Studio Simpatico

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am part of a personal injury law firm with five attorneys.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We needed a new website developed so that we could get more clients through online sources.

SOLUTION

What is the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico built a WordPress website tailored to our areas of practice and optimized for SEO and Google Analytics so that it would show up as high as possible in search results. They provided us with content ideas, images, and site map logistics.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three of their team members.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I knew Tamara (Principal and Co-Founder, Studio Simpatico) through a friend. We ultimately chose to go with them because their proposal was really impressive.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April – June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re now showing up in organic search results on Google. We’ve received lots of compliments on the website from clients and friends. We're happy with the way the site looks.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

I'd give them the highest marks that I could. I think they did everything well. They’re extremely responsive and easy to get in touch with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a small team, but they produce the sort of high-caliber products you'd expect from a larger firm.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Throughline Group LLC, a media and presentation training company. We offer open enrollment and custom workshops.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We’d been in business for 15 years and wanted to do a complete rebrand of our company. That included changing the name, logo, and website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our first task was renaming the company, so Studio Simpatico took time to understand what we did and the services we offered. They reviewed our business plan to get an idea for how we wanted to be differentiated in the marketplace. From there, we then did a few rounds of naming and branding, which led to the name we have now.

After that, we moved on to our graphic identity, which included letterhead, brochures, logo, and brand mark. They covered the full graphic identity suite and incorporated all those images and features into the new WordPress website, which they designed and developed. The site is also an e-store and payment gateway with integrations with HubSpot, PayPal Pro, and WooCommerce.

What is the team composition?

I have two main points of contact but work with a team of five.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I did an exhaustive online search, reviewing almost 100 firms. I contacted about six of them, and Studio Simpatico was the smallest. From my first interaction with them, I knew they’d be a good fit, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in August 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were the most important external partner that determined our success. We don’t have any quantitative results yet, but the site looks great, and they’ve set us up to have excellent marketing results. It’s just a matter of time before we begin seeing the quantifiable evidence of their work.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

They have the best project management of any team I’ve ever worked with. We communicate via Basecamp, email, phone, text, and in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They treat my company as if it’s their own and pay meticulous attention to detail. They make things incredibly easy, finishing tasks on my own to-do list before I can even get to them. Whenever I ask for design changes, they’re eager to please and don’t make me feel bad for asking them to do more work. I can’t praise their work highly enough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t see any ways in which they could improve; they exceed all of my expectations. I've highly enjoyed working with them, and I’d work with them again in a heartbeat.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re incredibly organized and will meet your goals, so make sure you’re also accountable for your part of the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a contractor for RoadWarrior LLC. We’re an app development company that targets salespeople, couriers, and other professionals that work in multiple locations throughout the day. For this project, I served as the company’s marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

Our team hadn’t prioritized marketing or our website. The latter’s design was incoherent and clunky, and didn’t match the quality of our mobile app’s UX. We wanted the website to reflect the app’s style and flow. These upgrades were necessary because we were adding more business-oriented product lineups with web-only features. Ultimately, we wanted to present a new face—from a branding perspective—and improve our core system and software products’ appeal to potential business clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico overhauled our website on WordPress. They focused on design, user flows, branding, and copywriting. We envisioned a brochure-like display that would inform users without overwhelming them. Convergence was a primary goal; both sides aimed to balance information between the app and the website. Studio Simpatico conducted competitor research to curate this information in a manner that de-prioritized the technical writing that readers largely ignore. The team used InVision to do prototypes and process reviews and feedback. The redesigned site went live in fall 2018 and we recently finished post-launch tweaks.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Tamara (Founder/Principal, Studio Simpatico) and Sinan (Creative Director, Studio Simpatico). Sinan focused on visual design and Tamara worked on overall strategy. Our team also interacted with two other resources including Evan (Frontend Developer, Studio Simpatico).

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

One of my colleagues received a recommendation for Tamara’s UX expertise. Her knowledge base matched our goals to improve the site’s user flow, onboarding, and registration. Tamara knew our brand and understood our position in a very narrow industry. What’s more, her team had great ideas and fit well with our company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May–October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Studio Simpatico was flexible and accommodating during our launch. Our team wanted to release the site, but we hadn’t built out the content our corporate side planned. However, we managed to push out the most important pages that acquainted customers with our products. Studio Simpatico’s guidance on WordPress’ backend has enabled us to add pages and content post-launch.

Since we moved our products out of the app stores, we will use conversion-based metrics to measure sales performance. Although we don’t have formal metrics currently in place, user feedback has been overwhelmingly positive; our users value efficiency and minimizing time on the road. The improved site positions our team as a mature company, as opposed to a fleeting mobile app developer. We've gained new credibility as we attract more customers.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

Studio Simpatico kept the project dynamic, even when our side lagged on scheduling. They always had the next item ready and gave us time to provide input before proceeding to next steps. We communicated via Basecamp and video conferences. We also had a few long calls with Tamara and Sinan to discuss their visions for the web design. The time zone difference limited our ability to get face time, but those conversations helped us refine our ideas and perspective. The team expertly guided us through that process; we often arrived at the same decisions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was knowledgeable, professional, and personable. Their expertise made us feel informed, which contributed to our positive experience. They were easy to talk to and explained concepts in accessible terms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Our side could have been more upfront, which would have lessened the ongoing work. But Studio Simpatico accommodated our approach.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get to know the team. If a potential client doesn’t like them, I don’t know who they’d like. Studio Simpatico’s work is as likable as they are. You can’t go wrong with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Lapis Brand Design. We’re a small brand consultancy based in New York City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

I’ve been working with Tamara (Founder and Principal, Studio Simpatico) since 2015 on different client projects. They consult on branding and help position startups and other companies—they’re my go-to for anything to do with web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The latest project we finished together was a website for a chemical corporation that needed a WordPress site to manage all of their products, with a searchable database and interface for their customers to navigate their product offerings.

It required a complicated UX, and an understanding of the requirements, even though they focused mainly on the development. I’ve only used their development services, not other parts of their business, like art direction, design, and so on.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Tamara and two other members. Tamara was my main point of contact, while the other two had supporting roles.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I started working with Tamara before she founded Studio Simpatico, when she was working independently. We met through my ex-colleague and we worked on an e-commerce project together. She showed initiative and responsibility in how she remained accountable and personable.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of this project was $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted from August–October 2018. They’ve done a really good job, and it’s just a pleasure working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re professional in a way that makes for a very easy relationship. They understand what they need to do, and they get it done. If it doesn’t happen, we’ll figure out how to make it work, and enter a problem-solving mode, as opposed to an excuse-making one.

With a previous project from last year, the client had a lot of changing requests. At the end of the day, it was still a pleasant experience, trying to solve all of that together, and them taking the initiative on my behalf.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re self-sufficient in terms of project management, so I didn’t need to hire an additional person for that. The hours I spent managing the project are low compared to other vendors I’ve worked with. Simpatico took the management burden away from me, until the QA phase. Once we gave them the requirements, they understood what they had to do.

They were very responsive; they’re absolutely great when it comes to communication, much quicker than other partners. We used Basecamp throughout.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The human side of things is impressive; I really enjoyed working with them because they’re very quirky. They’re on top of things and are experts, but most importantly, there’s no corporate flavor to working with them. Walking into the office and getting a smile is a good thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We only use Basecamp for project tracking. If a bigger the agency hired them, they might need more transparency on the hours spent or burn reports. They don’t provide that to me, because we have an understanding from one small agency to the other.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re practiced problem solvers so, when something doesn’t work, they find out ways to do it and offer helpful solutions. It’s very proactive, which gives me peace of mind. That’s a rare quality, which is something I want to see from most of my vendors.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO at effectual, a cloud consulting startup. We engage with enterprises to improve cloud infrastructure efficiency and optimize spend and productivity. We officially launch at the end of November 2018.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We needed a well-designed WordPress site and deployment to go live quickly. While the site is small at only six pages, it was the official launch of our company and our brand. Though we’re a startup, our founders have worked together for almost two decades at another company. The site was the first time we’d be in the marketplace with a new name, new logo, and new identity. We needed a polished, sophisticated site that would visually represent our brand and speak to the level of client we engage with. It had to be aligned with our vision for the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico designed, developed, and deployed our WordPress site. We debriefed them on what we needed and they managed two rounds of design. In less than two months, the site was live. Our official launch will take place at the end of November.

What is the team composition?

We met with three individuals for in-person meetings. Five people worked on our project behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I started searching for WordPress developers and reached out to six or seven different agencies as well as freelancers, which I thought might be a more cost-effective route for us as a startup. In my initial conversations, everyone talked about themselves—except Studio Simpatico. They asked questions to understand what we wanted to achieve and represent with the site; we talked about our target market and our end goal for the site. They aligned with our own approach of understanding the problem that our clients need to solve. This instantly made me feel comfortable moving forward with them. I think they were competitively priced as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just under $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August of this year and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most important thing for us was to align our team around a vision of the company and represent our brand visually. When the site launched, the best piece of feedback I heard was from a team member who said that the look and feel of the site made him proud to be associated with our brand. We’ve had positive feedback from our CEO and outside investors as well.

The site will be a great recruitment tool. The website, and our brand as it’s represented on the site, will demonstrate to potential hires that joining us is a real opportunity for them.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

They used Basecamp to track changes and requests. They were incredibly responsive: often a request would be fulfilled by the next day. The schedule they set was effective and they were prompt about meeting deadlines. If something was going to be delayed, they would talk to us about how to address it, how to prioritize, and the trade-offs with keeping or missing the deadline.

Overall, project management was phenomenal. Studio Simpatico's approach was by far the best web development agency experience I’ve had in almost twenty years of working with agencies and freelancers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In these types of engagement, there are multiple rounds of design and debrief followed by review of what they’ve translated into the design. I wasn’t happy with their first round of design and was prepared to have a difficult phone call to address it. Instead, they were open and receptive to the feedback. They weren’t defensive; they wanted to understand what we really needed. That call turned into an amazing conversation about art and they ultimately translated the feedback into a second round design that was spot on. It was the most pleasant phone call I’ve had in the many site deployments I’ve done. I anticipated defensiveness and instead it was constructive and collaborative—and they got us to exactly where we needed to be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I always like to provide feedback that organizations can use to improve. In this particular case, though, I’m at a loss in terms of areas of improvement. They were responsive, they were incredibly fast, and they met our needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest. Tell them what you're looking for because, if they're not achieving it, they’ll be receptive to your feedback. Treat them as an extension of your team rather than a vendor and it will be a successful relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Sweet Origins, a boutique tropical importing company based in New York City. We import frozen ingredients for wholesaling to food and beverage manufacturers and foodservice accounts in the USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We were lacking a cohesive branding strategy and execution, and needed a visual identity that reflected our company values and personality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The studio’s key deliverable was a logo. The process that we arranged was highly collaborative and iterative. They also designed our business card and provided some conceptual work on what our future website redesign could look like.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Sinan (Creative Director, Studio Simpatico). We were partners in strategizing. He used his creative talents to develop concepts and approaches. Based on feedback, we moved forward together with the evolution of the preferred concept.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I found them online. They had previously produced graphics for a company that I absolutely adore, creating its brand identity and packaging.

How much have you invested with them?

Less than $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2018 until April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We created something that I couldn’t have imagined in my head. Our logo took on new energy and evolved as part of the process. I cannot overstate how unique and authentic the final product is. The logo has received many compliments and elevated our brand to the level we feel it deserves.

We are also very pleased with the business cards—an incredibly important sales tool. In many cases, that is the first interaction a new client might have with our brand.

​​​​​​How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

There was very open dialogue. It was a matter of being honest and transparent with one another. If I needed extra time to consolidate feedback, Sinan would do what he could to make up for lost time and deliver on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I enjoyed the process and was impressed with how our collaboration net us an even better result than we had hoped. It was a pleasure to work with Sinan. I would highly recommend Studio Simpatico to any company looking to evolve and elevate its brand identity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything was A+.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the program director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNo WriMo), a 501c3 nonprofit. We work with 300,000 people internationally to develop writing efficacy and build writing communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

Our platform operates like a fitness app. It tracks words written, generates statistics, and fosters creative habits. However, we needed help to redesign the website and web platform. Specifically, we wanted to move away from our event model and make the platform’s tools available at all times.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a product requirements document (PRD) and product goals. They helped draft both, particularly to clarify and solidify the PRD. They built the application’s wireframes and the used them to create visual designs for various features. Our internal team coded the backend of the site. The redesign hasn’t launched yet.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the creative director, visual designer, the founder, who served as project manager. They also assigned someone to do copy work.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

We did an extensive search for possible design partners. We wanted someone experienced in UX and product design. We interviewed several different studios; Simpatico came to us via referral. They were responsive, considerate, and thoughtful. Their impressive portfolio contained marketing and web app development. Costs were also good.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in October 2017 and ended in March 2018. We’re now working on a marketing site with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They kept our goals in mind and pushed us to clarify our vision for certain features. The team then measured deliveries against our user feedback. As a result, we were very happy with the design; it was beautiful and functional.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

We interacted on regular basis. They were always available via Slack. The team was flexible and met every deadline, but also communicative when a timeline was unrealistic. The project was easily the best experience we’ve had.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They passionate, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient with our internal processes; we had a lot at stake with this project. They had great attitudes and never rushed us. I can’t say enough positive things about them; they were really fun to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of a company called Sempre Health, a five-person health and tech company in San Francisco. We service dynamic pricing for medications to help patients afford medication co-pays.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We wanted to find a contractor that could create a high-quality marketing home page. We had the in-house capabilities to build it but needed our resources to focus on the product development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico built a WordPress site from scratch with brand new templates. Using initial ideas, they took our feedback to clarify our message and created a fully-polished design with refined themes—all fleshed out. They also created a custom graphic from scratch which is used as our logo.

Then, they hosted the site on their WordPress Engine and migrated it to our WordPress Engine. They helped deploy the site and launch it.

What is the team composition?

We worked mainly with their founder.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

We received recommendations from a third-party start-up accelerator and some friends of ours.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $5,000 in the engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2018 through April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customers, peers, and friends all said that site looks fantastic and provided a lot of positive feedback. They did an excellent job of polishing the look and feel.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

Studio Simpatico was very responsive and always answered questions within a couple hours. We talked over an initial phone call but used Basecamp the rest of the way to track progress. They always delivered high-quality results and met all deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their speed and responsiveness while delivering high-quality work was one of the fastest we’ve seen in the industry. They had the first version of the site ready for us within a couple days.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it was a perfect engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be responsive and let them know about any problems through Basecamp. It will help you avoid any communication errors and make your runs engagement smooth.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a self-employed writer and comedian based in San Francisco. Essentially, I'm my own brand and product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

I hired Studio Simpatico to refine my brand and create an online marketing platform. I needed to expand my audience and visibility to sell more products and tickets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico developed and deployed a brand-new WordPress site from scratch. During the first face-to-face meeting, I spent a few hours explaining my design specs to Tamara (Marketing Manager, Studio Simpatico) and Sinan (Web Developer, Studio Simpatico). I provided examples of entire sites and specific features to emulate.

I booked a creative session with a professional photographer to create new content. Photos are the most important visual component. The team designed a look and feel that showcases these new high-quality images. They made sure to include important SEO keywords. An event listing displays my upcoming performance schedule and archives past tours. It's a unique feature that’s easy to update unaided.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Ty. He spearheaded the site’s entire design and development. The most intense phase involved carefully calibrating the look and feel. An additional development resource supported the build, content creation, and launch stages.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I knew about Studio Simpatico through Kymber. She’s my former colleague. The only other agency I contacted never responded to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $5,000-$10,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in July 2017 and launched the site by October.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Studio Simpatico built a user-friendly contact form that has generated valuable sales leads. I've gotten a lot of great feedback on both the aesthetic and functionality. Most importantly, I've landed several new bookings through the site. The organized layout presents detailed information about my services. Smooth navigation makes it easy to locate and read topical content.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

Studio Simpatico flexibly accommodated all my requests. They successfully brought my concept to life. The team thoughtfully considered and implemented all my feedback. I never experienced issues related to communication or deadlines. They were easy to reach whenever questions arose.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Studio Simpatico made the entire process easy. We had a really great working relationship. They brought a sense of creativity to even the most technical tasks. Whenever I felt unsure about how a feature should look or work, they offered several options to choose from. We never experienced a delay. Even after the launch, they reliably fixed minor problems.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure to convey your specific type of content. I conceptualized the flow for each section of the website. I even dictated how specific elements should be placed. Having clearly defined specs helped kick-start the process and preempted miscommunication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the digital director at Galvanized Media, a publisher based in New York. Our founder is is New York Times best-selling author David Zinczenko, and we run several health and lifestyle brands and book series. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We had an existing website that was developed about four years ago. After our company went through rebranding, we needed a new corporate website that would follow the new design standards. We were looking for a company to help us achieve that goal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a WordPress website for us, and we host it on WP Engine. We wanted to leverage some UI elements that would reflect positively on our brand sophistication, so we implemented CSS animations, parallax and other effects to the background images. Those features were meant to awe our audience, demonstrating our willingness to make an extra effort to produce a certain level of quality for our readers. It's a corporate website, so the navigation is very simple and the messaging is fairly straightforward. 

What is the team composition? 

We mostly worked with Tamara (Olson, Founder and Principal, Studio Simpatico), who did about 90% of the work. 

How did you come to work with them?

They were a referral. We looked at a couple of other companies, but we were confident that Studio Simpatico would make our project a success, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We worked with them in January–February 2018, completing the entire project in about 45 days.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were a pleasure to work with and made our job easy. Once I delivered the requirements, they took them and got down to work, making sure the project ran smoothly. There was a time when we had to go back and forth, but it was due to the stakeholder feedback and not the technical quality. Our corporate stakeholders are highly satisfied with the website and impressed with the quick execution.

Tamara was very personable and smart. The psychology aspect of our brand is miles ahead of many other companies in our field. I'm very happy with the choice we made and I'd work with them on future projects.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

We managed tasks and open questions through Basecamp and they were very responsive to emails. They were productive and exceptional communicators, able to find a solution to every problem.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It's usually difficult to deal with the needs that come up later in the project, but Studio Simpatico did an outstanding job accommodating our requirements and the feedback from our stakeholders. They had a positive attitude the entire time, living up to their name. They made sure we felt we were being heard and understood.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They understand their clients' needs and do high-quality work. In addition, their turnaround time is quick and the prices are fair.