The Story Web Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

blue i music is a music production and publishing firm for b schmidt and his co-creators. I am the founder with the roles of composer and songwriter in addition to the marketing and promotion of the music. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

1. Web Design
2. integration with social media
3. integration with music streaming services

What were your goals for this project?

It was time for a properly designed web site. Previous versions of the site were set up by me directly and lacked the flair and sensibility of a professional design. Additionally, the design had to have elements that could be repurposed for social media platforms so that there was a visual brand consistency across my internet presence.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Story Web Design & Marketing?

I was familiar with The Story Web as I had recommended them to some of my past clients. The feedback from my clients was uniformly good on their experience and so I was very comfortable in moving ahead on my own site with Trevor and his Team.

Describe the project in detail.

Project required:

• a design that captured a contemporary artist sensibility
• integration with major music streaming platforms
• a blog to highlight various music projects
• an electronic press kit
• ease of use for me when adding content to the sore site

What was the team composition?

Trevor acted as my main liaison and fulfilled the roles of project manager and design advocate. There were also designers and programmers from Trevor's team that were involved, although my need to work with them directly was not required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site and its content is now seeing higher user retention, plus it is a better vehicle for me to showcase my compositions to music industry professionals. Feedback from my fan community has been uniformly positive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was excellent. Goals and timelines were established at the onset to properly set expectations around timing and scope.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Probably the biggest element was related to the site design, which had a focus on me visually. This was a new experience for me, and full credit to Trevor for his sensitivity in managing my concerns while still advocating for the version of the design that he felt was the most impactful and that would show my works in the best possible light.

In the end, I trusted Trevor's judgement and experience and that's the design we went with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I was pleased with the experience and the resulting website.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company distributes beauty products to hair salons and barber shops. I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing, and what were your goals?

We needed an ecommerce website that would showcase our products and enable us to sell products as a distributor. Our website is a digital extension of us, and it has to look and function professionally.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Story Web Design & Marketing and what were the deciding factors?

When I spoke with The Story, they asked me questions no other vendor did. They wanted to understand what our business needed. Also, price point was important and they provided us what we needed without an huge price tag.

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

We had weekly project meetings that kept our project moving forward and completed in a timely manner. The website was designed and then developed and tested.

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

I was able to run everything through a single point of contact, which made things much less confusing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Story created a custom designed website for us, but they did more than that. They are business thinkers. They helped me think about my business operations and marketing.

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

It was very effective. Our interaction with them was structured. We had weekly meetings and a timeline to meet.

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

The Story provided excellent attention to detail. They also provided us with a lot of insight, asking, “have you thought of this?” and “did you know that you can do that?”

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

The Story’s is very artistic – when I first saw our design, I was so excited because it looked so great. I’m very happy with the website. It is very aesthetically pleasing. We're confident when our clients view our web property because we know that it’s a first-class website.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the VP of Business & Channel Development at Astro Payments, which is a credit & debit card payment processing company. We create partnerships with business software companies to payment enable their application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

We hired The Story Web Design & Marketing to design and develop a new website for Astro Payments.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a website that used our branding illustrations to create a bold new website design for us that would set us apart from our competitors. Our website needed to feel not only bold and fresh, but it also needs to be easy to use and navigate.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Story Web Design & Marketing?

We found The Story Web Design and Marketing through an online directory and felt they were ideal for creating a new website design for us.

Describe the project in detail.

The project kicked off and there was a plan to provide us concepts and then to design and develop the remaining websites. The Story provided us with multiple ideas for the website that were really exciting. The one that was implemented was is striking and bold. We think it’s pretty cool. Once the initial concept was decided on, the project went pretty smoothly, creating the rest of the designs and then developing the website.

What was the team composition?

On our side, we had representatives from management, sales, marketing and IT on our side and we worked with Trevor Hamilton who was the project manager for The Story.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We kind of expected that The Story was just going to reuse our previous old options that had been developed for our website in a previous iteration. That isn’t what happened though. They provided us with some very cool options.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly meetings, which were a necessity, to help keep the teams in sync. We were able to discuss everything that was completed, what was still to be done and brainstorm together about anything that was outstanding. There was effective goal setting

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Story provided us multiple graphical designs that were creative, bold and exciting, that went above and beyond what we were expecting.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some times we were making changes so quick, some the of versions got passed by.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Faris CPA is a boutique, tax accounting firm. We provide experienced tax help to independent professionals, individual investors, and small to medium size businesses.

We provide the highest quality of tax, financial, and accounting services and advice so that undue taxes and penalties can be avoided.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

We hired The Story Web Design & Marketing to create a new website and brand for us.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed a website that presented my firm in a professional way and helped to increase conversion rates.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Story Web Design & Marketing?

I was recommended by me SEO firm to The Story.

Describe the project in detail.

The Story kicked off the project and provided me with their plan and a list of everything I needed to provide. We had weekly meetings that were very helpful.

I was able to relax and be calm because I saw the progress and I never felt like I was left behind.

What was the team composition?

The Story kicked off the project and provided me with their plan and a list of everything I needed to provide. We had weekly meetings that were very helpful.

I was able to relax and be calm because I saw the progress and I never felt like I was left behind.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I got a website that professionally and accurately represents my firm. The website also helped improve conversion rates for me.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our weekly meetings kept things moving forward and they held my hand throughout the process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I felt like The Story prioritized providing a high quality website for me and that they did not penny pinch their time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The Story made me feel very comfortable and confident. They were straightforward and easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

EZ Agents is an online real estate agency for savvy home buyers. We provide the best financial option for Colorado home buyers. We will help the buyer to purchase the home they want and then provide 50% of our commission back.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

We needed a modern web design that feels cutting edge. We needed the website to be very easy to read, whether on desktop or mobile. Our website needs to work very well on smart phones. And most of all the website needs to bring new leads.

What were your goals for this project?

I found The Story online. I liked their work and I felt that they understood my needs and could deliver what I wanted.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found The Story online. I liked their work and I felt that they understood my needs and could deliver what I wanted.

Describe the project in detail.

I needed a website (https://ez-agents.co) for my new business that would help me to grow my business. When we started the project, I discussed with The Story the type of look and feel we wanted.

The Story gave guidance on copywriting to help make it easier for people to read the website and to make buying decisions. For the design of the website, The Story provided us with multiple design concepts to choose from. They were both solid designs. I chose one and we made it even better by working through multiple revisions of the designs.

Once the design was done, we started the development of the site. The website was designed especially with mobile in mind. It has a dedicated mobile home page and desktop home page. We expect a majority of our prospects will to our mobile site, so it was important to have an excellent mobile experience with our website.

Throughout the project we there was a single point of contact. Nothing was lost in translation and I was able to get what I wanted. We had weekly project meetings throughout the project.

The Story also helped to ensure we were focused on the right things while being patient with exploring the various ideas I had for the project. All of these things really helped to keep things moving forward.

What was the team composition?

I worked with the project manager/owner and he had a team of designers, a developer and copywriter.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I wanted a modern look that utilized illustrations. The design we got looks great and has an excellent flow that’s easily digestible to read.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Story was professional, responsive, patient, and focused on my satisfaction.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Story was easy to work with. They were always responsive via phone or email. They didn’t get frustrated with changes. They made sure I was happy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I’m just getting started with the promotion of the business website. I could be using The Story in the near future for management of our advertising to increase the effectiveness of the results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Lori's Lending provides financing for small to medium sized businesses. We provide funding for small businesses in and across the business spectrum. I am are the owner and founder of Lori's Lending.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

Web design and development, branding and logo design.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed a whole brand for my website, including logo, overall look/feel and copyrighting. I needed a professional website that would help prospective customers know who we are. It was (and is) very important that we differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Our clients want someone who's personal and who will give them personal attention. The website needed to reflect that.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A former colleague of mind had some work done by The Story and recommended them to me. In the proposal phase they had a clear understanding of what I was trying to accomplish and demonstrated they could do it.

Describe the project in detail.

The Story stated by working on our logo. From that they developed business cards and letterhead for us too. The Story interviewed me in order to better understand who we are and our target customers. They got a clear understanding of our value and the issues that our prospective customers are facing. They created the home page copy and then started designing the caricatures. Once the caricatures were developed, they created the home design. Once that was approved the created the rest of the copy and designs. The story gave us the great copy and a fantastic design.

What was the team composition?

The Story composition included Designers, Marketing experts, and Copywriters.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I wanted a unique, personable, professional website and The Story gave that to me. This is very helpful in assisting me to a unique in crowded market.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There was a lot of follow up throughout the project to keep everything moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I got the website that I wanted and love it!

Are there any areas for improvement?

The Story continues to be helpful to me as I look to expand my marketing efforts.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Reliable Accounting provides small and medium sizes businesses with the following services: Accounting, Tax Planning, Book Keeping, Payroll, Management Services and Incorporation services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

We needed a new, professionally designed website.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a website refresh that looks great, is easy to find information and on a system where we could make the changes ourselves.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We knew of The Story's work.

Describe the project in detail.

The Story took the time to understand what we wanted, assisted us with writing the content for the pages of the site. They created the design concept and modified it to fit our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We really like our website and we are able to make changes on the website ourselves.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were responsive and persistent in contacting us to complete the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They helped us create a website that represents who we are.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The Story has been very responsive to us, both during the project and after the website went live.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an experienced architect and designer specializing in residential renovations, additions and new homes. My services include: working with you to create beautiful and economical designs, navigating municipal approvals, providing all required construction documents, selecting ideal contractors and completing construction review.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

Web Design and Search Engine Optimization.

What were your goals for this project?

I did a search of all of the web design firms in Kitchener. The Story provided the clearest story and the easiest click through to book a meeting. It was so easy to book a meeting. That’s exactly what I wanted for my business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I did a search of all of the web design firms in Kitchener. The Story provided the clearest story and the easiest click through to book a meeting. It was so easy to book a meeting. That’s exactly what I wanted for my business.

Describe the project in detail.

The Story worked with me to understand exactly what I wanted to accomplish and what look I wanted for my website. They provided me with a listing of exactly what was needed from me. We met via phone and screen share on a weekly basis to review what had been accomplished.

This helped make sure I was delivering the images and the content to The Story that was needed for the website. It was a low stress experience. The Story told me what they would do, and they did it. I had a great experience with The Story.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with The Story.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having a website with my portfolio is a new experience. It means that I can provide my portfolio with my business card. It’s a new experience and I like it. It’s been great to get leads from the website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Story met with us on a regular (usually weekly) basis to make sure everything is on track for completion. Communication is excellent with summaries of our meetings to make sure we remembered everything we talked about and agreed to do.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I would describe The Story as very competent, professional, and informed about the market. Communication was straightforward. The design was excellent, and communication was effective.

As a design professional, I was particularly impressed at how effective Trevor was at redirecting me. In professional services, sometimes you have to tell your client that their idea is not a good idea. Trevor did that in a respectful and professional way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I’m very pleased with the work The Story did for me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Dynamic Health Collaborative is an integrative healthcare clinic in Toronto caring for clients struggling with physical and mental health symptoms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

I hired The Story Web Design & Marketing to design and develop a website for us.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed a website designed that looks professional and showcases our practitioners in an easy to view way.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was referred to The Story by a marketing firm.

Describe the project in detail.

The project began with a kickoff meeting where I understood what I would need to provide The Story with. Once I provided the home page copy, The Story provided me with two different design concepts. I chose one and made modification requests. After a few rounds of feedback, we got it just right. All of the other pages were designed and developed. We had a lot of changes we requested, and The Story was accommodating in helping us get the changes for the website we wanted. Throughout the process there were lots of questions we had and lots of feedback The Story provided. I found them very knowledgeable and trustworthy.

What was the team composition?

Excellent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design I got for my clinic is excellent. It’s high quality work and I’m very satisfied.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The weekly project meetings really helped us to stay on track throughout the process. They provided excellent follow-through on commitments. They were conscientious about providing their best work and ensuring we were doing things to make the website more effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Both the excellent design work and the weekly meetings that kept the project moving were very valuable to me.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We will continue to work with The Story as we do further work on our website.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Crosstown Car Wash is a family car wash business with three locations in Toronto:

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story Web Design & Marketing?

We hired The Story to design a very professional website for our car wash.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a website that wasn’t boring and conservative. We wanted a website that had some pizzazz and represented our brand to the global community.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found The Story online. We liked their work and their professionalism following up with us during the sales process.

Describe the project in detail.

The Story worked with us to detail the plan of what needed to be accomplished and laid out the various tasks to be completed. We held weekly meetings to keep the project moving forward. We had the design concepts created for the website. They created multiple concepts that were excellent. We chose the design concept that we wanted. Through the design phase there were multiple changes that were made to align with the look that we wanted. In development, there was considerable effort to make sure that we got just the right look for both desktop and mobile.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Trevor directly and is the owner of the company. He let us know that he has a few designer and developers on his team. Our team collaborated with a photographer during the engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received a great looking website that reflects our brand and who we are. It represents the Crosstown brand and the message we want to send to the global community. The website design and colours and aligns with our logo and signage at our car wash locations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We maintained consistent communication between us and we were always kept up to date on what was happening.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had an overall very positive experience with The Story. We love how the website aligns with our brand. When our new location goes live, we look forward to engaging The Story again.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We worked through a few design iterations before we found the one that aligned with our brand, but this was expected and we maintained open communication with the Story through every step.