Ameba Creative Studio

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Marketing Officer of the software testing services company, Abstracta. We're a world leader in software testing focused on harnessing automation to improve the performance and reduce the time to market of software applications.

With offices in Silicon Valley, Latin America, and the UK, we have expertise working not only with leading-edge proprietary and open source testing tools, but developing specialized tools for financial, retail healthcare and technology companies including BBVA Financial Group, CA Technologies, GeneXus, and Shutterfly.

As the CMO, I am highly focused on branding, awareness, and demand generation, focusing primarily on digital channels.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ameba Creative Studio?

Abstracta wanted to enhance its employer branding in order to find and attract the best talent and to better show off the cultural facets of our company to the world. We first hired them to help us create an overall concept, branding and materials for an upcoming talent fair where we were going to be exhibiting.

We've since continued to work with them to improve aspects of our website's hiring page, graphics for internal communications, company presentations, to create video content, etc. They even collaborated with the planning of company events such as the end of the year party and the opening of our brand new office.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to generate a strong brand that could convey what it means to work in Abstracta and what we stand for that makes us unique.

How did you select this vendor?

We asked other professionals in our area about design agencies and someone recommended Ameba. We learned about Ameba's experience as a company as they’ve forged their own path, offering their services abroad as we do.

We saw they’ve faced many of our own challenges and they listened and understood and resonated with our pain points and offered interesting solutions. We also felt their rates were within our budget.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

In the beginning, we tasked Ameba to help us with our career fair campaign, from the booth design, brochures, video, social media support, etc.

Since then, we have also commissioned Ameba to re-design our website’s careers page, build out a wordpress backend to publish new job postings, internal branding, powerpoint slides, brochures, etc. They also help us to create content for our social media channels, job postings, and more.

What was the team composition?

At Ameba, we work with an account manager who listens to our needs who then delegates to the team member on their side who they consider the best fit for the task, whether it is a developer or a graphic designer. This account manager coordinates directly with both our marketing and people care teams for our different project needs.

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

Ameba helped us to create many materials for our career fair booth that caught a lot of attention. The theme they came up with was related to "planting the seeds" in your career and how we can help you to do so with our sustainable work philosophy.

Among many things, one thing that stood out the most were the plantable brochures they helped us create. Our company definitely stood out at the career fair because we were able to show instead of just tell people about our values and opportunities.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Ameba’s team is very organized and professional. Since they are very open to adapting to our workflow and using our chosen communication and productivity tools, it has been very smooth.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ameba are impressive brand builders and listeners. They handle projects with great care and are committed to delivering quality results. They are extremely attentive and make you feel highly valued as a client, as if you were their only one.

My experience of planning events with them like our company End of the Year party, Women’s Day celebration, 2020 Company Kick-Off, and Grand Reopening of our office amidst the covid- 19 situation, have all been great examples on their end of going the extra mile.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nope! Not that we’ve seen so far.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Pain Free Dental Marketing, an advertising and marketing agency that works with dental practices.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ameba Creative Studio?

We needed someone to help us with the web development side of our campaigns, who could understand what we’re trying to accomplish for my clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we need a new website for a client, our team starts working with the client to complete a questionnaire for requirement gathering around the design, look and feel, and features they want. We take that and put together some goals for the particular client and assets we may have with logos or brand guides and we meet with Ameba Creative Studio. 

For the most part, the websites they create for us have certain parameters that we always want. They take the feedback from the questionnaire and the feedback we give them about the client and they usually produce a set of mockups. Typically, we use Figma. From there, we may tweak it and show it to the client. 

The team then starts developing the site in WordPress. If a client already has an existing website, the team can move over content to where it makes sense. If additional content is needed, our team will work with the client to get those. When we get it to a place we’re happy with, we share it with the client and get feedback. We do some testing along the way. If everything is good, we launch it.

What is the team composition?

There are 3-4 people. There’s a designer, a developer, a project/account manager, and Miguel (CEO/Co-Founder) for a typical project.

How did you come to work with Ameba Creative Studio?

I looked on Fiverr and Upwork. I met Miguel through a Slack community.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $75,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2018 and the work is ongoing.

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

They have been the best from a creative standpoint of the design, look, and feel as well as performance-wise and maintainability. When someone asks me for a reference for website-related work that we do, it’s typically one of their websites that I show. I’ve had other companies build websites for me but there’s no comparison.

How did Ameba Creative Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re super integrated with us. Multiple of their team members are a part of our Slack channel. They’re just like an additional team member. We use Asana and we have project boards that they share. 

We started with a daily standup and screen share and now it’s more of a monthly/on-demand kind of thing. They’re only a couple hour difference from us. We communicate in English only. If I want to jump on a call or Google Hangouts, they’re available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They build things as if they were their own. They take the time to make sure it’s done right. They will take extra time to make sure a feature is configurable or they may push back and let us know if something we asked for didn’t make sense and give us another suggestion. They don’t just take orders and just do whatever I ask for. They care about our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m happy with them. I wish they lived closer and I’d hire them to share a building with me, or that we could afford to have more of their time. I’m very happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be candid, upfront, and honest. Lay out what it is you’re looking for and what your expectations are. Miguel and the team are honest. Tell them exactly what you need. If you think it’s going to be hard, let them know upfront that it’s going to be hard. Don’t try to minimize what it is you want just to get a better rate. They can often find a better solution.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SweetRush is involved in performance management. We have five service areas, with the core being our custom learning solutions. We’ve been involved in that for 20 years, working with different companies to develop their training for various types of roles.

My service area focuses on culture and change through cultural transformation, change management, and leadership development. We’re a newer group, but the consulting arm of the company. I’m the director.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ameba Creative Studio?

We needed a creative firm that could design and develop our presentation materials.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Along with their team working on our presentation materials, we started going through a rebrand. The team at Ameba Creative Studio is taking the initial concepts from our chief creative officer and rolling them out into a brand style guide. Primarily, they help with proposals, presentations, and presentation materials.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Lucía (Co-founder & COO), and she acted as our project manager. We met their creative director and one of their partners during the interview. Along with Lucía, we work with her team of graphic designers, creative directors, and illustrators.

How did you come to work with Ameba Creative Studio?

We had a talent solutions group here. I asked them to find design firms in Latin America that had an affordable price. I wanted a firm that understood the current aesthetic that has a clean and modern look & feel.

After interviewing several companies, Ameba Creative Studio stood out because of their design samples. They were amazing. It was also evident that we would be in great hands with Lucía.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spend about $10,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Ameba Creative Studio for about two years.

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

Everything their team does goes through my team and me. Last year, we had about a million dollars in revenue. Now, we’re looking at about $2 million. Ameba Creative Studio has always been excellent; we have nothing but positive feedback. Some of our top-tier clients love the professionalism in their designs. I fell in love with their latest rebrand concepts. I had no idea what they were going to do, and I ended up being extremely impressed.

How did Ameba Creative Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

As much as I love their ability to create high-level graphic design work, their project management is also stellar. Lucía is always on top of it. The way she conceptualizes our feedback is fantastic. They keep track of all of the deliverables and every single detail.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s the balance between quality and cost. Their work is extremely high-quality. I used to work at a large ad agency in Boston, and their quality is spot-on. Ameba Creative Studio is able to take conceptual direction and bring it to life.

Our chief creative officer gave them input on how to explore different shapes, which they were able to conceptualize. It’s something that I’ve seen bigger design agencies flop on. Their cost is also far less expensive than firms based in the US.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My team manager commented that their team doesn’t submit their invoices on time. We have to ask them and remind them. It’s something my team has to follow-up on. It’s a growth area. But I did have to truly think about something they could work on because I’m really pleased with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest time to clearly articulate the client, the audience, the project needs, and any tone or message you’re trying to convey. Give them that information. They can take that and weave it in an elegant way within their designs. Clients need to think about what they’re trying to convey and achieve.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Senpai Academy is a digital marketing & coding academy. I am de Founder and CEO of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ameba Creative Studio?

We had already worked with Ameba 5 years ago in the development of our brand. He hired them now almost 5 years later to make an update and refresh the look and feel of our business without loosing our spirit.

What were your goals for this project?

Have a modern and fresh update to our brand in general. Also we needed to feel more confortable and flexible, and have more space to play whit our image.

How did you select this vendor?

Already worked with them in the past and have had a positive experience.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Make a complete new branding guide, updating everything and giving us a solid base to feel comfortable to work and create.

What was the team composition?

Three people were involved in the process from Ameba. At least the ones i had interaction with. Always on point and without delay. Really receptive to feedback and with opinions of their own.

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

People really like our new image, we developed a new website with this branding guide and lots of people praise it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

As said before, everything went smooth and without delay.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I do not know much about the company itself, but i found Fabricio (Director) to be really good at understanding your needs and efficiently set the path of the work. I think its a great value to start this kind of projects with "the right foot", as everything goes easier.

Are there any areas for improvement?

i have no major improvement suggestion.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a co-founder of asap developers, a software consultancy that offers web and app development services. Our apps cover a wide variety of fields, including health and wellness, real estate, and insurance.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ameba Creative Studio?

We hired Ameba to lead most of the design work for our development projects and our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Regarding our website, our primary goal was to generate more traffic and increase our client base. When it came to projects for our clients, we wanted to provide them with innovative and attractive designs that included the best possible user experience.

How did you select this vendor?

We decided that we needed an agency to cover our design needs since many of the freelance designers that we spoke to did not meet all of our requirements. We believed that Ameba’s work could complement our own, given that we focus on development while they focus on design.

Describe the project in detail.

Ameba provides design services for us. On our website, they mainly work on our blog and image design. When it comes to client projects, we rely on Ameba to provide UI/UX design for most of the products that we develop, whether they be mobile or web-based.

What was the team composition?

Ameba has an excellent team. We’ve worked with at least five designers who have all done a fantastic job. Having a variety of designers with various backgrounds has been a huge benefit for us, as we typically deal with projects in many different fields.

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

Ameba’s improvement of our blog design has significantly impacted our business. Our blogs are critical to our success, and they’ve been able to help us reach a larger audience and increase our client base. Also, their attractive and pleasant designs have bolstered our marketing campaigns.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We use agile development methodologies and focus primarily on Scrum. We use Envision and Zeppelin to maintain fluid communication, keeping our teams aligned and up to date.

The Ameba team has been extremely flexible, and the way that they’ve adapted to our project management style has worked seamlessly. We've achieved a good level of synergy and work together very efficiently. Ameba has proven to be the perfect match for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re very proficient, and their designers can cover a wide variety of different projects. They also do both web and mobile design and excel at UX, which is particularly rare.

Are there any areas for improvement?

After almost three years of working together, I really can’t think of anything. Our partnership has been great.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We produce luxury, fashionable baby wraps and carriers. We’re a global leader in this industry and based in the Netherlands.  

What challenge were you trying to address with Ameba Creative Studio?

We hired Ameba Creative Studio for several projects primarily focusing on our design needs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Ameba Creative Studio with our photos and site content, and they created the graphic design for our manuals. Their team makes changes to our booklets and makes any edits we need.

Additionally, they’ve produced designs for our website, e-commerce shop, email campaigns, and other outreach materials. Their team also provides photoshop services to improve images and other content. They use Adobe programs for this work, including Photoshop and Illustrator.  

What is the team composition?

I have one main contact from Ameba Creative Studio, which is very convenient. They provide a team to support the project, but I’m unsure how many individuals are working on it.

How did you come to work with Ameba Creative Studio?

After being unsatisfied with our design partner, we decided to reach out to Ameba Creative Studio because of a teammate’s recommendation. They had the right rate and services that we needed. We also didn’t mind the location differences because we were in the same timezone.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2017, and the collaboration is ongoing.

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

Although we don’t have any hard statistics to show results, working with Ameba Creative Studio’s has been the sensible, right choice for our company. They’ve successfully carried out tasks with strict requirements and tight deadlines. The quality of the work has been satisfactory, and their support makes it easier for our company to transition into new markets.

How did Ameba Creative Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Asana to manage the project and assign tasks. Their team utilizes InVision for sharing designs and collecting feedback. Coupling their flexibility and communication skills, they’re easy to work with. They deliver everything we agree on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ameba Creative Studio does their job the right way—everything is delivered exactly how we request it. The quality is acceptable, and they are professional. Additionally, their flexibility has stood out. They’re never too busy to take on a new task from us and deliver the work straight away.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be helpful if they improved their consistency and precision. There are some instances where I’d have liked some creative aspects to be more similar to one another.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software testing company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ameba Creative Studio?

We hired Ameba Creative Studio to prepare our image and brand, so that we can attend trade fairs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ameba Creative Studio created images, graphics, and other marketing materials we needed for important events.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of 4, which included the CEO, a project manager, and two designers.

How did you come to work with Ameba Creative Studio?

In Uruguay, a lot of people in similar sectors know each other. I got to know Ameba Creative Studio and their CEO because we belong to the same trade chamber. When this project came up, I called their CEO. I had seen their work and knew that I could trust them.

How much have you invested in them?

We invested around $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Ameba Creative Studio between June–August 2018.

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

Visually, everything was amazing. Our stand at the trade fair received a lot of traffic. During the three-day fair, we had around 120 visitors. We heard many comments about how beautiful all the designs were.

How did Ameba Creative Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We had an excellent relationship with our assigned project manager. Ameba Creative Studio met all our expectations. They delivered the design work at the deadlines we established.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with the quality of the design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their price could be more reasonable, but the quality is excellent. I don’t have any real complaints.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of Veracity Asset Management, an asset recovery company. We help other companies sell surplus assets and recover value.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ameba Creative Studio?

Our website had become very cluttered and strayed away from our core services. Our clients’ main form of connecting with us is through this platform, so the confusion and lack of direction on the site needed to be resolved. We hired Ameba Creative Studio to design, develop, and deploy a clear, fresh interface that focused on our services.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the platform to have a responsive design that we would enthusiastically refer our clients to.

How did you select this vendor?

We came to work together through a referral. Once we spoke to Ameba Creative Studio, we were confident in their ability to execute and deliver the work in a timely manner. They gave us a quote that promised no surprises along the way, which my team was pleased with.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We came to an agreement on the scope of the work and passed the project off to Ameba Creative Studio. Our team provided them with existing collateral, but they also developed several new pieces to enhance our site. These new features included building staff profiles on the platform. Their team designed and fully developed our new website.

What was the team composition?

Ameba Creative Studio provided two primary resources who served as our project lead and project manager. They had a team working on the programming and designing aspects of the site from start to finish.

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

From early SEO metrics, we can tell the new site is performing well. Additionally, our internal team is re-energized and excited to refer clients to our platform.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had weekly calls throughout the project and the deliverables were produced on time and within our budget. We couldn’t ask for anything more from their team, they managed all aspects of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had the perfect combination of dedication and lightheartedness in their approach. Their skills were strong but they also knew how to communicate effectively. Whenever an issue occurred, they showed great flexibility in solving it. They excelled in listening to our needs and meeting our original goals.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish I could hire them as my own internal team because they were so great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm owner and director at Jersey Girls Marketing, a full-service agency that serves small and medium businesses in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ameba Creative Studio?

We consistently rely on Ameba Creative Studio for high-quality designs. 

What were your goals for this project?

We turn to Ameba Creative Studio for thoughtful, custom design work at prices that align with typical marketing budgets. 

How did you select this vendor?

They have been a consistent, reliable partner since before we started Jersey Girls Marketing. We've partnered with them for dozens of projects, and have never been disappointed by the quality of their work. It's always superior.

Describe the project in detail.

All our projects with them vary. They partner with us to create branding, visual identity, social media, print and digital advertising, brochures. They've done packaging and event signage and booths. We also use them for WordPress development projects.

What was the team composition?

The team composition varies with the size and scope of the project. We always have a project manager and creative director. We also work with designers, developers, strategists, and programmers.

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

We've seen great success with our projects: happy clients, massive improvements in traffic and lead generation, increases in sales, and significant SEO gains. Our clients are exceedingly pleased with the final designs and have received positive feedback from their clients and stakeholders as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has always been effective. Communication is easy, clear, and consistent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their work ethic is unrivaled. They are smart, fun to work with, and extremely creative. Their pride in everything they produce is astounding. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

The entire team should understand the client's goals and prioritize their time based on those outcomes. As long as you invest time well and stay on the same page, everything will go smoothly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Youveda, LLC. We provide Ayurvedic products and herbal wellness supplements.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ameba?

We needed a development firm to build out our website and mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ameba used WordPress and WooCommerce to develop our website. We had multiple meetings to adequately communicate our vision. They implemented that vision and designed a distinctive brand identity with a modernized UI/UX. Once complete, they created an iOS version of the platform.

They’re currently developing an Android version and helping us further streamline certain touch points throughout the entire platform. In addition to creative design and web development, they’re also capable of general business consulting.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with at least five people so far. Their CEO manages the projects while a director oversees the graphic and interface design. The rest of their team is great to work with as well.

How did you come to work with Ameba?

They stood apart from other vendors for a variety of reasons. The pricing is unbeatable for the skillset and resources they provide. Hiring them was an easy decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $20,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The primary development project began in September 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Ameba’s dynamic branding efforts elicit an emotional attachment that resonates with customers. People love what we’ve created from a branding perspective and that’s not easy to accomplish.

How did Ameba perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Kanbanchi as a project management tool but are currently moving over to Asana. We also frequently utilize Google Drive and Google Docs. Through a meticulous schedule, we have weekdays divided up based on what needs to be done and by who. We have 2–3 Skype meetings with them per week to organize what’s been completed and what needs to be worked on next.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their sense of design is amazing. They operate on a level above other firms we’ve worked with. Ameba is an extremely professional firm that doesn’t engage in predatory pricing practices. They’re more concerned about producing a quality product that satisfies their client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they had more of a U.S. presence to simplify financial transactions and communication. Other than that, everything’s been going great and I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them know what your goals are and be open to communication. Being clear and upfront is important.