Solar Digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a consultancy company that works with the government on research and design projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solar Digital?

We were looking for a complete website redesign to tell the story of our work, so we needed a partner that could help us with a combination of storytelling and web design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solar Digital helped us redesign our website on Readymag. Initially, we reached out to them to inquire about their services and provided them with some web copy and a few sites we liked as inspiration. In a matter of just 4–5 days, they delivered a redesign proposal — it was a quick start. From there on, they dove into the redesign process, which included creating some animations for the site.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Solar Digital’s owner.

How did you come to work with Solar Digital?

I don’t remember how we found Solar Digital, but we came across their portfolio online. They showed great previous work for others, and we saw that they had experience working on Readymag, the platform we were hoping to utilize. Additionally, they were very willing to meet our tight deadline, which was great.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2021–February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People reacted very positively to our new site, and its design was very meaningful to our staff.

How did Solar Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Solar Digital performed very well, and they were on top of the project’s management. They worked very fast for us, which was very appreciated. After every iteration, it took them only 2–3 days to provide us with the next version of the design with the changes requested. We communicated via email and video conferences.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Solar Digital had many different skill sets, allowing them to work very quickly and collaboratively on our iterations. They were also very flexible, which can be challenging.

Additionally, Solar Digital was a trustworthy partner, which was reflected in a trusted relationship. We worked on an hourly basis, so they just tracked their hours. On occasions, it was clear that they could’ve done more for us during those hours, but they billed us for less when that happened.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been helpful to have a more exploratory conversation upfront around different design directions. Their initial proposal was very strong, so we iterated on the design based on it. However, I would have liked to see other options as well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your brand and take the time to share brand assets and guidelines with them so that you can provide them with a clear perspective of what you want.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a managing partner in a Company, which provides bespoke shipping solutions to corporate clients: audit, chartering, maritime supply chain systems analysis.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solar Digital?

Our website was ok, but I have used to follow SOLAR Digital projects, and was wondering how they may develop idea, considering our very specific business. So I applied to SOLAR to develop a web-site.

SOLUTION

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

As far as I mention above, I have been following all projects of SOLAR Digital on the web and always want to try to work with them. After discussing the vibe

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

We did not have an urgent need to change the site, but I really wanted to work with SOLAR, so I completely trusted the team. We received about 3-5 different versions.

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

It was very easy, cause all communication was through one person. There was no any mess, everything was strict and useful for our side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business is very conservative, and the main issue for SOLAR Digital was to combine conservative shipping vibe with modern solutions. We got the great result.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication channels were established excellent.

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

SOLAR Digital is oriented not on working hours, but ON RESULT. First time I met such attitude. When the last version of the sweb-site was provided, and was confirmed by me, SOLAR Digital mentioned that I was not fully satisfied. Project was excellent stylish, confirmed by me... but I wanted more uniqueness. So SOLAR asked more time and in a couple of weeks a got a fully new design. It was amazing. They spent much time to make sure I was fully satisfied. Respect from my heart!

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

Excellent. My respect to the team. I will promote them personally.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Company is a specialized professional local media with focus on maritime industry, port, terminals exports, designated to the local news and own professional articles. I am the founder of the company and director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solar Digital?

We hire Solar Digital for branding and quick and smooth web-site development

What were your goals for this project?

We needed in one month to have an identity of the company and clean and smooth working news website which we could load with our articles.

SOLUTION

How did you select Solar Digital?

Solar Digital is well known locally as branding/design company, able to solve different tasks and expand the team according to the tasks.

We had previous experience working on other projects/brandings/designs and we knew they shall be able to perform.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We have spoken and exchanged messages with project manager of Solar, who asked many questions to know the tasks, what impression we want to make to public coming to us, whether we shall use web-site or social networks also.

After we have decided all what was required i have passed the execution to my editor-in-chief to communicate to project manager of the Solar to make it work. So the work on the web-site and branding was done in parallel.

When we have obtained options of the branding and made our final choice the web-site was already done.

What was the team composition?

We have communicated with project manager of the team, and i also worked with Kyrill Soliar, CEO/owner, discussing the branding ideas.

For us was not that important how many people and who exactly were working on that until they performed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have received positive feedback from our friends and readers, who found it clean and professional, exactly what we needed for a professional media.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We usually had a weekly updates on the progress, and also we had telegram groups, where we could have an immediate response on any questions or enquiry. Email exchange is not that helpful for us, comparing to the groups.

You have a feeling that you receive immediate attention to the project when you need it.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Being creative and professional at the same time. They generated bright ideas and kept their commitment in terms of quality.

To keep and increase the team of professionals altogether. Visiting office of the company always leaves a feeling that you just visited your friends.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always room for improvement or increase in the scale of the projects to be done.

Currently we are happy enough with what Solar Digital is doing to recommend others to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work as an online media publisher. We write about culture, urbanism, social issues and science.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solar Digital, and what were your goals?

About a year ago, our media has grown and transformed greatly - we began to work for a wider audience and write on broader and more complex topics. After transforming the content, we also needed to change its visual presentation - branding and website. We asked Solar to bring our content to visual harmony across our platforms.

SOLUTION

How did you select Solar Digital and what were the deciding factors?

We have seen lots of complex projects the team has implemented before us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We started by developing a new branding. The team offered us four pretty good options, of which we chose one. He, already finalized, was sent to us in the shortest possible time. Then we moved on to developing the site design.

The team immediately managed to find the right direction for our site. In total, we made about 20 edits - communication was very simple. After that, the team moved on to the layout and then to the implementation of the project.

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

We communicated with the manager and the designer. There must have been more people working on the project, but we had easy communication with these two people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our engagement rates have increased due to the fact that the site has become faster and visually better organized.

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

Their maximum polite and quick responses, attentiveness in relation to the client's requirements.

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

We were impressed with their polite and quick responses. They were attentive to the client's requirements.

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

No

BACKGROUND

I’m a manager of NGDS Design https://ngds.design/.

We provide key account management services for corporate industrial clients.

Our main expertise is analysis of a client's business to develop the right business solutions, including technical ones. 

We have our own production team specializing in photo - video and augmented reality production.

To bring higher value to our customers we involve partners with high expertise in a specific type of software development. In this case, Solar Digital was involved in solving specific problems.

Solar Digital performed two unrelated outsource projects for us. In both cases, our customers have successfully updated their corporate sites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solar Digital?

It was needed to deliver high quality work to our clients in a relatively tight time frame. 

It is important for us to avoid the main problems and risks of working outside the profile in order to deliver all the scope in time with high quality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our customers needed modern websites to inform their customers about services they provide. 

We had a clear vision of what it should look like. The job was to integrate it with well-used CMS and make it responsive for mobiles & SEO friendly.

What is the team composition?

I communicate with a project manager who runs the team for several people from Solar Digital including Developer, QA and Content Manager.

How did you come to work with Solar Digital?

We were referred to Solar Digital by the marketing team that we have hired in the past.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000 on their services totally.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our collaboration in October 2019, and both projects are finished. We will be happy to work with this supplier again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a good product that works well for us and our partners, it is done fast and with high quality. Our team is able to edit all the content for both websites.

How did Solar Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Solar Digital’s professional, showing up to our calls on time and prepared. Their team’s processes information, so we don’t need to repeat feedback again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m satisfied. I don’t know where our engagement could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Generally speaking, make sure to define your scope clearly and make sure that you don’t leave any details out that makes development fast and reliable.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is one of the leaders in food retail in Ukraine. We have been operating on the market for over 25 years, and our first B2B & B2C online store appeared in 2002. At the time of the project, I was the head of the R&D department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solar Digital?

Our online store has been working on the current version of the site for 4 years, and the custom CMS manufacturer has stopped supporting it. We made a decision to develop a new website in a short time. But our team didn't have the right level of designers. And we needed help developing the concept.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to get a modern and convenient website for an online store, devoid of all UI \ UX inconveniences for customers, which were identified and were not corrected in the previous version of the site. Our main goal was the convenience of our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We held a tender among web studios in our city, which had excellent work in their portfolio.

Describe the project in detail.

Development of design for an online store for a well-known and popular chain of stores in the field of FMCG RETAIL. The work included the development of the concept of the site, integration of the online store and the loyalty program, along with the buyer's personal account.

What was the team composition?

SOLAR assigned Lead PM and Art directors to work on projects, who managed the internal team of designers and communicated with the client

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Upon completion of the transition to the new site, we got rid of the risk of working with a software product that was no longer developed and supported by the manufacturer. New functionality was implemented on the site, which increased the convenience of customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The PM team came every day to communicate with the stakeholders of the project in our company. 2 times a week they demonstrated the progress of the project, carried out defense and demonstration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

High level of competence and expertise of the company's employees. High expertise in UI \ UX design, e-commerce processes. Focus on achieving customer goals.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We received a lot of help in making decisions, which was useful and important for us at that time. The high level of expertise of the studio staff was very useful for our project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of SMP – Intelligent Scents, a scent maker platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solar Digital?

We needed help with branding including a logo, a corporate identity, a web page to present our product, and a smartphone app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solar Digital did our branding from scratch. We created several personas, which took many iterations. After interviewing customers, we received at least 10 different variations of logos and identity from the team. 

We also did the front- and backend of the web page. When I realized they understood our tasks well and that they could do the app, we went forward with that aspect of the project. They just handled the design, while another agency did the development. designed the app. 

They helped us launch an online marketing campaign and they designed some materials for Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with the project manager and several designers.

How did you come to work with Solar Digital?

We decided to work with them because we appreciated that they offered a primary contact for us to be in touch with. They were referred by another agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000-$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from July 2018-February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The brand was successful with our customer segment. We had several iterations with the app because it wasn’t a simple task but even the first iterations were well done, and we ended up with good results. Their job was well done.

How did Solar Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style was well aligned with our needs and our speed. We ran sprints and they delivered what we agreed upon. When it came to the design aspect, we had some ideas but didn’t want to bias them. Instead, we wanted them to really discover customer insights and build communication with the customer. We wanted every pixel and every letter to communicate to our customer and that the customer would understand the product from the beginning.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Solar Digital is creative and their scope of ideas is impressive. What they deliver is really impactful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything was really good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t limit them. Let them do their job and they will deliver. Properly articulate your goal and Solar Digital will perform perfectly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Providing 3D visualisation services for Sydney local market under premise of 3Draft

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solar Digital?

Branding and creation company website

What were your goals for this project?

Create website which will fully represent our services and vision

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have done a lot of research before finding Solar Digital. We have reviewed their projects and decided to work with them. Because their work and pricing was exactly what we been looking for

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

In 2017 we decided to expand our business and start looking for developing of own website for our 3D visualisation services in Sydney Australia. We were looking for some outstanding solutions and found Solar Digital. Their manager Stasia done great job with understanding our vision and needs. I believe they done it well

What was the team composition?

Mainly we were stay in contact with their client manager Stasia. She helped her team to understand our needs and find design solutions what we been looking for.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Creation of our own branding and website helped move our business to more interesting clients. Also connect with new construction companies in Sydney NSW

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I found our communication was easy and productive. Stasia asked in advance all preferences and requirements, also helped to gather all necessary information and materials. Also provided samples how our website will look in the end

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated the availability of all technical professionals involved in the process of development. Full access to all information provided by us and ability to add or delete files what been used in website development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Have team managers in Australia, to do work in person

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Lookgood Ukraine, a beauty startup founded in 2019.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solar Digital?

We were developing the project from the beginning, starting with the charts I had in my head, and going to the MVP, which was released in July 2019.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solar Digital created the UI/UX and all other designs. They made the website, the UX, and everything else. I had some basic designs, and they designed all the pages of the web project.

This project was for developing a booking system for a wellness and beauty treatment center. We bring together people offering services with those who want treatments done.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been working with Kirill (Founder and Owner). They assigned a project manager to our project, who served as the link between my team and Solar Digital. She was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Solar Digital?

We’re located in the same city, and Solar Digital is one of the best agencies in the country. Their prices weren’t very attractive for our country, but I spoke with Kirill, and, after a few rounds of negotiation, I understood that they could take our project from the beginning to a logical end. A lot of companies start projects and then have delays and can’t run them properly and smoothly. I made a bet on Solar Digital, and I ultimately got it right.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first talks were started in September 2018, and we signed the contract in October of that year. The first wrap-up was in June 2019, we cleaned up all the bugs and issues, and we released it in July of that year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We attracted more than 8,000 treatment providers in the first couple of months, and we grew steadily after that. We’ve had a couple of interactions with Solar Digital after that, to make some updates.

The site grew and grew, until we reached 20,000 providers in half a year. We had more than 1,000 people every day, coming from social networks and Google PPC, looking for treatments, and almost 15% of them made bookings.

How did Solar Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

The key thing for me was that I could contact the project manager from Solar Digital at any time of day or night, and all the problems were solved. Especially in the first couple of months, there are a lot of things that can happen on a project, so good communication from the developers is key for the success of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I spoke with a couple of CEOs from different companies when I was picking out a provider, and the client orientation there was on a lower level than with Solar Digital. Client orientation is the top characteristic from their side.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We didn’t have a lot of delays, but they did happen. We were supposed to finish the project in 6–7 months, but the timeline increased by a couple of months. That wasn’t critical, and it was because we made a lot of improvements. Solar Digital could improve the work with the developers, to get responses a bit quicker.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to be on the same side with Solar Digital and work as friends. Be firm in what you want from one side, but build up the communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am founder and at the time the only employee of my small company named “Anastasia Sannikova. Jewelry Design”.  I create handmade jewelry. I started this several years ago, but mostly as a hobby.

And it appeared that it was popular among certain people, so they wished to buy what I created. So I decided to create a brand and launch this business more officially.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did you retain SOLAR Digital?

I needed services of SOLAR Digital because I wanted to create a logo which would have a clear idea of itself and story behind it. Also, I needed certain brand identity elements which would be helpful in starting my business.

SOLUTION

What were your goals for the project?

The key goal was to create logo + brand identity elements. I had clear idea of how it should look like, at least more or less. But wished professional to improve the idea and bring it to life the best way it was possible.

How did you select this vendor?

I reached SOLAR Digital about 2 years ago and wished to worked with them that moment. But I had some troubles in my own life so I was not able to start our collaboration that time. So when I had a chance I came back and wished to create something I needed with this very team.

Describe the project in detail.

I had clear idea of what should be in my logo and clear idea of colors I wished to be in it. And still I was not sure about what name I wanted my Company to have. Guys from SOLAR Digital didn’t have to, but still provided me with certain options of naming. The options were good, but in the end I chose my own option.

Due to the story of my life, I wished phoenix to be in the logo. And I knew that I wanted black and gold colors. And still I didn’t have 100% vision of how it should be in the end.

One of the main circumstances was that it was express logo. It means that I had to be provided only with one option of logo without opportunity for corrections. But they were in touch with me all the time so I saw the work in progress and could provide my own comments to what I liked or not. So basically I had more options than one.

In the end I received 3 concepts instead of one. With tiny differences, and still that was a nice bonus.

After the logo was approved, we moved to brand identity elements. And they were done appropriately as I expected.

What was the team composition?

There was a project manager whom I started communicating with before the start of the project and he was helping me to communicate with designer while the project was in progress. Even now we’re still in touch with him.

Also there was a nice designer who also was into this very project, had their own ideas and added little but nice detail in final logo version. There also was an art director, we never met, but this person was responsible for inner approvement before anything could be presented to me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What was the outcome of the project?

It’s hard to say at the moment because my main channels of sale are social networks. So now I’m the progress of their promotion. And even now I start getting positive feedback about my production and brand. So, everything progresses quite well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and their team?

It was great. I enjoyed working with everyone who took part in the project.

What was the most impressive part of working with them?

They didn’t just do what I asked them to or what they had to do because of our agreement. They did even more, showed interest in project, shared their opinion and were arguing (positively) with me when they had a different opinion because they really wanted to make it the best way possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing to improve at the moment. There are some things which I would want to create later, but I don’t need anything now.