Jen Chapman Creative

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of a human resources consulting firm that specializes in helping small businesses with all their HR needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Jen Chapman Creative?

I hired Jen Chapman Creative to update my old website and do some basic SEO for me.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted a fresh, new, and up-to-date look for my website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I’ve known Jen (Owner, Jen Chapman Creative) for many years and recognize her talent. She has great ideas, is well priced, and delivers every time. She also has many clients in my area that I also know well.

Describe the project in detail.

I didn’t know where to start with the website, but Jen guided me through the entire process. Within a short time, she presented me with several options for the look of the website. I chose the one I liked and then wrote the copy. We decided together how each page should be laid out.

What was the team composition?

I worked alone with Jen.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within a month of launching the new website, I was receiving inquiries for new business. I have also received many compliments about the site and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated several times a week, and the whole project only took about six weeks to complete.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Jen has enormous creative talent. She was able to take my ideas and what I wanted to say and make it all come alive on a webpage.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner and lead content strategist for Ink & Quill Communications. We offer content marketing, corporate communications, and personal branding services through sites, blogs, articles, resumes, brochures, etc. We’ve been in business for about twelve years now.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Jen Chapman Creative?

I just rebranded my company recently, and I needed someone's help with a few aspects of the process. This included site redesign and a new logo.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Jen took a lead on all aspects of the site redesign and created a new logo for me. She also designed and printed new business cards/notecards according to the new brand strategy.

How did you come to work with Jen Chapman Creative?

Jen and I met through a networking group here in the Phoenix area, and because she focused on sites and graphic design, we decided to align our businesses. When she has clients that need content strategy, she sends them to me, and when I have clients that need design work, I send them to her. She’s also done several projects for me.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $3,500 for the site, and another $2,000 on additional services. In terms of clients that we take on together, we’ve seen between $10,000 and $20,000 of business every year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We met at a networking group in April of 2012 and she completed the initial project soon after that. We have since built a close partnership and continue to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s difficult to track in consulting work because usually the engagement ends when the project is finished. However, I remember we were working on a brochure with a landscape architect and he ended up using it at a trade show. I don’t know the exact numbers, but it certainly increased his exposure. He reached out to let us know how happy he was with the work. Someone else that met Jen through the marketing group used her for site design, and her visibility has increased dramatically.

How did Jen Chapman Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

She’s great with deadlines, but she prefers someone else managing the project. For instance, when were working together, she wants content from me before she starts planning. She’s very realistic on what her timelines are. She makes sure to avoid over-promising and under-delivering. We communicate primarily over the phone and via text.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Jen is not a cookie-cutter designer. She’s very conscious of the brand and the target audience when she works, and she makes sure they’re reflected in the product. She was very flexible in creating a logo that matched my rebranding, and created four samples initially. Her favorite was a very creative and intricate design, but when I mentioned that my target audience was mostly men, she created a much more simple and masculine design that I thought fit the brand very well. We had several people weigh in on their favorite design, and they overwhelmingly preferred her original before I explained my target audience and brand strategy.

She understands the marketing realm, as opposed to several designers I’ve worked with. Some designers are very talented, but don’t consider marketing strategy in their work. She always works towards your goals while maintaining a great aesthetic. She’s very open to feedback, and really wants people to be completely satisfied with her work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had minor disagreements when it comes to handling shared clients, especially when they don’t approve of our work. I often end up refunding customers in these cases, but she is sometimes adamant about avoiding that. It’s easy to take it personally when someone doesn’t like your work; I do it, and I’m sure she does too to a certain extent. However, she’s always the ultimate professional when interacting with customers.

Sometimes I wish that she would illustrate, but she works with people that do that for her. She’s very smart in her business in that if she can’t do something, she finds someone who can. That’s why we work so well together. She knows her limitations, and successfully fills the gaps with reliable partners.

Advice for potential customers?

She thrives with direct communication. When clients of hers aren’t sure what they want, it makes her job very difficult. The more direction the customer can provide, the better her work will be. She welcomes feedback and works dynamically to satisfy every concern and make the best end product possible.