Pen & Mug

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and COO of Eden Realty Group. We're a small real estate team, focused on investor clients and others who are interested in finding financial freedom through real estate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pen & Mug, and what were your goals?

We were a brand new company and had nothing when we started with Pen and Mug! We needed a logo, company colors, a website, and an overall identity.

SOLUTION

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

The three primary people we worked with were:

1. Austin: Creative director + point of contact
2. Jeremy: Website developer
3. Kyle: Graphic designer + web designer

How did you select this vendor?

We have a long standing relationship with one of the founders and had seen how good there work was with events like Live on the Green.

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

Personal meetings. Drafting several different logo options. Overall brand identity design created. Custom website designed. Branded profile and graphics for social media. Email newsletter template created. All sorts of templates for online slide decks and social media posts.

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

We worked with Austin exclusively.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have an amazing website that people can always access for education, information, merchandise, and contact. We have an awesome social media presence. We have a weekly newsletter that is sent out via Mailchimp to stay in contact with all our past and current clients.

They have literally created the backbone of our company and it is so great to have the structure to build on.

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

So communicative. Always willing to make changes. Listened to us thoroughly. Worked quickly. Zero complaints!

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

The above and beyond with the social media and website thoughtfulness. I just thought we'd be handed the basics and then have to figure it out ourselves but Austin helped us every step of the way and it is FAR better than anything we could have made ourselves.

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

Nope. Truly a world class experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Dupree Security Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide security, staffing and first aid to events large and small. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Custom website that we actually want to drive people to view

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

• Referral
• Conference

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our website was very outdated. Pen and Mug created a brand new website for us. They spent a significant amount of time getting to know us as individuals as well as a company. They really gave a personality and voice to the brand. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The measureable outcomes will come after the website is live for awhile. For now, we are happy to have a website that we are proud to send potential customers to in order to learn more about who we are and the services we provide.

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

Project Management was always on schedule. Any time the timeline was not met, it was due to our late response. Project Management did everything they said they were going to do by the time they said it would be completed. 

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I find that they are extremely personable but also have the talent to back it up. Being exceptional doesn't always have to do with exceptional ideas. Sometimes it is simply executing the small details with perfection. No detail was to mundane or trivial for their attention. I felt heard and really understood while working with Pen and Mug. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

There isn't anything I wish would have been done differently. I do wish Pen and Mug had an inhouse SEO division because selfishly, I would love to be able to go direct to them for more services. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the former CMO of SESAC Music Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SESAC Music Group is a multi-line music rights management company that provides royatly collection services for songwriters and composers.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Drive brand awareness and digital growth through creative campaigns
• Support marketing team with flexible creative services teams that could flex for us during busy event seasons
• Ongoing creative programs (I.e. video, copy) to support the internal marketing team

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We have a monthly retainer agreement built around a specific number of deliverables (not hours) per month, and submit creative project requests to Pen & Mug based on our priorities each month.

We also meet with our point(s) of contact weekly to stay aligned on ongoing priorities and upcoming projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pen & Mug provided an organized and thoughtful creative services support team that delivered needed assets on strategy and on time to support our portfolio of music brands including SESAC, HarryFoxAgency, AudioSalad, and many other events and conference progams executed online. We met weekly to review deadlines and deliverables and put together a tracking and approval system that made it easy to comment, make revisions and work quickly to execute projects.  Each week the team would check in and communicate clearly how we were doing on our projects.  The cost benefit analysis was solid - we got access to a full team of creatives for less than it would cost to train and have an in-house designer plus having senior level talent dedicated to our business.  I would and will definately hire them again. 

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

Yes all was delivered on time and were responsive to any additional requests or revisions. 

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

Virtual Meeting

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

The can-do attitude, consistency of the team, and commitment to ensuring they were supporting us stood out - checking in each week to make sure they had everything clear - that level of follow up and support isn't common in agency worlds.  

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

No 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner and Principal Planner of Kasey Schaffer Events

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Wedding and Event Planning 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Elevated design for the Climate Underground landing page & RSVP form + on going support till the end of the event

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Quickly design the landing page + RSVP form for the conference + continued web support. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Website looked great and was easy to navigate. Attendees were able to visit the wesbite and easily find what they were looking for and we could easily get information out to our guests. Pen and Mug working on the tasks they owned, freed up time for my team to focus on what they needed to. Created attractive and on brand graphic design for signage that was displayed at the event. 

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

They were professional, kind, easy to work with and had a very quick turn around time! We threw a lot of last minute tasks at them and they handled it with grace and efficency and accuracy. 

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

Email or Messaging App

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

Their customer service was outstanding.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

I cannot think of one thing I would change!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & Principal Planner of Locket Events Co.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Locket Events Co. is a high-impact events company dedicated to creating pivotal moments that are an extension of our clients’ brands. From business meetings to social gatherings to life’s important milestones, we ensure every client has their “moment” while simultaneously experiencing the relief that comes from hiring the right team for the job. With our unique approach, we create events centered around connection and celebration while leaving no stone unturned or resource untapped.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Develop website

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

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

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Pen & Mug developed a full-scale website from scratch. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since launching Locket Events Co., we have received strong client feedback on the website citing its unique design and branding. Pen & Mug understood the inspiration perfectly. 

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

Excellent! They delivered the website on time and were very responsive via email and text. The team even went the extra mile to solve an issue over the weekend. 

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was extremely impressed by Pen & Mug's professionalism, ability to see the vision of Locket Events Co. and apply it to the website. From the first meeting, I knew that Pen & Mug was the right team for the job. Their skillsets combined with their extremely personable energy made them a joy to work and collaborate with. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

N/A; Literally zero. 10/10 would recommend Pen & Mug every time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Coordinator of Greater Nashville Private Capital Association

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The GNPCA’s goal is to facilitate capital connections that unlock investment opportunities so our most innovative entrepreneurs can build successful companies that create jobs and contribute to our region’s growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Brand identity design and website design for a newly launched organization. After that initial scope we started a longer-term partnership where we worked together to create a membership campaign, event signage and merchandise, marketing materials, website support and more. We also recreated the branding when the organization made a change to the organization name.

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

After completing the initial brand identity design and website design scope, Pen & Mug has served as GNPCA's "creative department", completing a wide range of graphic design, website and copywriting work. Some of these deliverables included:

• Organization logo and visual brand identity
• Website (gnpca.org)
• Creating and optimizing the membership onboarding process
• Event materials (signage, presentations, merchandise)
• Social media account management
• Email marketing 
• and more

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received prompt and consistent support for all of our needs, which was especially valuable during the complex process of rebranding and changing our company name. Their team is incredibly responsive, often assisting us outside of regular hours to address any website issues that arose. The new graphics and website they delivered were not only professional and visually clean, but also completed in a timely manner. This upgrade played a key role in helping us grow our membership base and generate new revenue streams.

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

This team is exceptionally responsive, resolving nearly all issues within a day—many times within the hour. They not only answered our questions promptly but also went above and beyond by creating instructional videos to guide us through processes we might need to revisit in the future.

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Pen & Mug’s willingness to educate their clients, not just answer questions. It reflects their commitment to each client’s success and their genuine dedication to helping every business thrive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

On a few occasions, certain tasks needed to be requested or followed up on more than once. However, this was understandable given their workload and the higher-priority responsibilities we had given them to manage as well as our changing deadlines -- it was never a major concern or issue for us. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Friends of Radnor Lake

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a nonprofit organization providing financial and marketing support for the protection of Radnor Lake State Natural Area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Copywriting and visual design for our 50th Anniversary campaign.
• Expanded our relationship and they now serve as my marketing team!

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Value our brand

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Created a wide array of print and digital marketing communications for our 50th Anniversary campaign, including copywriting and design, development of website landing page, direct mailers, on-trail signage and social media posts.

After about a year, we expanded our relationship to include all contract marketing services. They function as my creative department, enabling our organization to have a professional and engaging online presence with coordinated print marketing and a more intentional marketing cadence.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As the only employee of our organization, I was managing a collection of contractors to help me communicate our brand with the community. It is critical to me that we are communicating accurately, with the right tone, and professionally. 

I hired Pen & Mug to create a campaign celebrating our 50th Anniversary and their work exceeded my expectations. The presentations were beautiful, engaging, accurate and compelling. Their team gave me impressively good drafts and then really listened to me to deliver what I asked for when I needed it. They are great, open communicators, and they don't waste my time. What was once a burden for me - to create all of the marketing ideas, direct multiple contractors, write copy, find photos, etc., has transitioned to work with a creative team with ideas, energy and the skills to help me implement!

Our leadership has been very impressed by the marketing "uplevel" that we have accomplished with Pen & Mug. Additionally, our leadership team has appreciated the Pen & Mug team's investment in understanding our culture and brand by showing up to experience our events, the park, and our special initiatives so they can better communicate what matters to us.

While it took more than just marketing to reach our 50th Anniversary fundraising goal, I sincerely believe we would not have reached that goal, or communicated our mission to as many people, were it not for my excellent decision to hire Pen & Mug. I am still thanking that referral source!

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

Pen & Mug is great about including deadlines as part of our regular conversations and have delivered what they promised. When I am the person who isn't delivering on time, they check in about how the delay affects the timeline and we discuss needs openly. Even when I am the delay, they work hard to make sure they can deliver what I need.

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are a great design concept team, have good copy writers on staff, are fun to work with, engage with my brand, deliver what they promise and they listen. It's an impressive combination! What is unique about working with Pen & Mug is that it feels like a partnership.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

Any time I need something to work a little differently, I communicate with them and we resolve it. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Vice President, Marketing of LASSO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

LASSO helps event producers, staffing companies, and crews run more efficient, successful events with our all-in-one event operating system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• An ongoing partnership creating all things graphic design, animation/illustration, and web support.

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Design collateral for print, digital marketing, website, video, events, and social media.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with Pen & Mug has really helped us elevate our branding across all platforms. Their designs have brought a cohesive, polished look to everything from our website to our event materials. It’s made a noticeable difference, with both our internal team and customers frequently commenting on the quality!

Thanks to this partnership, we’ve seen increased engagement online and pulled off some highly successful, visually impactful campaigns.

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

Pen & Mug has a great grasp on the management of projects. They are super efficient, delivering on time and with minimal changes. They are flexible and communicative and great to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Pen & Mug immediately felt like part of our internal team. They learned our brand so quickly and everything they design always feels like a bespoke piece engrained in our brand and values and never feels like an afterhtought or a mass production. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

No! We love working with them and value them immensely. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Digital Innovation and Technology of Appalachian Voices

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Environmental nonprofit that brings people together to protect the land, air and water of Central and Southern Appalachia and advance a just transition to a generative and equitable clean energy economy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Create a new design for our website
• Build the site on a new Wordpress installation to remove outdated proprietary code
• Improve back-end functionality for the team's end users

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Appalachian Voices website was outdated in more ways than one. First of all, the design had not been updated in many years, and was in need of a total refresh. Secondly, the site was hosted on an outdated version of WordPress and MySQL, but due to some proprietary custom code, it was impossible to update those without breaking the website. And thirdly, the custom code meant that the visual editor had to be turned off, requiring the staff to edit HTML each time they needed to add a post or a page. And the website in question was massive - at the start of the project we had over 670 pages and nearly 6,500 posts.

Our key deliverables included:

• Two updated designs (one for our main organization and one for our news publication) that would appeal to a wide range of supporters and visitors, from all ages and backgrounds, and designs would keep content front and center
• Rebuilding the site on a fresh Wordpress installation
• Installing a robust visual editor to make it easier for organizational staff to update content
• Design a series of modular components to make it easier to maintain consistency in design while allowing for some latitude in page design for our staff

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pen & Mug delivered two completed and beautiful designs for our website, one for our main organization and one for our news publication. Both designs fit our desire to be forward-thinking but also accessible to our rural followers and supporters. 
They migrated over and designed 335 total pages (after we trimmed out a bunch of old content!), and a final total of over 6,700 posts. They installed Beaver Builder as our visual editor, and trained our 6 Communications team members in how to use it. They created dozens of templated modules within Beaver Builder for us to use to keep our design consistent, from full page layouts to individual row modules.

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

Austin, Jeremy and Rachel at Pen & Mug were an absolute joy to work with. Rachel did a great job keeping the meetings and project on track, and Jeremy and Austin were very responsive to questions and feedback. The overall project took us longer than expected, but that was due to holdups on our end and not Pen & Mug's, and also due to the massive size of our website and myriad and complicated automations we asked for. 100% satisfied!

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I could say so much about Pen & Mug and how easy they were to work with as they went to the mat to bring us the perfect solution to our needs. Their open, collaborative work style, the way our teams meshed to become one cohesive unit working together toward our common goal, their breadth of knowledge and skills, their warm and friendly attitudes that made working on the project much more enjoyable. 
P&M's combined talent easily matches the offerings of much larger companies, and their genuine appreciation and enthusiasm for their clients shines through. They honestly care about their clients and yearn for the success of their projects. We will 100% be working with them on other projects!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

I honestly can't think of anything right now - their work ethic is excellent, their talent is voluminous, and they showed great patience in dealing with OUR scheduling challenges.