Black Flag Creative

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of marketing for Sunworks, Inc. We construct solar systems for agricultural, commercial, and residential markets, but we were founded as an electrical contractor.

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Flag Creative, LLC?

We needed to build a new website, one with an interactive layout and updated content and framework.

What were your goals for this project?

As we grew, we realized our website failed to showcase our work the way we desired. We wanted our website to tell a story about our commitment to quality work and customer experience.

How did you select this vendor?

We needed an exceptional web design company that understood our industry's challenges. We interviewed several candidates, looking through their past experiences and asking for a site update proposal with navigational suggestions.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Black Flag did the structural setup and then designed, developed, configured, and launched the site. We started the project with a discovery meeting where we conveyed our goals, needs, and desires and developed a mutual understanding of what was required.

Black Flag started development after presenting a solution outline and a complete scope of work. We tested and made adjustments to the site's functionality and interactive aspects on a staging site.

What was the team composition?

Several developers, photographers, and designers contributed to the project, but their CEO was my single point of contact.

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

Visitors stay on the site longer than they used to and report having a much more pleasant experience. We also receive more inquiries via our online forms. Our leadership has used the site to showcase our projects and work process to potential customers.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager was impressive and always demonstrated a complete understanding of our needs, goals, and priorities. He was professional and paid attention to details. Every element of development and maintenance took place promptly and within our budget and schedule. They excelled at coming up with and executing solutions equally.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The entire team was professional, knowledgeable, and extremely qualified to develop and maintain our website. The best aspect of working with them was cooperating with a professional team and a single point of contact—an organized project manager who handled everything.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There's nothing they need to improve.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of engineering for Hallsten Corporation. We manufacture aluminum products for environmental, marine, and industrial industries.

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Flag Creative, LLC?

We rebranded our company with a new logo, tagline, and colors. We then engaged Black Flag Creative, LLC to revamp our website from scratch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to showcase our manufacturing capabilities at our annual trade show. The team needed to deliver the site about five months before the event. We also requested a simple UI and good UX.

How did you select this vendor?

One of my employees had a family connection with Black Flag Creative, LLC and referred them. I then met with Corey (CEO, Black Flag Creative, LLC). The team’s proposal and ability to deliver met our needs.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

The team built a CMS and designed a responsive website for all devices. Services included layout, content development, coding, and functionality building. They also created a contact form, which served as a portal for customers to request additional information.

What was the team composition?

Corey served as the primary project manager and had a team working behind the scenes.

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

The website was functional across devices and received a significant amount of positive feedback. Black Flag Creative, LLC provided a clean viewing experience; the displays and photography were captivating. The redesign—including the new contact portal—increased the number of visitors, conversions, and sales.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicated via phone calls and in-person and web-based meetings. The team was effective throughout the process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had rough ideas for the website, but not a precise aesthetic vision. The team provided several design options and then integrated our feedback into the proposed concepts. Black Flag Creative, LLC was patient and not satisfied with the design until we were.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No. We had a pleasant experience and enjoyed the improved website. The team will not disappoint if given the opportunity to deliver.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a solutions architect for the commercial, medical, and government affairs divisions of a large pharmaceutical company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Flag Creative, LLC.

We needed a development firm to redesign one of our internal portals.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Flag Creative, LLC worked with us to overhaul an internal portal that employees use for communication and task management. While we knew the site needed to be updated, they put things in perspective by outlining how to make the final product more modern and user-friendly. They also suggested the elimination of certain elements to facilitate efficient navigation throughout the portal. After scoping out the project, they moved to the design and development stage. They built the new portal using HTML and CSS.

The portal’s current iteration functions as more than a simple task manager. It enables quick communication between departments and promotes personal growth via the career development area. It’s also a valuable tool for our sales and marketing teams because it hosts new product information and provides management resources.

What is the team composition?

We initially spoke to Corey (CEO, Black Flag Creative, LLC) and he did the early product designs. The rest of the project was delivered by two developers and a UI/UX designer.

How did you come to work with Black Flag Creative, LLC?

They have a master service agreement with our company. Some of the other business units within our firm recommended them, so we thought we’d give them a try.

What is the status of this engagement?

The main development effort took place from September 2017–April 2018.

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

One of the features they’ve implemented is a personalized dashboard. This means whenever an employee enters the portal, the system recognizes who they are and populates the dashboard with news and articles specific to their department. That functionality increased portal activity. As a result, we’ve experienced an increase in production and operational improvements on a company-wide scale.

How did Black Flag Creative, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They made sure the project had a schedule and they adhered to it. Their team consistently delivered different sections of the portal until the project’s completion. Our company has a whole project management methodology that we have to go through to get funding, but it’s largely built around Smartsheet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with other companies to revamp our intranet in the past, but found Black Flag Creative, LLC’s positive attitude inspiring. We also appreciate their modern approach to UX design. They bring a unique perspective to whatever they do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring them into a project early so they can help brainstorm ideas and lay out a practical methodology.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Flag Creative, and what were your goals?

Our website was 3 years old and we used a Do-It-Yourself online program. It looked cheap and unprofessional

How did you select Black Flag Creative and what were the deciding factors?

We selected Black Flag based on their past performances, their clean, modern style and their presentation.

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

They provided a clear strategy at the very beginning that included a timeline with clear milestones. They established expectations up front and had clear communications at all times with us.

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

We worked with the owner and various designers and engineers all of which were extremely professional, knowledgable and creative.

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

Their work was clean, simple and easy to maneuver. The initial planning meeting was extremely helpful, and they covered all bases including a schedule with milestones, industry standards we should consider and their vision for our site based on industry research they performed.

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

Throughout the process they have been flexible and met every timeline. They’ve stayed in regular contact with us throughout the process, meet all timelines and mostly importantly, they listened to us and our ideas. Their work has been nothing less than superb and they have a lifelong customer with our firm.

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

They get it! They are open to suggestions and have a great balance between using their ideas and ours.

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

not at all