Lofty Word

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Automatic Panel Lifting Systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lofty Word?

We needed help with web development and rebranding. We bought our company in April 2022, and the website was extremely outdated.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lofty Word developed and designed a new website for us on WordPress. They also executed a rebrand and designed our logo, T-shirts, business cards, and pamphlets.

In the initial meeting with Joshua (Founder & Principal) in April 2022, we introduced our business — we rent a specific type of construction equipment — we explained that and showed Lofty Word pictures and videos of the equipment. Lofty Word explained what they could do for us. We knew our site was old and Lofty Word told us that our old site was on a platform that was no longer user friendly 

We had another meeting to discuss our business and goals in more detail. We were open to suggestions for the branding and website design; the only requirement was that we needed both my name and my husband’s name on the business cards since we don’t use them enough to need two sets. Lofty Word sent over some brand samples they created for us., including the proposed color scheme for the website. We selected our favorite, and they started designing our new website. 

During the website design edit, Lofty Word got our opinions on 1–2 examples of site designs. We had 4–5 phone calls to stay up to date on their progress and request any additions to the site. Once it was complete, Lofty Word published the new website and shut down our old one. We wanted referrals to understand exactly what we did and be able to contact us and request a rental quote; the website is informational and contains these features.

Lofty Word maintains the site and makes minor updates, but the project is currently on hold due to our budget constraints. In a future project, we’ll work with them to make the online rental process more user-friendly.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Joshua.

How did you come to work with Lofty Word?

We had known of Lofty Word for a while, and they were also referred to us by a friend.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired them in June 2022 and the site launched in October 2022.
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before the project, our customers could not request rental quotes online. Since the site's launch, we’ve received 12 rental quote requests. The majority of our customers communicate over the phone, so we’ve been trying to direct them to the website.

Lofty Word did a really good job on the project; I don’t have an artistic mind, so the final outcome is more than we expected.

How did Lofty Word perform from a project management standpoint?

Lofty Word stayed within budget and met more deadlines than I did; I missed some of my deadlines. We mostly communicated via email because it was easiest for me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lofty Word was extremely detail-oriented; I appreciated the amount of time Joshua spent learning about our company during the initial meeting so that his designs would fit our brand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there was nothing for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you give enough information about your company, goals, and values; that’s very important.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a civil engineer and land surveyor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lofty Word?

I started my company in March 2022 and needed help with website design and branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lofty Word developed my company’s website from scratch in WordPress. I sent them examples of websites I liked or were from my industry. They helped me outline my company’s vision and goals; they asked me questions about my company and what I wanted my brand to feel like. I made a mock-up of my logo, which Lofty Word refined. They designed the rest of the site using their style insight to fit my company’s brand.

They executed SEO as they designed the website. We discussed keywords to incorporate, and I provided a list of all the services we offer so that they could improve SEO.

Currently, they host my website.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one member of Lofty Word’s team.

How did you come to work with Lofty Word?

At my old company, I did a project for Joshua (Founder & Principal); he had mentioned that he was starting a company.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $10,000–$14,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Lofty Word in May 2022. The project was mostly wrapped up in December 2022, but there are still some outstanding materials I need to provide their team with before the entire project is complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I didn’t track specific metrics but received positive feedback when I showed the website to my professional network. Eventually, I’ll correlate the project’s success with the website’s conversion metrics. I’m definitely satisfied with Lofty Word’s website design, logo design, and branding.

How did Lofty Word perform from a project management standpoint?

Lofty Word communicated well via email and completed tasks in a timely manner. They were great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They could’ve just delivered a basic website, but Lofty Word surprised me by providing guidance regarding my company's direction and branding. They provided much more than the website itself; their attention to detail helped me as a new business owner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to set up in-person or Zoom meetings as you start the project so everyone can get on the same page about the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and a financial advisor at a financial advisory firm that does planning and investment advising for those who are nearing retirement or in retirement and looking to maximize their income and grow their portfolios.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lofty Word?

We needed a website, specifically an informational landing page for customers and prospective customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we first met with Lofty Word, we completed a questionnaire about our mission and the tools we use to accomplish that mission. The team took that information and put together several designs. We collaborated to find images geared toward our audience.

We met again to discuss information to be included on the site. The only specific requirements we had were legal ones, such as the exclusion of promissory statements or images of money. Then, Lofty Word developed our website from scratch; we soft-launched the site before the final launch. 

They continue to host, maintain, and optimize the website, making necessary updates. They also execute SEO for us. 

What is the team composition?

Joshua (Founder & Principal) has been our point of contact throughout the project.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial project costs $10,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

How did you come to work with Lofty Word?

We heard about Lofty Word through word of mouth. They presented a portfolio of other websites they’d done and an expected project timeline. We were confident in their abilities and hired them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with the quality of the website; there haven’t been any bugs or crashes.

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

The best part of working with Lofty Word is that they're very communicative via phone and email; they’ve kept us updated on where they are in the process. They notify us ahead of time if the website will be down for a short period of time due to an update.

They’re very timely; the website was live by the deadline we had agreed on. They also stick to the budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lofty Word is efficient and always honors deadlines. Other companies I’ve worked with have often gone over time or run into hiccups; this hasn’t been an issue with Lofty Word. They’re in constant contact with us and let us know about potential issues. They’re very easy to work with; they’ve spent a lot of time getting to know exactly what we want from our website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there's nothing for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I don’t have any specific advice, but I’d definitely recommend them. I know that Lofty Word will follow up quickly if you’re interested in their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and managing partner of Mutations Limited, an application development shop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lofty Word?

We hired them to do UI/UX design work for the applications that we support. Since we’re a development company, we don’t have UI/UX design expertise, so we brought Lofty Word on board to fill a critical need for us. 

SOLUTION 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lofty Word is our UI/UX design expert. They work with our end clients; Lofty Word acts as a member of our team, designing the UI/UX screens for the end client’s applications. Lofty Word primarily uses Figma, though they’ve also done pixel-level work using Adobe Photoshop. Typically, we already have defined user personas because the applications are already running. 

These platforms support critical business infrastructure, meaning they’re internal applications supporting our end clients’ business processes. When our long-term clients run into areas of their applications where they want to expand functionality, Lofty Word helps define the infrastructure. 

For example, one client we’ve been working with for 10 years wanted to restructure one of their application's main interfaces, which has existed for 7–8 years. Lofty Word has helped us identify key elements and redesign the interface. Currently, we’re queuing up work to implement their design. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve only worked with Joshua (Founder & Principal), though he has other teammates from Lofty Word working with him we don’t interface with. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve timed a six-month project, and we’ll spend $20,000–$25,000 throughout that time. So far, we’ve spent about $7,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

SOLUTION

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

With the interface redesign, we had been at an impasse for several months where we kept talking about it but couldn't move forward because nobody was happy with the plan. Lofty Word has been able to come up with a design the client loves, unlocking that project. Their contribution is great because this is a $5,000-a-month project, and we hadn't been able to use that budget for months; Lofty Word helped us break that deadlock. 

When Lofty Word first presented the designs, the end client sent me a text with eight thumbs-up emojis during the meeting. One of our project managers was uncertain about adding Lofty Word to other projects, and after that first meeting, he changed his mind. Overall, I'm extremely happy and impressed with Lofty Word's work. 

Working with them has been a great exercise for us. We hadn't used a design firm in the past, instead cobbling designs together as we went. Lofty Word's designs make a difference in areas where design is critical, and we're trying to present a lot of information in an easily consumable way. 

How did Lofty Word perform from a project management standpoint?

They're really good at project management. Lofty Word is a strong communicator with our in-house developers and project managers. They've seamlessly worked into our teams, making immediate contributions to our projects. Moreover, our project managers are happy with their work. 

We use Slack and Zoom for communication and ClickUp for task management. For time tracking, we use Harvest, where they input their time, making it easy to pass along the information to the end client. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lofty Word is really good at defining a workable interface that brings out the best elements and ensures information is easily consumable. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing negative to say about Lofty Word. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't constrain the request; allow Lofty Word to think freely about the problem, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to the design work that Josh did for our client, we were at an impasse for several months. We were able to move forward with the plan because no one was really happy with it. Now that he unlocked that design, we’re planning to continue on with the partnership.

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really good. He is a strong communicator and is great at communicating with the team. We use Slack, email, and Zoom to stay in touch. The project managers and his team are happy with the way that he manages his work, which makes it easy for us to pass along the hours to the client.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with the quality of their work. Their design skills are also great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No, I don’t think so.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a technology company based in Reno, Nevada. We work with consumer clients via app development, as well as logistics partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lofty Word?

We hired Lofty Word to establish and expand our branding for the company beyond the scope of the primary consumer app. This involved strategic brand development and brand design guidelines for the company as a whole. As a result, we are hoping to meaningfully grow brand awareness and adoption of our services.

SOLUTION

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

We had previously worked with Lofty Word in other business capacities in the past and were aware of the high quality of their work. When we discussed what we were looking for in a design firm, Lofty Word matched all the attributes we were looking for and the familiarity with the firm allowed us to move more quickly.

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

We worked through 3 main stages in the process, in roughly equal segments:

• Brand understanding and strategy development
• Brand design (multiple iterations involving everything from patterns, colors, images, font iconography, etc.)
• Brand design application (applying the new designs appropriately in different contexts)

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

We worked with 1 person, the principal designer from Lofty Word.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The provided brand designs and brand guidelines have been very easy to integrate into our work across multiple areas of the business. Some of the items (logos, iconography) were immediately usable. Other items (related to brand strategy and guidelines) have served as a useful framework for guiding more in-depth work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was open and frequent. Lofty Word would rapidly turn our feedback into actionable changes in the design process. The firm also provided great critical feedback of our brand to take a closer look at internally. It was truly a two-way partnership throughout the process.

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

Lofty Word developed an in-depth understanding of our brand and immersed this into their designs. They put a lot of thought into everything in the design, even including subtle background effects that are designed to represent elements of the brand.

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

Our contract ended up a bit limited by time, but further development of the last design items delivered could probably have used a bit more polish.

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.

We provide software solutions for K-12 schools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Lofty Word to accomplish?

• Create an appealing and functional landing page for parents logging into our system.

SOLUTION

How did you find Lofty Word?

Referral

Why did you select Lofty Word over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

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

We had a very simple log in page that didn't have any functionality aside from the log in. The ask was to expand the page and give it more usability and to update the branding. Deliverables included adding content such as feature descriptions, FAQs, links to blogs and user quotes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All of the goals we laid out in our initial scope were completed and on time and within budget. The design itself was very clean and aligned well with our brand.

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

They were always very responsive anytime I reached out. They delivered all the elements on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Lofty Word?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I worked directly with their founder and I could tell he was really knowledgeable. He was very easy to work with and always responsive. I knew if I needed anything, he was a quick email or call away.

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

No. I was really pleased with their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Marisol Ruiz Coaching. I am a Life and Business Coaching. I provide personal and professional development to women on a journey of self discovery. I work with my clients on external and internal goals to claim their power and achieve their goals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lofty Word, and what were your goals?

I left my job and went full time on my business. Lofty Word provided a full brand overview providing me clarity on who my client is and what my brand voice is. My goal was to get direction and clarity on what my brand is and how I can incorporate it in all my marketing tactics.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met the owner in a social gathering and he provided an overview of what Lofty Word can do for my business. I felt a great connection and decided to book an appointment.

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

I had two (2 hour) zoom sessions to work through the following: - Brand Attributes: Finding single word adjectives that help define my brand. We wrote as many as possible and then picked the top 5 and then the top 1.

• Brand Statement: creating a story that is straight to the point so anyone that reads it or hears it knows exactly what I do.
• Why, What & How: We found clarity of my why (why is this so important to me to help my clients) my what (what is it exactly that I provide to my clients) and my how (how do I provide the service)
• Customer Personas: We gave life to three different type of customer personas that I will work with. Helping me tremendously find clarity on how I can best serve each single persona.
• Goal Prioritization: based on revenue, awareness & efficiency. THIS was powerful and helped me see what are the items I can focus on that help prioritize all of the 3 different categories we focused on.
• Brand Narrative: Overview of my brand attributes tied in to how I provide support to my client by voice, feeling and impact.
• Data Matching: Matching my set goals with my customer needs and helping organize all of the different offers I can provide my client.
• Customer Journey: How do we connect my client personas with the customer journey & what services can I highlight in each bucket.

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

I worked directly with the owner

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have completely updated my marketing strategy and business services based on the discovery session. I have been able to convert every clarity call since August 2022

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

I had two very detailed sessions back to back (two days) to create my entire brand overview.

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

I appreciated the detailed and structured approach as well as being able to give me permission to get super creative. Sometimes I get too creative that I lack structure and prioritization. I am so grateful this company provided both. Also it was such a smooth process when at first it felt daunting and overwhelming to go through all of it.

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

All great - I'd focus on providing a little more connection with the client but that's only because I thrive on validation and connection (I know not all business owners need that)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Founder and CEO of a nonprofit, Uncommon, that helps heal humanity and inspire hope throughout individuals through honest storytelling.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lofty Word?

Lofty Word assisted me in the foundational brand strategy and set up a landing page and social media assets for our launch event.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met Josh at a coworking space and reviewed his work. I found him to be personable and of great value.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We met and completed a workshop to find Uncommon's voice. We worked through brand strategies for our target donors and target clients.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with Josh to complete this work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a landing page that I feel confident in sharing with others as we market our event. I know the tone, voice, and feel of our company and can easily train employees and board members as we reach out to our potential audience.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We were able to easily communicate throughout the duration of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They did research and went above and beyond my expectations.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

None.