Bright Bright Great

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Jeffrey Moss Inc. I provide styling services to large commercial clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bright Bright Great?

I founded Great Lakes Home, a subsidiary company. Great Lakes Home needed an e-commerce website and branding services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The engagement included multiple phases. Branding and logo design were first; they designed letterhead, envelopes, among other collateral. The team then developed the website on a skinned Shopify platform to save money. They suggested transitioning to a fully-proprietary backend at a later date.

The website launched in July 2016. Unfortunately, Great Lakes Home wasn’t profitable; I closed the business shortly thereafter. They developed a splash page to serve as a placeholder. They’ll transition the site back to its live version if I re-launch Great Lakes Home.

What is the team composition?

The team included the creative director, an art director, a developer, and a marketing specialist. The developer was my main point of contact. The art director created illustrations for the UX design.

How did you come to work with Bright Bright Great?

I searched online for vendors and sent inquiries to five agencies. The creative director was the first to respond, even though he was out of the office. I spoke to each vendor, but he was the most enthusiastic. He proposed a compact timeline and in-house services at an affordable price; other firms would’ve outsourced various projects. The offer reflected his genuine interest in building a relationship. They appeared to be a good fit for a new and, hopefully, growing company. On a lighter note, I loved the name Bright Bright Great; it felt promising and optimistic.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them between February–July 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The brand received positive feedback. Industry stakeholders thought the website was beautiful and functional. I was enthusiastic about the engagement; the designs were fabulous. The business didn’t succeed because there was insufficient demand, not due to Bright Bright Great’s performance. Their transitional services have reassured me while I contemplate Great Lakes Home’s future.

How did Bright Bright Great perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was very responsive to questions and challenges; I often heard back within an hour. They had strong creative and customer service skills. I’m not fluent with newer technology, but they trained me and patiently accommodated my idiosyncrasies. They chose Basecamp and other tools for their simplicity and accessibility. I doubt a larger company would’ve provided the same level of service; I felt like their only customer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re equally attentive to clients, whether the companies are small local businesses or large national corporations. Given their notable portfolio, there’s a humility to their emphasis on creativity over revenue.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that doesn’t unnecessarily devalue their performance. The four-month engagement was reasonably paced, especially considering the larger clients they simultaneously engaged.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their infrastructure and customer service approach won’t disappoint. But most importantly, find a company that resonates with the project’s scope and goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior vice president of revenue and marketing for an advertising company. We provide a platform that allows agencies to figure out what media type they want to buy, including digital and television. We are licensing the platform to around 1,200 agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BBG?

After working for one of our competitors, I came onboard to take over marketing and revenue for the company. I determined that rebranding was the first thing that needed to be done. This was both one of the most rewarding and horrible projects I’ve gone through professionally, and I don’t think I would do it again. Even though the company had finished a rebranding a few years before, the results were terrible. The branding looked like that of a bank from 1995.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BBG was tasked with brand audit work and website design. I had some ideas about the look of the site, but they were not necessarily the same as those of my boss. When we were starting out, another agency we were working with provided us with some guidelines. BBG had artistic freedom to paint within those borders and come up with different looks. We worked collaboratively on the project to come up with a design that looked fresh and new for the year 2020, not 2018.

I worked simultaneously with the other agency for the revamping of our logo design, brand guidelines, and identity. A single company is typically chosen for the full body of work in situations like ours, but I had known this company for a long time and knew that I wanted them to do a piece of the work. There would be a benefit to dividing the bodies of work, and I can confirm this in retrospect.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a product lead and a lead developer to the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of establishing credibility, the outcome of their work was night-and-day. The site can be easily referenced and renders beautifully on any mobile device. It’s been received well, both externally and internally, and serves as the impetus for us to become more innovative and be the company we’ve always been.

People don’t typically go to our website to make a purchase decision—that requires spending more time with our platform. The site is used more for requests, so credibility was our most important consideration. We needed to remove any disconnects between how we view ourselves, the types of solutions we provide, and how we’re represented by our brand and collateral.

How did BBG perform from a project management standpoint?

Any faults in this area would be mine. I have a lot of responsibilities beyond marketing, but I needed to remain involved all the time since this was an important project. BBG did a great job of keeping us directed and pushing forward on an aggressive timeline. We mostly communicated through Basecamp and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were fantastic. BBG’s most significant distinguishing quality—when compared with any other vendor—is that they made us feel like we were part of the same team. We worked collaboratively to an unbelievable degree. They were extremely attentive to our needs, which is difficult when sharing design work with a larger group for feedback. Some elements will get detracted or added beyond your control. BBG was always very responsive.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If anyone is looking for a small shop with an amazing breadth of experience, they should consider BBG. Like anything else, the quality depends on the client’s experience and available time for the project. It is important to have some face-to-face time during the kick-off and establish a cadence of weekly meetings to set a clear agenda for progress. This is something that BBG is good at, but any company contracting them must be just as committed to devoting that time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner, founder, and CEO of True Wealth Advisory Group. It’s a boutique investment firm that caters to ultra high net worth families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bright Bright Great?

I needed marketing and brand management assistance prior to opening the company last October. I wanted a firm to help me come up with a name, a logo, and a website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first worked on a naming sprint to select a name. Bright Bright Great [BBG] gave me lots of choices and we eventually narrowed it down to True Wealth Advisory Group. For the logo they presented a couple of different mockups until we settled on a final version. Next they worked on the design of the website before turning it over to another firm to do the backend development. Finally they created additional marketing materials such as adding our logo on swag and some other client marketing materials.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with the managing director at the very beginning and then he turned things over to a true project manager. We also worked with their main designer and a creative director.

How did you come to work with Bright Bright Great?

I'm partnered with a group based out of Chicago called HighTower Advisors. Part of their function is to advise on marketing matters and they gave me the names of a couple of different firms including BBG.

I spoke to Jason [managing director, Bright Bright Great] and just got a nice feeling. I liked that they were small and boutique yet knowledgeable and professional. They seemed to be very sensitive to client service, have a passion for what they were doing, and they were responsive and organized in their initial approach.

How much have you invested with them?

The project was in the $50,000–$100,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017. They completed the name, logo, and initial website by the time the firm launched at the beginning of October. We worked together through November 2017 on the website other marketing projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's mostly too early to estimate the impact of the website on my business. However, it’s already helping to attract new clients and in bringing over existing clients from my former firm. Having a polished website gives a new firm some extra legitimacy and credibility but it’s difficult to measure the exact impact or dollar value. I've received the most compliments on the logo. I've had several people comment on how nice the logo is when they’ve seen our marketing materials.

How did Bright Bright Great perform from a project management standpoint?

Every single member of their team was very responsive. I can't remember one incident where I was disappointed or didn’t get a timely response. I'm very happy with the way they executed the project and the way they communicated with me. We mostly used email and video calls for presentations. They use Asana as a project management tool, which helped them stay very organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really get the importance of client service. The team is talented and passionate about the work. They’re truly excellent with regards to communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They got high marks across the board. This was my first experience with a marketing firm, but they’re high-quality and very professional.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think about the core message that you want to convey with the name, logo, and website. Having a clear idea of what you want clients to understand from those assets is time well spent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Rit Dye is a 100-year-old fabric dye brand. People use it to refurbish clothing and for creative  techniques like tie-dye, dip-dying, and shibori. We also provide a color remover for clothing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bright Bright Great?

Our product is complicated to present. Our biggest challenge was creating an online experience for customers—or, a place where they could go and learn how to use our product in the simplest way. There were many nuances we wanted to get across.

We have 30 shades that customers can mix together to create over 500 colors, so we wanted to provide a repository of color formulas. The type of fabric and quantify thereof alters those formulas.

Thirdly, we didn’t really have detailed product pages. We wanted to communicate what we had available.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bright Bright Great adapted their process to our business needs. We had a unique situation in that we were running a consumer-facing website with a challenging objective. There were user experience elements we needed to think through which were different than those of B2B websites.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a former accounts person who was dedicated to my project and often my main contact. I worked directly with the design team and the developers when she wasn’t available. We had two main designers, and two developers.

How did you come to work with Bright Bright Great?

I wanted to work with someone locally in Chicago in order to facilitate in-person meetings. I found a list of web agencies from the city and reviewed each of their websites to get an immediate idea of their capabilities. I narrowed the options to two agencies and contacted them. We ultimately ended up with Bright Bright Great.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2017. We launched the website a week ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t really have any metrics yet since we just launched the site a week ago. Our user count has gone down, but our page views are up. The user decrease may be because of how Google reacts to new links. However, people are spending more time on the site and visiting more pages. This may be because they’re getting accustomed to the new site or because of the increase in useful information.

How did Bright Bright Great perform from a project management standpoint?

We tried to limit changes as much as possible, but they were upfront in telling me when an element didn’t feel right. They were also willing to redesign or recode the details when I was unhappy with something. Everything in the scope was covered from a budgeting standpoint. Bright Bright Great’s goals were completely aligned with mine.

Their accounts person took detailed notes during meetings to ensure nothing was lost in communication. Their use of Asana as a project management tool was also helpful. We had in-person meetings and communicated via email and phone.

They’ve met my deadlines on every project I’ve worked with them on. They’ve always gotten back to me right away whenever I’ve need something.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bright Bright Great stood out compared to other providers through their high-quality, thoughtful work. They were easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be straightforward about the scope in the beginning. I told them that my product required a significant thought process. Other people underplay what they need, which leads to agencies doing way more work than initially thought. If they’re not happy, they will probably end up charging you more than anticipated.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief marketing and communications officer for Ryan Specialty Group, which is an insurance specialty organization that has two main subsidiaries. We have a wholesale insurance brokerage subsidiary and a managing general underwriters subsidiary.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bright Bright Great?

We wanted to revitalize our brand, so we needed to redo our two main websites completely. We essentially had to create a new site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us create our new site. They incorporated a specific design for the site in addition to coding the site in an adaptable way so that our marketing team could update materials on the site easily. They used WordPress for the site. Now, we continue to work with them in other areas.

Prior to working with them, we probably had five different developers and our sites were on five different servers. Our managing general underwriting subsidiary has multiple companies under it that all have their own websites, but many of these sites were developed in HTML. Different people within the company were overseeing the sites, but now Bright Bright Great manages, services, and hosts all of our 15-17 sites and their security. They also handle all of our servers. If there are smaller site components to change, then we handle those updates internally. ​​​​​​

​What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Jason (Managing Director, Bright Bright Great) and another member of their team.

How did you come to work with Bright Bright Great?

The advertising firm we work with introduced them to us, and we originally started working with them through the advertising firm.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000-$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2016, and they finished most of our major development work in the Fall of 2016. We continue to work with them on other sites.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

If there's an issue or we need to update information on the site, but the site is in HTML, I’ll shoot them an email. They normally complete what we request within 24 to 48 hours depending on the scope of our request, whereas previously we would have to wait almost a week for minor deliverables. Additionally, our marketing team can now update site features internally due to their coding work.

It’s hard to measure their exact impact, but their service is outstanding and the quality of their work is excellent. There has been an improvement in efficiency and productivity in regards to our site management.

How did Bright Bright Great perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very organized and responsive, and our team dynamic is great. When we first started collaborating with them, all of our questions and contact was administered through our advertising firm, but now we directly communicate with them.

They like to use Asana for project management, although we also used Basecamp with them. If I need to discuss a minor detail, I email them. If there's a bigger issue, then we’ll talk over the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are genuinely nice people. The quality of their work is also terrific, which is why we continue working them. Their backend development work is clean, concise, and logical. It's now easy for non-programmers like us to update our sites.

They also have an eye for design. If we need to do something, we will ask them what they think is the best approach. They'll figure out what looks best based on what we would like to achieve. Overall, it’s a great partnership, and I'm thrilled that we're working with them. They’re one of our best vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they're on top of everything without having to communicate in excess. I don't know what they could do differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to have one primary point person, which is something that they request. You'll get a much better result from them with one point of contact for them to work with.

BACKGROUND

We are a creative agency based in Chicago. Most of us have worked in this industry for many years, so we are combining strong writing and artistic talent. Our goal is to be nimble and flexible to serve our clients in the digital marketing age best. I am one of the founders of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Our goals for the many projects we work with BBG on are to deliver bold graphic online presence for brands looking to break through the clutter. Design narrative is a very important aspect to how new brands communicate their story and make an impact on consumers. Understanding the user experience as well as delivering quality content in a timely manner was critical to both projects.

SOLUTION

The scope of several of our projects includes design, photo, and video-based narratives that establish brand voice. One additional project required more technical support with regard to fields and calculator development.

Being new to the Chicago market, I was looking partners who had a strong design vision towards their work, not just metrics and analytics.

BBG's distinct visual brand voice stood out from the rest and matched quite well with the swagger and soul of our own personal brand voice. We looked at style, compatibility, and willingness for rapid prototyping in order to achieve mutual understanding of the specific nature of each project.

Our projects with BBG to date have ranged anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000, depending on scope, size, programming, and multiple rounds of design exploratory. 

The first project was completed February of 2014. The second version of our website was completed March of 2014.

Orbitz was completed April of 2014.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a mobile security company, and we have 30 products right now.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the president and co-founder of viaForensics. I have multiple roles until we find the right fit for people coming in. I mostly do the operations, marketing, and sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Bright Bright Great?

We are a small business that started in 2009. We were very cost-conscious when we started with Bright Bright Great in 2012. We wanted a digital agency that was very conscientious about our costs, but also provided us with a great look and brand of a bigger company with a bigger budget.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We started with BBG in 2012. We had our own website from a WordPress template. Because money was tight, they looked at it and helped us with the branding. They gave the website a customized look with the same brand as our company logo. They finished that work, which was fabulous, and we started increasing their responsibilities. In 2013, we totally revamped the website and gave them total creative control. We also rebranded the company. We asked them to help us with marketing pamphlets and hard copies of our products. They helped us with the booth layout at a huge security conference in 2014. They also did the messaging and the brand.

What was your process for selecting Bright Bright Great to work with?

We looked at three digital agencies and told them exactly what we wanted them to do. We looked at what we would get for our money. BBG immediately won it, and they had us at their business cards. When they visited us, they gave me a business card, which said, "Crush it all day." It was funny, and we loved the fact they could find humor and make a brand. I love the brand that BBG has created for themselves. It could only mean great things for their clients.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

In 2012, the project was about $30,000. In 2013, we increased it to about $80,000. In 2014, we will increase that.

The work is ongoing. We work better with them as we get to know each other more and more. In the beginning, they gave us a lot of different designs, which we weren’t ready for. We did everything ourselves because the change was so drastic. After the first project, we felt very comfortable with their decisions. In 2013, we just let them have creative reign. In 2014, we will continue with their services, and we're not looking anywhere else for digital agency work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Our clients are Fortune 500 clients and the government, so our website needs to be very professional. It needs to look like a Hewlett-Packard- or IBM-type of website. We’ve been getting great feedback, especially at the conference, where we launched our new website and brand at the booth. We received a lot of compliments about the brand and our booth because it relayed the message in a clear, concise way that other people were able to stop by and look at it.

How has Bright Bright Great performed so far?

I’d give BBG an A+. We were very clear that we wanted to be the only mobile security company that they handle.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The creative director is so responsive, and he leads his clients. He can bring us to the point where the design is the best for the client, not the design that the agency is going for. He takes the client as far as they are comfortable with in terms of branding with the look and website design.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. We look to them for design and to create our brand awareness. They have done a fabulous job in those two areas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Black Spectacles is a website for learning architecture software. It's a Web-based e-commerce business.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Bright Bright Great?

We’ve done a lot of work with them. At the outset, we engaged them to design our e-commerce website, which they did. They also built our brand, have done graphic design, and helped with our social media strategy and marketing.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We have done several projects with them, mostly e-commerce, website development, and social media marketing. They also designed some posters for us, and we plan to engage them for some infographics.

What was your process for selecting Bright Bright Great with which to work?

I was working with a strategy company that had recommended a variety of Web developers and designers to build our project, and they were one of them. I sent them an RFP [request for proposal] and got in touch. We started talking and chose to work with them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The design work was about $10,000. The e-commerce site and the brand were in that ballpark. There were smaller endeavors of $500 and $1,000. The next project will be the infographic, and the work is ongoing for now. We started working with them in February of 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We went from having no business and no customers because we were just launching, to having an ongoing business with customers, a school, and terms. We went from nothing to something. The strongest comment I have about their work is that the bar for design quality is very high. It's been very helpful to us, going from being completely unknown to an emerging brand and a website that exceeds our very high design-quality bar. That has been valuable to us. The secret effect that BBG brings is instant credibility. I’ve heard a number of people refer to that. They don’t know who we are, but when they see our page, their reaction is that we look legitimate.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I haven’t worked with anyone else. The quality of the design work is very high, coming out of that office. They have been very helpful. It's interesting. We put together a wireframe and sent it to them. I included a few website examples of good design, and they came back with something completely different in a distinct graphic language. Also, in the background of our site, there is a photo of the Louvre. That is a hyper-contemporary convention in a neoclassical building, so there is a dialogue between those two. It's an interesting, because we could also focus on architectural photography throughout the site. It's more than a graphical tool. It's also an event on the site.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

They’re expensive, but you get what you pay for. I wish I could use them a lot more, but I’m a brand new company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Design Manager of a food service company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Foodservice Beverage Equipment design and manufacturing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Bright Bright Great to accomplish?

• Brand Language
• UX - UI

SOLUTION

How did you find Bright Bright Great?

Had worked together in previous role

Why did you select Bright Bright Great over others?

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

How many teammates from Bright Bright Great were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We required a full user interface to control certain aspects of our foodservice beverage equipment. The criteria for success was based on bringing navigation, icon development, layouts, and information design to the user experience of operating our equipment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our success was measured not just in useful, intuitive and navigable interface assets that fitted seamlessly into our development workflow, but also in effective and collaborative output within our team of designers.

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

Response was quick and effective with on-time results based upon clear scheduling and timing needs

What was your primary form of communication with Bright Bright Great?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

We appreciated the cultural fit and familial atmosphere of working with Bright Bright Great. If my internal teammates were my blood relatives, BBG would be my besties from college who I snuck away from holiday gathering to go hang with.

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

Keep doing amazing work and bringing excellence to all you do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Lumaris

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Lumaris is a full-service research firm dedicated to using surveys and focus groups to highlight the voices of underrepresented groups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Bright Bright Great to accomplish?

• Brand strategy
• Pitch deck script and design

SOLUTION

How did you find Bright Bright Great?

Online Search

Why did you select Bright Bright Great over others?

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

How many teammates from Bright Bright Great were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

BBG has a well-defined multi-step process for developing brand strategy and messaging. For us it was: 

• Stakeholder interviews (1-hour conversations with company leaders). 

This then informed the development of: 

• Value proposition statement 
• Pitch deck story arc. 

Then we were handed off to the design team. Their process was 

• 30-minute stakeholder interview 
• Pitch deck design draft 
• One round of review and edits. This all took roughly six weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received: 

1. Value proposition and mission statements. 
2. A 10-minute pitch-deck script. 
3. A 15-slide pitch deck that could be delivered in 10 minutes. This amounted to 10 slides of content, plus title and section title slides.

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

BBG runs a professional shop. Their project management was top-notch. Communication was clear (including on next steps), meetings started on time, and they delivered products when they said they would. We asked for a pitch deck on a tight timeline (roughly two weeks), and they delivered it early. They were flexible. For example, our stakeholder interviews were going well and we had the time to go over by 15-20 minutes and we weren't charged extra. (All other meetings started and ended on time.)

What was your primary form of communication with Bright Bright Great?

Virtual Meeting

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

The two things I was impressed by most were 

1. Their ability to create clear value prop and mission statements out of rambling answers to their questions about what our company was about. 
2. Their design team's skills. I think BBG started as a design company and it shows. They had top-shelf design talent on their team.

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

None that I can think of