Wolf&Whale

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Creative Director of STV

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

STV is a professional services firm offering adivsory, design & engineering, planning and program management/construction management services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Wolf&Whale to accomplish?

• To create and engaging brand anthem highlighting our new branding and corporate messaging.

SOLUTION

How did you find Wolf&Whale?

Online Search

Why did you select Wolf&Whale over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Wolf&Whale were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

STV launched a new brand in 2023 and wanted to push our brand forward through an engaging 'commercial' that we could use as an introduction to the company for emerging talent and potential business. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Social media views.

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

Wolf&Whale has been incredibly meticulous with their project management. Every deliverable has been on time or ahead of schedule and well communicated. They have been available any time we needed them and welcoming to all input from our team.

What was your primary form of communication with Wolf&Whale?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their collaborative nature and work output were the most impressive. They genuinely welcome input from our team, and we've gotten an amazing product because of that.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Wolf&Whale could have done differently?

No. We've already gone back for more work and look to continue to the working relationship in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Operations of Down Dog App

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We make apps for fitness including Yoga, HIIT, Meditation, Barre and Prenatal Yoga.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Wolf&Whale to accomplish?

• In app design for a new feature.

SOLUTION

How did you find Wolf&Whale?

Online Search

Why did you select Wolf&Whale over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Wolf&Whale were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Wolf&Whale helped us design the UX for our upcoming feature launch (excluded poses). They provided multiple iterations of the design including adding a setting in our settings drawer, as well as the ability to use this feature during a practice.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched this feature but it has been highly requested by users & is unique to our company so we expect it to be a huge success that increases frequency of use and customer satisfaction with our product.

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

Wolf&Whale was great to work with. Super on top of it. We never had to follow up to get the promised deliverables. It was always clear that the work provided had been really well thought through & they ingested our feedback really well. We were able to move very quickly and seamlessly with them - I can't recommend them enough.

What was your primary form of communication with Wolf&Whale?

Virtual Meeting

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

We're a great culture fit. Todd has been great at bringing his expertise to our company.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Wolf&Whale could have done differently?

nope

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director and head of project management at a UI/UX design company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wolf&Whale? 
We needed support with our end clients’ UI/UX design projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wolf&Whale has helped us with various projects for our end clients and created website wireframes according to each site’s specific goals. When we start a project, we have a kick-off meeting and then work on the project’s scope together. We have a collaborative process using Figma, and Wolf&Whale supports us with art direction, UI/UX design pieces, and strategic consulting. The team also supports us with motion graphics work in managing the scripts and providing consulting services.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 4–5 teammates from Wolf&Whale, including Todd (Founder & Design Director), a copywriter, an art director, and a software developer.

How did you come to work with Wolf&Whale?

Wolf&Whale reached us through an online search. We looked at their website and liked their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $12,000–$25,000 on each project with Wolf&Whale.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Wolf&Whale in 2017, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On all our sites designed by Wolf&Whale, we’ve seen an increase in conversions and general improvement in user engagement metrics. We’ve also won awards for successful projects we’ve worked with Wolf&Whale — they deliver extremely high-quality work.

How did Wolf&Whale perform from a project management standpoint?

Wolf&Whale always meets deadlines and holds a good eye on each project’s budget. We communicate via email and Google Meet.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I’d like to give a shout-out to Todd’s work. He is very knowledgeable and great to work with. He is good at overseeing projects and guiding the team through the process. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked on big projects, and I’m impressed with Wolf&Whale’s ability to stay on top of tasks and their attention to detail.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that stands out from Wolf&Whale regarding improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend being transparent throughout your working process with Wolf&Whale to get the most out of your engagement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an executive at a Tech company that provides products and services to the immigrant community to enable them to be successful.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

We needed to unified our product experience across our native apps and website. We have a growing number of services that we offer that required a holistic design to engage the consumers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We are a small company and wanted external group to help us reimagine our product UX and UI strategy. We interviewed a few potential consultants before deciding on Wolf&Whale.

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

Their team meet with each of our product managers 1 on 1 to get their insights and goals for what we needed. We also supplied Wolf&Whale with our brand strategy blueprint that details the persona of our customer. From this input they put together a reimagined holistic UX design that met our needs.

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

My team of Product Managers and designers worked with their lead manager and designer Todd.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project delivered on the goals initially set. They produce great concepts and UX directions we are working on implementing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They provided multiple points of progress with detailed video walk throughs. We supplied feedback on these and iterated on the concepts.

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

They showed understanding empathy for our end consumer and creating a UX that would best benefit their needs.

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

We enjoyed working with Wolf&Whale. Only thing is the potential for in person collaboration and white board sessions to refine the UX even more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Snack, a mobile app development company that makes short-form platforms. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wolf&Whale?

We wanted to develop a sports app.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wolf&Whale designed the UX/UI in Figma for a sports highlights app we were developing. However, they first developed our branding. I wanted something very sporty that didn't alienate any demographics. Wolf&Whale then created the branding package, which included app icons and colors. 

 Then, they completed a step-by-step, wireframe-to-mockup creation process. Their team led a discovery process and invested themselves in the overall conceptual plan. After the discovery, they delivered the low-fidelity wireframes. We then branched out and added the color scheme, fonts, and other branding materials. 

What is the team composition?

I've worked with Todd (Founder & Design Director), a designer, and another teammate.

How did you come to work with Wolf&Whale?

I scheduled interviews with the top five UX/UI designers on Clutch and found Wolf&Whale. Todd was the most well-suited for the job. I interviewed dozens of UX/UI design companies, but when I talked to Todd, he was thinking about long-term goals. He wasn't just thinking about the app's features, but its overarching messaging, branding, and flow and the changes they would undergo as technology advanced. We wanted a company that would think about the big picture, and that was Wolf&Whale. 

I also saw their portfolio and previous experience. Todd was a minimalist while still delivering high-level design. Everyone I showed Wolf&Whale's portfolio knew that they'd be perfect for our project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $200,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

This first project with Wolf&Whale began in December 2021, and although the project is done, we're still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I raised seed money to develop the app using the UX/UI Wolf&Whale designed — we were able to get an investment from a renowned celebrity. Our pitch desk highlighted Wolf&Whale's UX/UI design. Wolf&Whale really understood what we were trying to convey with our branding, and I was confident in their deliverables, which I've used during meetings with the NBA. 

I've since completed two more projects with Wolf&Whale. The other platforms we've launched with Wolf&Whale's designs have gained excellent traction and user growth. 

How did Wolf&Whale perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the reasons I keep working with Wolf&Whale is because they always meet deadlines. They're really helpful and accommodate our last-minute changes. We primarily communicate through Slack and email. Whenever they develop new versions of a design, they'll screen record the design on Loom and send it to me. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

When thinking of long-term branding and business solutions, it's often necessary to use two different specialists. However, Wolf&Whale is unique because they can blend the intricate UX/UI elements with the business solutions. I also appreciate how hands-on Todd is — I'm not getting passed on to a lower-level employee. Todd is on-call and super responsive to my emails whenever we're working on projects, even if I send them at 1 a.m. He's a pleasure to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Wolf&Whale has been great and their work is excellent; I can't think of anything for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd suggest that customers have a clear idea of their project. Wolf&Whale is helpful when it comes to maturing ideas, but they thrive when there is a clear vision. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as the director of technology at a volunteer organization in New York. Essentially, our company connects volunteers with the community organizations that need them. I handle everything from our IT infrastructure to web development and UI/UX design. I’m also responsible for our Salesforce CRM. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wolf&Whale?

We hired Wolf&Whale to help us as we were trying to renovate our website. Our team had a single UX lead, and she could only do so much, so we needed Wolf&Whale’s expertise in UI/UX design. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we consulted with Wolf&Whale and discussed how we were achieving our goals with a particular product. Much of our user research was already done by our UX lead. Then, they create high-level wireframes. From there, they built detailed mock-ups and a design system in separate trials using Figma.

We’ve already seen the wireframes and the mock-ups they’ve created, though they’re still working on the design system. The Wolf&Whale team has made suggestions around personalization, giving us dashboard choices. They’ve also helped us think about our end users, what their motivations are in using the website, and how to help them meet those motivations. 

Moreover, we’ve also been talking with Wolf&Whale about our brand color, which is red. It’s quite challenging to apply it to the website because the color red means “stop” in so many ways. However, their team has been using it to represent website actions, such as clicking buttons and links. So far, they continue to provide guidance on how to use that brand color. We’ve also talked about using dark mode on the website in a way that stays consistent with our brand. Our teams haven’t designed any mock-ups for dark mode, however. 

What is the team composition?

Todd (Founder & Design Director) is my main point of contact, though we’ve also had meetings with Tim (Advisor). There may have been another designer assigned to the project, but we mainly interface with Todd. 

How did you come to work with Wolf&Whale?

We found them through Google. I reached out to a number of firms to get an idea of what might make a partnership successful. We also wanted an organization that we could work with over the long haul. In the end, Wolf&Whale seemed to be a good fit for our company because of their familiarity with our product and their approach to the project.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2021, and our work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Wolf&Whale has stuck to our tight timeline, and we truly appreciate that. There has also been constant communication between our teams. 

How did Wolf&Whale perform from a project management standpoint?

Wolf&Whale’s project management has been great. The team has followed our schedule, and their resources communicate clearly when they need feedback. As a whole, the management has been good. 

To communicate, we use emails and comments over Figma. Our teams also have periodic discussions via Zoom, specifically when they provide walkthroughs of the deliverables. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Wolf&Whale takes a fresh look at things and doesn’t allow themselves to be hemmed too much by pre-existing ideas. At the same time, they can adjust such ideas based on business realities; certain things are great to imagine but aren’t realistic. Simply put, the best thing about working with them is their creativity and sensitivity to business reality. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the beginning of the project, we underestimated how long certain tasks would take, so the tasks took a little longer to finish. We would have benefited from more back and forth communication. However, this is a minor issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Since Wolf&Whale works quickly, set aside enough time to give the project adequate engagement from your side. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Senior Producer for a digital design agency. We design digital products and services for some of the largest brands in a variety of sectors. I manage the end to end process on multiple projects with multiple clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

Our company is a design agency and we hired Wolf & Whale as a third party design firm to come in and help us with a project. The project was to redesign an ecomm website for a large client. The client has seen high volume of sale from their showrooms, but lack sales from the web.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to make the site easier to navigate, clear from a brand perspective and drive the path to purchase.

SOLUTION

How did you select Wolf&Whale?

We found Wolf & What through an internal recruiter. We had seen and talked to a number of other designers/agencies and no one felt right. Immediately after talking with Todd from Wolf & Whale we knew he and his team were the right fit, and we were right!

Describe the project in detail.

The project was the restructure the user experience of a large main brand. Once that structure was established we would apply that structure to four sub brands. However, each brand required it's own look & feel. So, Wolf & Whale came in to help create a number of look & feel explorations. Once the directions were chosen Wolf & Whale was dedicated to a specific brand track and fully owned the entire redesign process.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Todd, the Creative Director who was also managing 1-2 junior resources internally for multiple tracks of work the branched off the main site redesign.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still in development and not yet live so there are no metrics yet. However, the client that we worked with was tough to manage and we couldn't have gotten through the work without Wolf & Whale.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

At the start of the project we set up daily calls to check in on the status of work. As things progressed and we started to understand each other a bit more those daily calls turned into bi weekly and then just weekly calls. This is due to the level of work and trust that was gained when working with Wolf & Whale. Communication was easy and quick via zoom or slack.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really appreciated their attention to detail and patience. We knew that Wolf & Whale was extremely talented in design, but this project required more patience than anything else. They have a great ability to take stressful moments and easily create stunning and detail-oriented designs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were moving really quickly on this project and despite that Wolf & Whale really delivered. Sometimes the client caught elements that we wished we had on our own, but that was really the nature of this beast of a project. Wolf & Whale did a really great job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Guardian life is one of the top dental insurance carrier in the US market. I'm the lead product manager on Guardian Direct, which is the highest growth sector at Guardian Life targeting at consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

Guardian is going through a redesign effort for its dental exchange site, in order to provide clear and detailed information before user purchase on healthcare.gov or state exchange. Wolf & Whale is hired to re-invent the user experience of exchange site.

What were your goals for this project?

To provide a modern and differentiated experience of purchasing insurance.

SOLUTION

How did you select Wolf&Whale?

We had partnered with Wolf & Whale in multiple projects previously, W&W is has been an amazing trusted partner for our design.

Describe the project in detail.

Wolf & Whale helped us to map out the site structure, designed an optimal user experience, conducted multiple user testing to pre-emptively collect voice of customer prior to development, and work with cross-functional teams to incorporate all internal feedbacks. The output was outstanding and spoke so highly of by everyone who was engaged in the project.

What was the team composition?

Lead from Wolf & Whale manage a team of designers and copywriters. Guardian lead product managers, designers, developers, insurance product experts, executive leadership were all involved in the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Site is still being developed, detailed traffic / conversion improvement metrics is yet to be seen. From design perspective, we have already received overwhelmingly positive ratings from user testing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It's just like part of internal team, Wolf & Whale understands our business, and was very responsive and flexible in design requests.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The willingness to go beyond what has been asked for, and provide additional support even after projects have been wrapped up. Further more, all work has been done remotely with COVID constrains, I'm very impressed with what the team can achieve without physically interacting with clients and users.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager for Capital Group. It’s a consultancy that offers several project management services, including IT consulting and telecommunications, for federal government agencies

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wolf&Whale?

We needed to redo our website and become more active on social media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As they got to know our company, culture, attributes, and styles we liked, they came up with design ideas they felt would best suit our business. We shared our goals and business objectives and collaborated with them on design elements for the website.

From there, they determined how they could best help us achieve those goals.
They built a website from scratch on Webflow. They also designed the CMS for the new website.

Now they help us with social media strategy and guide me through content development.  They equip me with the tools needed for success.

What is the team composition?

We work with Todd (Design Director) and Tim (Brand Strategy). 

How did you come to work with Wolf&Whale?

I found them on a website called Awwwards. I chose them over the other agencies I interviewed because of their experience with consultancies. They also had great work in their portfolio and were the most personable.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around August 2020 and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As the first brand agency we’ve worked with, they have definitely set the bar high. They’ve truly invested the time into getting to know us in order to understand the direction we wanted to go in with our brand. They present tangible deliverables whenever we need them. We enjoy working with them. They haven’t steered us wrong yet.

How did Wolf&Whale perform from a project management standpoint?

They are extremely communicative. Their progress reports include detailed information regarding what they need from us. In their presentations, they often use visuals, such as slide shows, to convey information.

They want to ensure that we’re satisfied every step of the way. We’re able to comment and give feedback on Figma, as well as the other tool they use for presentations. We communicate via weekly calls for our virtual meetings, and emails. It’s obvious they put time and effort into their presentations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Aside from their excellent technical capabilities and knowledge, their personalities shine through in everything they do. Working with them is always fun and collaborative. They take their job seriously, but still seem to enjoy what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go into it with an open mind. Trust them to be the experts. They’re innovative and may present ideas you haven’t yet considered.