Brightscout

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of operations at Phylum, a growth-stage cybersecurity company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightscout Inc.?

We were looking to do a thoughtful rebrand of our existing logo and identity. Given that, we contracted Brightscout to use their resources to work on our strategy, idea generation, and brand identity implementation. It was much easier and cost-effective for us to engage their resources than to use our own staff, which were already busy with our product development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did an intense branding exercise where we talked about our identity and what we wanted to communicate and achieve visually with our logo. Brightscout and our team looked into other companies in our space to ensure that we could differentiate our brand and stand out. Aside from that, we interviewed various people across the company about their priorities to ensure that everybody was aligned. 

Our logo went through a number of iterations in terms of its look and feel. We ultimately selected one that best represented our company and provided the most room for growth in the future. At that point, Brightscout implemented the new designs on our website. 

In terms of deliverables, the team created a brand book with fonts, colors, and custom design work for our website. On top of that, they created business cards and templates for our LinkedIn, Zoom, and Microsoft Office accounts. Their resources also did sales presentations for us using custom designs. The last thing they did was design our website’s UI. For technologies, we collaborated a lot using Figma. We used Netlify as our headless CMS.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around four people from Brightscout, including Charles (Creative Director & Co-Founder). There was a project manager, while the actual designer made our logos and brand book. One technical resource worked on website implementation. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $25,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration lasted from November 2020–May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team was extremely happy with Brightscout’s work. Investors in the company responded with highly positive comments, while enterprise customers thought the website looked professional. We saw an increase in brand awareness and engagement. 

Meanwhile, Brightscout was collaborative and aware of what would make a successful, stand-out design in the market. At the same time, they were receptive to feedback from our founders and the executives in terms of what they wanted to communicate.

How did Brightscout Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was on time and on budget. To manage the project, we used Basecamp, along with regularly scheduled meetings. To communicate, we used phone calls, emails, and Slack. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Brightscout had exceptional people across the board. We were able to utilize fractional resources, which was good since we didn’t have the budget to employ a full-time designer. Because of them, we were able to involve senior people in our project, which was truly strategic for us. 

Overall, they were wonderful to work with; I honestly would recommend them to anyone.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Brightscout is phenomenal. If you’re an early-stage company looking to create a large brand that you can grow into, working with them is a strategic investment. Working with them is also a worthwhile investment for later-stage companies — you’ll definitely see their impact on your success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of The Difference, where we believe the right talk at the right time can make all the difference. We’re a low-friction, low-cost therapy company; we provide same-day therapy sessions by phone. People don’t need an appointment or health insurance when they log in.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightscout Inc.?

When we started the project, we needed a partner to design the dashboard and the UX/UI. Specifically, we needed to create a seamless and intuitive UX for both sides of our marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brightscout Inc. has been with us throughout the project’s evolutions. They’ve done our sales deck and our internal dashboard and updated our visual brand identity and website. In particular, they’ve worked on UX/UI design and some frontend development.

When we first connected, the team built everything entirely from scratch. Somebody had done the outward-facing pages, and Brightscout Inc. focused on the UX once the user logged in. Afterward, they did an update to our brand strategy. They used our old illustrations and repurposed them to make them more cohesive.

The platform is built using Toolio, WordPress, Okta, Stripe, and React. It allows users to choose what they want to talk about instead of choosing a therapist. If they like the therapist they land on, they can upgrade to choose them as their primary therapist. Ultimately, it’s a matchmaking platform where the user can try many therapists and get same-day relief. On the therapists’ side, they can also try lots of clients and build up their caseload, so it’s a double-side marketplace in mental health care.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Charles (Creative Director & Co-Founder), Maximiliano (Managing Partner), and a product lead.

How did you come to work with Brightscout Inc.?

We initially connected with Charles through Gigster, our development partner. Gigster allows talented engineers in big companies to take gigs on the side based on their interests. They posted the brief to their engineers, so Charles chose us to work with them. In the end, it was the perfect fit, so we were lucky.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$15,000 this year, but it’s been $30,000–$35,000 over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Brightscout Inc. in June 2020, and our relationship is ongoing. We’ll probably do a new design brief and work with them again next year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve polished up ourselves, which is a huge lift. As a more mature organization, we feel more confident about sending our sales deck to our most significant lead with the new design from Brightscout Inc. What we had before was trash, so being able to put us out there in a premium way has been very valuable.

Our website has also improved. We currently have a simple, quick-scroll site with only four pages. Brightscout Inc. has fleshed the website out into a more meaningful enterprise product.

How did Brightscout Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They stay on budget and on time. We now have a retainer because some of the one-off jobs were out of our budget, but Brightscout Inc. generally wants to help small businesses and startups. Moreover, they’re good at scoping and setting expectations. In fact, we’ve been surprised at how quickly they can turn around something.

They’re also great at working across teams, which has helped keep the costs down. All in all, everybody is on the same page and tracking the timeline. Additionally, we do weekly check-ins and use Slack and Figma to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good at seeking out feedback. When they first delivered the website, we didn’t love it. We talked about it for an hour, and they knocked it out of the park the next time. When we worked with freelancers, they just tried to push us off without delivering what we wanted. On the other hand, Brightscout Inc. wants to complete the job and make us happy. They hold themselves to a high standard of professionalism.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re very satisfied with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Overcommunicate, and don’t hold back with your ideas. They really listen to all of them, and the team is great at synthesizing and prioritizing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing Manager in a B2B SaaS company who provides a live reporting platform and a stock market gamification to media and news outlets

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brightscout Inc.?

Our website was very outdated - from the content to its navigation to the used colors. We were in urgent need of a new website that resonated with whom we wanted to be and who we wanted to become in the future.

SOLUTION

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

We chose this vendor because of their past experience with other technology and financial clients, and because we had a good interpersonal connection with the people we talked to.

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

We collaborated closely with the brightscout team to define our brand identity and vision. After a series of moodboards and discussions, we agreed on the visual style and path to take.

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

We worked with 4-6 people from the team, including project manager, designers and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In our experience with two former new websites, the projects were always delayed. The team worked hard and delivered on time, it was really great that things were going so smoothly with Brightscout and that they had everything covered, from SEO to hosting site. They thought of everything.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a dedicated slack channel to keep the discussion ongoing and a weekly catchup meeting

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

Strong creativity and solution-orientation. Sometimes it was hard to give input or directions on visuals or illustrations. The team was very creative and took whatever input we gave and made something grand out of it.

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

No, it was really great working with the team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder and CEO of a social networking app called Grouped. It's designed to help leaders create communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightscout Inc.?

We needed someone to develop a logo for our app and a Stylescape for our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brightscout Inc. first created various logo variations for us. First, they sent us a form to fill out to help them learn more about us and our messaging and target audience. We also jumped in a call to discuss what we were trying to accomplish. 

The Brightscout Inc. team then proceeded to deliver a logo that combined the letter G and the shape of a palm.

After they delivered our logo, we tasked them to create a Stylescape, which was a collage of assets that featured our logo colors, shapes, and so on. We gave them some guidelines, and they proceeded to design the Stylescape.

Once everything was delivered, the Brightscout Inc. team then showed us how to use Figma.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people. Charles (Senior Product Designer) oversaw the whole project, while Sava (Senior Brand Identity Designer) created the logo. 

We also worked with Cate (Account Manager), who was in charge of organizing Zoom calls and gathering our requirements. 

How did you come to work with Brightscout Inc.?

Another vendor we were working with recommended Brightscout Inc. to us. They were partner agencies, so we didn’t have to go through another hiring process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brightscout Inc. produced high-quality designs — they nailed everything on the first try. The logo, in particular, was beautiful. It was based on a simple shape, but it truly captured our mission of bringing people together. 

Meanwhile, the Stylescape was very useful and guided us as we created our branding, web design, and apps. We were able to utilize their content to create our own visuals.

How did Brightscout Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. To communicate, we primarily used Slack. We also had weekly calls where they presented their work and gathered feedback from us. Whenever we had issues, they would give us a call no matter what time it was. 

Overall, Brightscout Inc. was very flexible to our needs. We were able to renegotiate their original quote by removing a few deliverables from the package.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their talents were definitely impressive. Out of all their competitors, Brightscout Inc. is the most skilled in creating digital assets. We also appreciated that they tailored their deliverables to our target market.

Another great thing about them was their willingness to teach us how to use Figma to create some of the visuals ourselves.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The team took over and handled the entire project for us, but we would’ve preferred to be more involved in the process. They could’ve done a better job of following our directions, too.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a mood board ready so you can give them the necessary guidance to help them nail it on the first try. Brightscout Inc. is very much worth the investment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Marketing of Digilant

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Digilant is media planning and buying partner for small to medium sized advertisers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Brightscout to accomplish?

• Website redesign

SOLUTION

How did you find Brightscout?

Referral

Why did you select Brightscout over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Brightscout were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

BrightScout help us take our old website and completely rebuild by working with us and our designer. They were amazing at take Figma files and making our design come to live. They redid our entire site — from our homepage and service pages to our channel pages and blog. They've helped us redirect our pages to ensure the correct digital experiemce. They truly brought out design to life. BrightScout was incredibly responsive, helpful, and organized. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched on time! BrightScout kept meeting the milestones that we needed to meet, when we needed to meet them, which allowed us to launch on the date that we had intended.

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

BrightScout delivered everything on time. They were very response and helpful. Whenever clarification was needed, they made sure to connect with our team to ensure they met our expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Brightscout?

Virtual Meeting

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

I found it impressive that the team was able to meet our needs and do so in a timely manner. They were so easy to work with and incredibly helpful. Even at the 11th hour, when we needed small tweaks, they were there with us making it possible.

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

I have no feedback in this area.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder & CEO of a sneaker insurance company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brightscout Inc.?

We have been evolving our brand, messaging, and position in our space. To achieve the high-level experience for target customers/community members, we needed to find the right partner to elevate us across those key categories. Our focus was to revamp website, increase information/communication, and identify creative solutions that help community members efficiently add their sneaker collections to the platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Using Dribbble, I searched a few different potential partners but ended up being attracted to previous design work that Brighscout had completed in adjacent spaces. I reached out, talked to Charles (and team), and the rest was history.

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

For brevity, we spent time using their customer brief to provide specific details, design inspirations, preferences, and rough sketches about the intended outcome across each focus area of the website + other solutions. We ended up working on three unique projects: website redesign, bulk import tool, and partner page. All experiences that communicate to multiple audiences.

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

We worked directly with 4 resources from the team. Primarily, the UX/UI team (2) and their project team (2).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Beyond satisfied with the achieved deliverables from the team. They demonstrated a tremendous amount of professionalism, expertise, and execution.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We set deadlines, achieved them (if not early), and celebrated the deliverables together. It felt like one team.

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

They immersed themselves in understanding our business and core problem we are solving every day. I think that level of effort result in high-end, premium design outputs.

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

The feedback I will share here is more preference and something shared with Brightscout team - always get the little details even if it seems super small. Clients with high expectations expect that at all times. Once shared, the feedback was implemented and resulted in an even greater collaboration between both teams.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a DTC fintech based in Austin, TX.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brightscout Inc.?

We hired Brightscout to help us design our first consumer-facing app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Charles and the Brightscout team came highly recommended by a former colleague of mine that had worked with them in the past.

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

The Brightscout team met with us to got through the discovery phase of what it is we were building, and what we needed it to do. The brightscout team took that input, and put together an incredibly robust set of mood boards and wireframes that we were able to iterate on. Following this,m they rant the wireframes through a series of user tests to validate the UI/UX experience. Afterward, they put together a final design for the app, which is what we went to market with. It was incredibly well-received.

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

We worked with Charles, a project manager and multiple UI/UX designers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got a great app at a grat price on time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was fantastic.

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

How thoughtful they were about the app, and what we needed it to do for our users. They thought of aa lot of features/edge cases that we had not contemplated.

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

Can't think of any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Brand Officer of a Social Media networking platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brightscout Inc.?

We contracted Brightscout to help develop new UX/UI Concepts for a demo showcasing our future product roadmap.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected Brightscout through word-of-mouth.

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

Brightscout provided an amazing UX/UI Designer who did great work. They also provided several animators who stepped in when our original animator (NOT connected with Brightscout) suddenly left the project.

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

One UX/UI Designer, Two part-time animators.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very impressed by all of the talent that Brightscout secured for us, at reasonable rates. Brightscout employs nothing but talented, friendly, efficient designers. Everyone we worked with was a total professional.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. Hours tracking was transparent, and work was always excellent quality.

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

Solid, consistent talent and superb communication. Lean and with nearly no overhead, so costs stay focused on the project.

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

Nothing. Brightscout and Charles is the BEST!