exceptional quality, met our vision, and exceeded our high standards of review. The IKM team designed incredibly high quality and creative work that perfectly aligned with our company's vision and style. 

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

IKM delivered all products on time or ahead of schedule. They were incredibly responsive to our questions and vision. They were proactive -- raising issues and ideas that we had missed or not known to consider, and went above and beyond in providing expert advice when we needed help. The team was extremely professional, energizing, visionary, and attentive to detail. 

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

IKM's creative design talent is the best on the market. They were able to read our minds -- despite us being barely able to articulate our style. They made a challenging, arduous process easy, fun, and incredibly rewarding. They absolutely nailed our design, logo, and website. Thank you, IKM team!

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

None. Exceptional experience! We can't wait to work with them again. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Product Marketing of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our cyber resilience platform enables organizations to avoid costly business impacts and maintain stakeholder confidence, compliance, and overall operational stability.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• Provide design support for multiple marketing initiatives
• Evolve branding
• Refresh website

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Referral

Why did you select IKM over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

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

We have a retainer agreement with IKM to provide 40 hours of design support per month to our company. We are a small company with no in-house design staff, so IKM works on a variety of projects for us.

They have supported the evolution of our brand and ongoing marketing with new website page designs, banner ads, icons, virtual backgrounds, video thumbnails, business cards, and event-related material like banner stands and table tents.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Projects were completed on time; new designs were delivered in time to meet deadlines. Regular check-ins and meetings as needed to progress projects.

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

Yes, we have not missed any deadlines. I have needed to ask them to 'pivot' multiple times to new projects as they come up, and they always handle it smoothly. They are very focused on meeting our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

IKM's team was comfortable evolving existing branding rather than trying to get us to revamp it completely. We deal directly with the founder instead of being handed off to a junior person and their work is high quality.

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

can't think of anything

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Vice President, Design of Powerfleet

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

PowerFleet enables insight into commercial, logistics, and industrial fleets through telematics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• Provide support to the marketing organization and creative team through day-to-day creative tasks
• Provide rebranded templates for solutions sheets, case studies, powerpoint templates, and more.
• Provide production assistance in rebranding Powerfleet's extensive collateral library.

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Referral

Why did you select IKM over others?

Have worked with Ian before and knew they'd knock it out of the park.

How many teammates from IKM were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

I reached out to Ian to provide support on a rapid redesign of all product sheets and other associated marketing materials around a Product-team led standardization and cleanup after a merger a year before left us with a very convoluted product line, specifically around product identity. Ian and his team redid all of our product sheets, case studies, and other associated print sales material based on direction from me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The successful and timely delivery of associated tasks and projects.We were able to ship all the materials required for the various sales organizations to be able to go make the impacts they needed to make.

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

Ian provided most of the management and communication. We'd work directly with designers on certain reviews, but most of the work and expectation management was handled by Ian and Lynn.

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We were impressed with their ability to juggle a lot of concurrent pieces (30 product sheets, 5-6 case studies)

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of a marketing agency, and we work with small and emerging B2B technology companies. We provide them with marketing strategies such as go-to-market strategy (GTM), messaging and positioning, and content creation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IKM Creative?

We hired IKM Creative for a number of different projects. We wanted to utilize their strategic thinking skills for creating digital content, designing websites, developing branding materials, and more. Overall, we wanted an out-of-the-box thinker that would consider both creativity and marketing in terms of reaching our target audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve done over a dozen websites together. That includes developing the platform’s navigational structure, design, branding, and layout. They also help us launch our websites.

Their other work involves branding and design. They also develop sales tools, PowerPoint presentations, datasheets, promotional materials, and other materials that can help support the needs of our third-party clients.

What is the team composition?

I've known Ian (Art Director) for over a decade and primarily work with him directly.

How did you come to work with IKM Creative?

I first met Ian when he was working at another agency, and they were working for my company. He was clearly the most talented designer at their company. We remained in touch even after he had left there. After that, I began to tap him to do projects for me.

We also chose him because he was a great listener and was good at assimilating information. I also liked the fact that he didn’t just bow down to directions. He challenged my thinking and at the same time, respected my decisions.

Additionally, he was not contented at just doing a great job. Instead, he wanted to produce deliverables at the highest level. Above all, he had the skills to execute his ideas and come up with something that we never imagined. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2008, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KM Creative is a fantastic partner. My agency's clients are thrilled with the design work produced by IKM. The work has been profitable for our agency and has helped us continue to build and grow long-term relationships with our clients.

How did IKM Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

IKM is very organized. We mostly use Google Docs and folders to share materials. We also use email to communicate. However, we don’t have a particularly formalized project management process.

We have deadlines and milestones and IKM Creative has been very good at adhering to those. Additionally, with the many projects we've done together, there may have been times when things slipped a little bit, but I can't recall anything major. When they commit, they're good for it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

IKM Creative is not just a vendor to us. We don’t just give them some brochure or website so that they can do our projects. We know that they’re concerned about the outcome of their work. They care about collaborating and providing us with their creative thinking in order to produce phenomenal results we can be happy with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Though they’ve been hitting their deadlines and getting their job done, it might be helpful if we had more formalized tools and processes for running our projects. However, in general, it really hasn't been an issue. The bottom line is that IKM is organized and gets the work done on time at a very high quality.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded. Recognize that while you have ideas that should be taken to account, you can also open yourself up to even broader thinking. Be willing to go beyond to get the best results from IKM Creative.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Lead Designer and Founder of Harmony Drive Interiors

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Residential Interior Design

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• Branding
• Build Web Site

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Worked with IKM before

Why did you select IKM over others?

Great culture fit

How many teammates from IKM were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Review of current business web presence. Rebranding. Web site structure and build. Training for self-maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Visits to web site.

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

IKM listened to the needs of my business, advised on a path forward, and delivered a web site that we can self-maintain. It was a painless process.

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

Virtual Meeting

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

It impressed me that the whole process could be done virtually, saving everyone time and money.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of Communications and Marketing of AHAM

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Trade association that represents the home appliance industry.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IKM to accomplish?

• Refresh branding for the association
• Become our go-to primary resource for creative design

SOLUTION

How did you find IKM?

Online Search

Why did you select IKM over others?

• Good value for cost
• Exceptional design year after year

How many teammates from IKM were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

IKM has worked on several breative projects including a brand refresh and designing all assocaited creative elements such a stationary, notecards, pop up banners, a suite of signature line graphics etc. In addition they have been retained for the past 4 years for creative brand develpment for our annual conference.  They start with brand/ logo development and apply it to all aspects of the meeting such a web site develoment and icons for our meeting app, pop up banners for on site registration, staging design, programs, signage, social media promotion etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Wowing our audience year after year with a very creative, immersive experience unlike other groups.

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

They're extremely responsive, on time, and organized.

What was your primary form of communication with IKM?

Virtual Meeting

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

They way to push our group into completely new creative pathways while maintaining consistency of our brand.

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

no