Rogue Creative Development

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of Sales at Gyro-Stabilized Systems, a camera manufacturer. We make stabilized camera systems to go on helicopters, cable cams, or vehicles for filming in production work, commercials, news, movies, or utility inspections.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rogue Creative Development?

We wanted to rebrand and improve our image. We wanted a team that could help with aspects that we didn't have the skills for and a design agency who could provide graphics for trade shows and other needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we worked on our branding and logos. They design a new logo set and helped us with our product naming conventions. We created new print materials for trade shows and rebuilt our website with the content they created. They've also created video marketing content for us, and they manage and build posts for our accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They've written blogs for us on different products and they work on MailChimp email blasts to our clients.

What is the team composition?

We work with four or five different people on their team. Our main point of contact has changed once, but the individual who acts as project manager sends tasks to the other members of the team.

How did you come to work with Rogue Creative Development?

They were a customer of ours. They were incorporating a product into a new part of their business when we first contracted them. As we talked about the strengths for both of our companies, our marketing person had just left. It made sense to outsource a lot of our marketing needs to them. We baked some of that arrangement into our original sale.

How much have you invested with them?

I'd guess we've spent close to $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together near the start of 2018. We started with a few singular projects, but now the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're very happy with the work they provide. We've rebranded and are very satisfied with our new image. We continue to support that image with new content, and they're a great resource for us.

How did Rogue Creative Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We hold them to very specific achievements, and they've never missed anything. Their success rate is 100%, and we're very pleased with them. Most of our communication is through email and a recurring conference call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very nice people, and they act as a partner to our company. We share the success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The transition to a new project manager could have gone more smoothly, but it was quickly resolved with a phone call.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief communications officer for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County, a nonprofit that recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers for a mentorship program involving the local foster care system. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rogue Creative Development?

We reached out to them for web development and other design services to support us in our two overarching goals: fundraising and recruitment. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rogue Creative initially redesigned, developed, and launched our website in 2017. They've since worked with us each year to develop our annual report and end-of-year appeal to donors. They're also working on developing some promotional videos that are about four minutes in length, including some shorter clips for us to post on social media. 

We generally meet and verbally provide some design ideas for their team to run with, and then provide feedback and change requests as they put together the materials. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with about five people on their team, including a project lead. Depending on our needs, they all make themselves fairly accessible. 

How did you come to work with Rogue Creative Development?

One of our volunteers who worked on our website as a pro bono project joined Rogue Creative, so we decided to hire them once we had more of a budget. After researching other vendors in the area, they were also one of the most affordable and professional teams we could find. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $15,000 each year since 2017, so less than $50,000 in total thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since around June 2017. Each year, the project timeline for our annual report and appeal runs from around June–December. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wouldn't continue working with them if their work was anything less than great. The website they designed has received a ton of positive feedback, and our relationship with their team becomes easier and more natural with each year. 

How did Rogue Creative Development perform from a project management standpoint?

I love working with their team. Not only are they just great people all around, but they're also very responsive to our needs. Whenever an issue arises, they're quick to jump on it. They're also very creative, collaborative, and seem to genuinely understand our vision at the end of the day, investing a lot of time and effort into getting to know us. 

They always meet deadlines and maintain a steady flow of communication, providing regular progress updates on each project. We mostly communicate through email, but they're also pretty good at responding to text messages and calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our working relationship is fantastic; it's like they're part of our team. They're just wonderful people overall who take the time to understand client needs. They don't try to oversell us on services, but rather work with us within our budgetary constraints as a nonprofit.

They also do a gift drive for the kids in our program each December, which just goes to show how much they care about our mission. We're very thankful for the additional time and support they've provided our organization to help us better serve kids in the foster network. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.