1Brand Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & CEO of Soul Search

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Soul Search is a Chicago-based Matchmaking & Coaching firm that helps clients bring joy back into their dating journey and find love with their ideal partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 1Brand Design to accomplish?

• Website Design
• Website Development
• SEO

SOLUTION

How did you find 1Brand Design?

Online Search

Why did you select 1Brand Design over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from 1Brand Design were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Website Design/Development, Local SEO Research/Planning/Consulting, Maintenance/Support

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

An amazing website was created, developed, and went live online.

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

Great project management.  They completed my website on time.  They responded promptly to my needs.

What was your primary form of communication with 1Brand Design?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I had a great experience working with 1Brand Design and Mike Kotler!  Mike is incredibly talented.  My industry is one I didn't see in their portfolio, but I took a leap of faith and they exceeded my expectations.  I chose 1Brand Design (after a crash-and-burn experience with another company then vetting 9 others to find the right replacement) because I was looking for a company who is genuine; is easy & enjoyable to work with; truly cares about meeting clients' needs, has a great stylistic eye for creating a cool, modern, & professional website; is familiar with Chicago & able to build local SEO guidance into the planning phase; is reasonably priced; and offers longer-term website support after the website has been completed.  Thanks Mike for taking work off my plate, handling the majority of the creative website design/development work, and making it a much easier, more seamless, & higher-quality process than I expected.  And, thanks for bringing all my business ideas to life, creatively on my Soul Search website.  I absolutely love it!  It was a pleasant experience working with you, from start to finish:)

Are there any areas for improvement or something 1Brand Design could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a consulting firm. We provide actuarial services for the property & casualty insurance market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 1Brand Design, and what were your goals?

Update of our existing website. Our goal was a very modern site that would function on any platform.

SOLUTION

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

1Brand was recommended to us by a former client.

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

Initial Meeting. Scope of project. Agreement. Schedule the work. Work thru iterations. Launch the new site.

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

Our primary contact was with the owner and project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The difference in their new website versus our old one is substantial. We went from an embarrassing site to one we're proud to market to potential and existing customers.

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

We used Google Meet and periodic phone calls. I used the tools of my choice to give them my initial thoughts on a new site layout and content (MS Word and Excel). They had no problems with this approach which we appreciated very much.

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

They have excellent patience. I provided original content that wasn't correct and no issues, updates were quick and straightforward. They understood very well my vision from both content and visual display of the site. Very impressive.

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

There were no issues at any phase of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner at Aurick Partners, and we’re located in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 1Brand Design?

We engaged 1BrandDesign to develop a website for a new entity we just launched.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an initial discovery phase where we explained to them what we wanted. After that, the team designed and developed our website and logo. The platform showcased who we are, what we do, the bios of our team, and our investment criteria.

What is the team composition?

I only interacted with Mike (Owner).

How did you come to work with 1Brand Design?

They had done a similar website before for one of our other entities, so they were already familiar with the work we wanted them to do.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $7,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated in January–February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We worked closely on various aspects of the website, and we were very satisfied with their work. We’d likely ask them to implement updates from time to time.

How did 1Brand Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very clear about the timelines, and they delivered on time. They were also responsive. We didn’t use any project management tools, and we mostly communicated over email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood what we required from them, which enabled them to deliver according to our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve suggested different ideas since they had done a similar site before. Perhaps, they could’ve presented 1–2 variations of the site’s theme and design.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They were very good. My project was relatively small in nature, so I’m not sure what other capabilities they have.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the internal designer for marketing, website and graphic design needs for FairPlay Corporation, a scoreboard and digital display manufacturing company for over 85 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 1Brand Design?

Update our website to be modern, easier to navigate and select scoreboard products for customers.

What were your goals for this project?

Create product pages where the viewer can customize and submit their scoreboards requests, view all options available by sport.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Researched best web design companies in Chicago, their case studies were helpful and after meeting with other companies they seemed to be the best fit for us.

Describe the project in detail.

We worked closely with the team during the design process to create a couple versions before settling on our current design -- once we got the look and feel down, 1Brand Design created the framework for each page until completed. We met a few times in person as well as several phone conferences, screen share meetings.

What was the team composition?

Mainly worked with Mike as project manager / lead designer and Jay on all the website coding / back end development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our on-line image has only improved – thank you 1Brand Design for creating a site we’re proud of and have received a lot of positive feedback! We like how we're able to track our leads and incoming messages for sales/support.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Mike and Jay were great at communication, set timelines and very patient with our setbacks and delays. Overall Mike and Jay were a joy to work with during and after the process of creating our contemporary new website!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We appreciated their patience, skillfulness and quick response to all our needs and questions. Compared to other companies we’ve experienced, 1Brand really went above and beyond our expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an IT MSP. We provide IT and telecom services including hosted phone systems, data center management, cloud migration/management, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 1Brand Design?

Our website needed a complete redesign including a new logo design.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for a new modern site that would allow prospects to have an idea of the services provided along with contact forms for lead generation. Also, it was important that the site was mobile-friendly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked with 1Brand in the past. Some of my customers used 1Brand for their website design and have always heard very good things from my customers.

Describe the project in detail.

1Brand designed a new logo and emblem. From there 1Brand designed and published a completely new site. The site exceeded my expectations. It is slick and mobile-friendly. 1Brand also provided site hosting along with easy to use access so that I can make content changes myself.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with the designer. We had a kick off call. I provided my current site and some example sites. From there I was provided with several logo options. We decided on a couple of changes and settled not eh final design. Then 1Brand provided a sample front page. Once I signed off on the front page design, 1Brand filled in the rest of the site including contact forms other content. Once the final site was approved, it was published and we went live with the site about two weeks after the project started. The was a great experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I immediately was able to co-brand my training products and market them to existing customers and new prospects with success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I was able to work with the 1Brand team quickly and very effectively.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to capture exactly what I was looking for after a single call and a couple of emails. The product provided was excellent. 1Brand performed quickly and provided value.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. I can't think of anything I would change.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of a legal recruiting company that places attorneys in law firms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 1Brand Design?

We wanted to overhaul our outdated website design and have someone manage our site going forward.

What were your goals for this project?

It was important to us to have a sleek, updated website that would balance the look of professionalism with ease of navigation and understanding the services we provide.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Mike and his team came highly recommended by a friend and after seeing a couple samples of his work we were confident he could deliver what we were looking for.

Describe the project in detail.

We gave 1 Brand an idea of what we were looking for - the general layout, the number of pages, and the aesthetic we were looking for. They took our direction very well, incorporated our company colors and themes and put together a product for which we've received tons of compliments from clients.

What was the team composition?

My business partner and I had a consulting call with Mike about what was important to us at the outset. From that point on, Mike was very communicative about the projected timeline and touched base whenever he had questions to run by me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are a number of boutique recruiting firms in our in industry who have very outdated or minimal websites. Ever since the redesign, we've confidently featured links to the pages Mike and his team created and have received great feedback from clients and candidates about the site's appearance and how that made them comfortable and confident that they were working with a top notch recruiting team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was a very painless process. Every time we had a suggestion during the redesign (and in the time since), Mike has been very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They did a great job of guiding us toward a format and layout that made the most sense for our business. Knowing nothing about website design or coding myself, I'm sure Mike could have given us limitless options that I would have had a hard time choosing between. They did a great job of listening and guiding us toward the best options.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nope.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Green Business Systems, which is an ERP implementation company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 1Brand Design?

I needed a website redesign as I started investing in PPC for lead generation to my business. My initial site was one I put together myself, and it wasn’t super professional. I needed something with strong designs and attractive landing pages to appeal to leads coming in through my PPC efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I described the problem to Mike (Owner & Creative Director, 1Brand Design) and requested that he come up with a few wireframes for the new site. Once he sent over two wireframe options, I selected the one that would best reflect my business. Then, he took the current content on my site and built the site from his wireframe and my content.

In that effort, he also devised a new logo and rebranded the company’s social media accounts as well. My old logo was functioning somewhat as a placeholder, so he took it to the next level.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Mike, but there was someone else working on the logo.

How did you come to work with 1Brand Design?

After searching for Chicago web designers on Google, I found them on Clutch. They had reviews that confirmed the quality of their work on the site.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from October–November 2019. The engagement lasted six weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched the new site, and it’s night and day in terms of visual growth. The design is more professional and will be able to compete with big players in my industry. I’m confident that my PPC work will be money well spent, now that I have a professional site built into the equation. Because it’s early days, I don’t have many success stories yet, but I definitely will in a few months.    

How did 1Brand Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t require much back-and-forth, but Mike was very responsive. I spoke with him about once every week throughout the six-week engagement. Whenever a design decision was needed, he touched base with me. I was very happy with the level of communication. They hit all major milestones on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I love the new logo, and the overall site design is pixel perfect. It looks much better than it did before. The design work was very sharp. I didn’t need to ask for additional wireframes or logo designs because they provided high-quality options right off the bat. I could’ve worked with any of the options happily. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was happy all around.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to Mike in his design presentations. You can count on him for expertise and input in this industry. Let them guide the process, and they’ll take care of the rest.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and a lead designer at Adaptive Design Services, a collective of top level freelance designers working primarily in the events/experiences industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 1Brand Design?

We hired 1Brand to design and build our company website - along with doing some search engine optimization.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a beautiful, professional website that would effectively showcase our work and help us attract new business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected 1Brand based on Clutch reviews and from viewing the 1Brand website and being impressed with their work.

Describe the project in detail.

I had an initial consultation with the 1Brand owner and lead designer. We discussed design ideas and agreed upon a budget. I received a proposal and a bill for 1/2 the agreed upon sum. My team and I took some time to get our materials and ideas in order. Once we got everything to the designer, the process moved quickly. They delivered a first pass and we are now in the process of putting together our notes for changes. The owner, Mike Kotler has been extremely kind and professional throughout.

What was the team composition?

We have spoken only with Mike Kotler. He has been very responsive and attentive throughout the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very impressed by 1Brands sense of design. We think the site looks great. Haven't put it to the test with clients or perspective clients yet though.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective. If there was anything inefficient in this process, it was on our side, the client side - it took us longer to get our materials together than expected - but Mike and 1Brand were extremely patient with us throughout.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Professionalism. Quality of finished product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that we know of yet.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a non-profit radio station and I am the Digital Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 1Brand Design?

We hired them to develop the lovepghmusic.com website.

What were your goals for this project?

One of the central needs for this site was an Events calendar that allowed local musicians to list their gigs. In addition we needed Fans, Musicians, and Venues to submit information and to request promotional materials.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They came as a recommendation by another station that had a good experience with them. We were working with a tight budget and also tight timelines, and 1Brand was able to make it work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Site design was created by another company, and 1Brand developed the WordPress site to match the design and features described. This included customization of the Events submission and calendar display, and multiple forms.

What was the team composition?

This project was a collaboration made up of mostly volunteers supporting the local music industry in Pittsburgh. The council has 10-12 members on it. Our radio station was also involved with 4-5 employees working on various aspects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The ability to launch this site on time and on budget, and to the specifications of the design meant that we were able to create a real presence for the Love PGH Music Month.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication was fast and clear, and the team handled cross-functional collaboration easily.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had a great can-do attitude and were able to help us launch on time in spite of our tight timeline and budget. They were a joy to collaborate with!

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything I would have had them change.