Design In DC

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at Lateenz LLC, a cultural education platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

We were starting our business, so we needed to have a website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design In DC did our website from scratch using WordPress. Their efforts also include maintenance and hosting. 

Their team also offers SEO packages, and we plan on doing that in the future.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with 2–3 members of their team, including Ziad (CEO) and a creative director.

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

We found them through a Google search.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We’ve spent around $14,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

We feel like they’re very professional and responsive — overall, they’ve done a nice job.

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been good with project management, organized, and flexible with their processes. Regarding tools, they use Slack, Zoom, and Figma.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listened to what we wanted and delivered what we asked them to, so we’re pleased with everything, including their graphic design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Using different tools for project management can get challenging, especially for someone that’s not tech-savvy like me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide them the input and efforts they ask from you so the project can go smoothly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a medical clinic.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

We were trying to update our website to reflect our current practices. Basically, we wanted to replace our older site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

After an initial interview with Design In DC, where we described what we wanted to accomplish, they created a framework in which we could gradually define what we wanted in deeper detail. During this process, they worked with us to put together samples of how the different components of the site would look.

Although we provided most of the content to populate the website, Design In DC was in charge of most of the design part, including the logo, features, and navigation. We went through a series of iterations and changes until we were happy with how the site looked. Then, they custom-coded the site and hosted it on WordPress.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with 4–5 people from Design In DC, including designers, developers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

We did wide-range research to find a partner and found several agencies online, including Design In DC. We ultimately chose them because we liked their own site.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2021 and launched the website in May 2022. Still, we have an ongoing relationship with Design In DC.

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

Design In DC delivered a site that we were entirely happy with. Given that it is an informative website, we don’t keep track of visitors nor receive business through it, so we don’t have any hard metrics on the impact of the engagement.

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

Design In DC performed very well, and we had a very good and collaborative relationship during the development process. We communicated via Zoom calls; it all was done remotely. Additionally, we used text messages or Slack to provide minor feedback, and they used a visual platform to show us the designs so that we could provide feedback and make notes about required changes. 

Design In DC was also very responsive in identifying and solving problems. Sometimes, we weren’t able to articulate what the issue was accurately. However, they helped us through those challenges and figured out the best way to solve them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of Design In DC’s strengths is that they’re very creative. Other providers usually produce stock-looking websites, but Design In DC was able to develop a completely custom website for us, demonstrating that they were much more creative than the average web developer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They did everything well, and it was a great experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any particular advice. The beauty of Design In DC’s approach is that clients can go in without a preconceived idea of how the process needs to be. They only need to describe what they want, and Design In DC can take it from there, which makes them very easy to work with. Regardless of your experience in web development, you can expect to have a good interaction with them and a great outcome overall.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief of staff at a lobbying firm. We do lobbying and consulting work for various companies, trade associations, and coalitions.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

Our website hadn’t been updated for 5–6 years, and we wanted it to look more modern, a little fresh, and more tailored toward prospective clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a series of calls with Design In DC where we described what we were looking for and what we needed. Then, they designed the site, and we went through several rounds of edits and gave them our feedback. They completely overhauled our existing website, and the process took 9–10 months. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with about three people from Design In DC, including a project manager, the CEO, and someone in charge of development. A few other people popped in and out of the project. 

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

I did some research and reached out to several web firms in our area. We’re a small team and have no capacity for website development or management, so we needed a partner that could do everything for us — that’s why we selected Design In DC.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just under $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from July 2021–March 2022.

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

We really appreciated Design In DC’s hard work and how they took the project and ran with it. We didn’t have to be too involved in the day-to-day development of the website, which was what we were looking for. 

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

They were pretty good at project management. We used email and Zoom to communicate. Sometimes communication was slow, and I had to remind them of certain things. However, their performance was satisfactory on the whole.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Design In DC was the sleekest and most modernized firm we spoke with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have been better on the communication front. Also, the team could have gotten a better feel for our desires and needs when it came to content or media on the website. There was a bit of a disconnect at times because we’re in vastly different industries, and they could have worked a little harder to connect the dots. Other than that, everything was fine.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m happy to refer Design In DC — I’ve already recommended them to another organization.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I operate as the CMO for a management consulting firm headquartered in Laurel, Maryland. The majority of our work is in the government contracting space, working with local, state, and federal governments.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

We were going through some growth, and we needed to update and refresh our online presence, so we hired Design In DC to help us redesign and build a better website for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design In DC helped us revamp our website. Their main task was ensuring that the users could easily find what they were looking for. The process included content design and layout, page layout, and development.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from Design In DC, including a project manager and a web developer.

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

I had know Design In DC for a couple of years, but we still did our due diligence and looked at other companies before choosing them. We wanted to compare them to other local web designers familiar with government contracting sites. Ultimately, we chose Design In DC due to their quick turnaround times and their pricing, which was more in line with our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around October 2021, and they finished the site in March 2022.

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

Design In DC developed a site with an improved user journey and UX, and they made it more SEO-friendly to help us appear higher on search engine rankings. Given that the site was just recently launched, we don’t have any metrics to provide. 

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

Design In DC’s project management was good. The project manager was very communicative and responsive. Regarding the deadlines, we missed the first one. Our objective was to launch by January 1st, but we came across the holidays and other challenges. However, we were able to get back on track, and Design In DC delivered the site in a timely manner.

Still, the experience of working with Design In DC was great. They used a lot of innovative tools to communicate with us and ensure that we kept involved and engaged in every step of the process. Additionally, they were very willing to go back and make the changes we requested without any hesitation or questions. Overall, it was a very cordial and easygoing relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Design In DC’s willingness to be collaborative was their biggest differentiator. They were very willing to listen to us and accommodate our demands. They were excellent team players and facilitated a very collaborative process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The number of technology pieces that Design In DC used was high, making it difficult for us to follow the process. Regular customers have to focus on their job while following the process and getting up to speed on the different platforms they use. If they could streamline their process a little more, the project would be easier for their clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them what you’re looking for, bring some ideas from similar sites you like, and discuss which features you would like to see on your site. Design In DC is very open, collaborative, and patient.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SVP of administration for Summit Ridge Energy, a solar power provider. We are in the community solar space and we create projects that we then sell to residents — such as apartment renters — who cannot have solar power in their homes.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design in DC?

We don’t have a retail business; we sell to other financiers, developers, and utilities who then use different means to get our products to actual residents. Because of this, our biggest challenge was to establish credibility and represent ourselves properly online. We had an existing website, but it was a bit archaic and didn’t tell our story very well, so we hired Design in DC to redesign the whole thing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design in DC managed the process from start to finish. We familiarized them with what we do, who we are, and the different messages that we were trying to communicate. They then put together a skeleton or a framework for how we could best lay out our content. They also offered to set up a splash page while they were bringing down and revamping the old, more ramshackle website.

What is the team composition?

The two owners were engaged throughout the whole process. There were also various developers and coders behind the scenes as well as a project manager who helped us craft our story to be more legible and attractive. In total, we interacted with 7–8 folks from their team. 

How did you come to work with Design in DC?

I found them when I was looking up ideas for best practices at Clutch. They were one of the several companies that popped up in that search. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2021. We have launched the site, but I expect that there will have a continued relationship with the team for our site maintenance needs.

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

People from within our company, who were loath to pass along our website to potential clients, are quite pleased with the redesign’s outcome. They think it’s very attractive and clear. Potential partners have also given positive feedback about our website. 

A marketing agency that offered to do our branding has even expressed that they don’t see renewable energy companies having web pages that good. It was all really pleasing to hear.

How did Design in DC perform from a project management standpoint?

They always adhere to timelines, even when we’ve had to move stuff back due to certain changes from our side. Other providers were a bit inflexible when it came to these situations, but Design in DC rounded together the necessary resources in order to meet every deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What really stands out to me is the engagement of their leadership. We appreciate that we’re not just designated to the technicians and designers but are kept in touch with the people who could actually solve the problem. Everything gets taken care of very readily and very patiently, even when we change our minds on certain decisions that have already been set prior.

I also like that we’re able to have a relationship with them where we can discuss issues very candidly. I can talk about the concerns that we have on our side and they can talk to me about theirs — all while still maintaining businesslike communications. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t mean to cast aspersions, but a lot of the copy-editing responsibilities fell towards us, which was a bit of a surprise. We checked the spelling, punctuation, and tenses of their writing and did more corrections than I expected. It hasn’t been a problem, though, and they could’ve been intentionally leaving misspellings to make sure that we were thoroughly checking the website. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hold back and don’t keep secrets. Be candid with Design in DC and tell them all about what you want to accomplish. A lot of other providers will try to fit you into a box, but their team will change their box to fit your needs. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Moment Engineering + Design, an architectural and structural engineering firm specializing in custom residential home design.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

We needed a company that could help us with our rebranding efforts. Our goal was to project our image in a more modern way than before.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design In DC designed and developed a new website from scratch and created a new logo for us. I initially gave them some sample websites just to give them an idea of what we were looking for, but they more or less took the ball and ran with it. We were able to give feedback along the way to hone in on the site’s final design.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with four people from Design In DC.

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

I found Design In DC through a Google search. We ultimately went with them because I really liked their website and some of the other website designs they’ve done.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000 in total so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

The website’s only been operating for a short time, but it’s working well. We’ve been getting a lot of organic searches as well as more leads coming through the site, so I’d say that it’s been a positive experience overall.

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

Design In DC has performed really well in terms of project management — everything has been delivered as per the dates outlined in the beginning, and they’ve been in constant communication with us throughout the whole process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with Design In DC’s willingness to go above and beyond to give us results that would make us happy. There have been a couple of misfires along the way, but they’re always willing to give everything another shot and come up with something that fits exactly what we were looking for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I could mention is that Design In DC uses Slack quite a bit. I’m not really a big fan of Slack, so I found that a little bit annoying. Other than that, I think the back and forth process between our teams has gone pretty smoothly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more information you can provide them, the better. If they don’t hit the target in their first attempt, they will stick with it and make sure to give you what you want.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founders and the COO of VSO, an IT and hybrid cloud management company.  Our IT services are focused on automation, standardization, and operation of hybrid cloud environments; we aim to do things faster and in a more standardized way. We also provide managed IT services. Meanwhile, our hybrid cloud services focus on providing legacy, virtualized, and cloud solutions.

In terms of our differentiators, we are designed towards a goal of 75% of our delivery team being composed of US military veterans. To be clear, we’re not there yet, but it’s our aspiration. We recruit and train military veterans for careers in IT. This way, we can help them transition out of the military and acquire new careers. This also gives us cost competitiveness in the labor market.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design in DC?

Our leadership team knew the markets we were focused on, and the solutions we had developed to meet those market needs.  However, we knew we weren’t experts in how to portray that vision through our website.  We hired a great team at Sawgrass Marketing to find us a web development team that had done innovative things in the past and that could think outside the box. We were introduced to a lot of firms, but we thought Design in DC demonstrated the most imaginative skills, so we hired them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

In our engagement, I was able to give Design in DC the concept and general look of what I want and they would then show me multiple ways that that idea could be illustrated. For instance, I’ll tell them that I want a picture to look a certain way, but it should also be modern. The biggest advantage they brought to the table was bringing to life our desire that the website be as interactive as possible.  Design in DC met that night with animation, code, and expansive experience in UI design. 

What is the team composition?

We work with two people from Design in DC, namely a UX lead and a senior project manager. We’ve also collaborated with one of their founders. Occasionally, we talked to some of their developers.

How did you come to work with Design in DC?

Initially, we hired a marketing company that was owned by a spouse of a veteran. That company helped us pick Design in DC based on their website, which wasn’t like the other websites we’d seen. Other vendors’ sites simply showed what they had done for others through their portfolios. 

Design in DC had an interesting perspective as shown on their website, and we wanted VSO to have a site like that. We wanted our site to show that we’d done interesting things around IT. Beyond that, we also needed a team that was expert in design and development. That way, we wouldn’t have to do a lot of thinking. That was the reason we decided to hire them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

Some of our IT services are complex and difficult to understand. However, the website that Design in DC has designed has allowed us not to worry about this complexity. We can simply send people to our website, and they understand our services right away. As a result, it’s helped us cut down training time for new employees. The site has also accelerated our sales cycle.

For example, when we’re meeting a new company or client that’s never heard of us before, they say that the website has helped them understand our business. For comparison, our past website didn’t help much; customers would still be trying to figure out what we did as a business even after looking at that website. At present, we don’t have this problem anymore. 

How did Design in DC perform from a project management standpoint?

Design in DC’s project management is great. They’re superb once they’re fully engaged with the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re willing to work to meet my needs. Even though they hear a bizarre idea from us, they still go for it. 

For context, we’ve fired a predecessor company to them because that firm had a cookie-cutter approach to website design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve done a bit better in the beginning in terms of communicating what their entire process was. For instance, they told us they needed some things, but they weren’t entirely clear about the timeline. As a result, we had a couple of slowdowns in different parts of the process. I didn’t realize I had to engage them in a different stage before I gained access to their lead developer. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend a significant amount of time at the beginning of the project to plan with Design in DC. Tell them what you want to see. They’re not consultants, but they’re excellent developers, so you should know what you truly want them to do.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of an AI traffic and security company. We mainly service public entities such as municipalities, counties, local governments, and so on.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

We had an outdated website and needed a professional designer and developer to build a new one.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design In DC has designed and developed our website. We initially provided them with preexisting marketing materials, and they came up with their own language and graphic design. The team used a little of our initial material, but they put a lot of creative effort into it.

We went live in July 2021, but we have a retainer contract for upgrades and maintenance. We’ve also engaged Design In DC with other projects. We have software that our customers use, and we hired them to do the UI for some of that software. Also, they’ve helped us with logo design and some graphical work outside of the contract.  They’ve done animations for us, and we plan to use them in the future for some product demonstrations. We also plan to enhance our website with them since all the videos on the site are commercial right now.

What is the team composition?

We’ve mostly interacted with three people regularly, but 5–6 people are on the team.

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

I searched online for web development companies. When I found Design In DC, their website and demo work demonstrated their superior creative capability and technological expertise. We’d contacted some large firms, but they were way over our budget and intent.

Design In DC was way above the rest, and they were a small group, so it’d be easy to work with them. Also, they proposed reasonable timelines.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

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

The site has been visited by both customers and potential investors, which was one of our primary intentions. Since then, we’ve started a process for investors, and they’ve clearly visited the site and the materials we provide. Overall, the feedback has been positive.

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. They stick to the schedule quite well, even if sometimes we’re behind in our deliveries. They’ve delays here and there, but they’ve been minor.

Overall, it’s a smooth process, and we haven’t had misunderstandings. Their communication is excellent and very clear. The whole process is managed through Slack, and the exchange of documentation has been relatively easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Considering how small they are, they have an excellent team. The founder comes from the film industry and is a video creator, so they’re exceedingly graphically gifted. They also have great programmers; they know the technology and how to exploit it. We’ve been very satisfied with what we’ve seen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know how they could improve. We’re satisfied with what we’ve got. As a small company, they’re busy, so they’ll have an easier time as they grow. Right now, they do well on what they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of marketing at a B2B technology company that provides product data to consumer packaged goods brands and other last mile delivery providers in the food and grocery industry. 

We use a combination of machine learning and AI technologies to digitize product image information, including nutrition, ingredient, and brand name information. We also add additional data points, like gluten-free labeling, to help consumers find products online. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

We had a website, but it wasn’t very good. We brought Design In DC on board to help us create a new one to tell our story better. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design In DC developed a custom website for my company. We gave them a clear idea of what we wanted to show on the homepage, the website content, and what pages we needed. I worked closely with the Design In DC team to craft a custom animation for the home page — their design team took our ideas and brought them to life. 

We did all of the copywriting in-house, and then Design In DC was tasked with visualizing and designing the layout of each section. Then, they developed the website on WordPress using a Beaver Builder template. They also created a sales demo video as part of our overall website package. 

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Isabelle (UX Lead & Senior Project Manager), who worked with a larger team of designers and developers. 

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

Design In DC was already working with my company when I came on board, and I thought they were an excellent choice for our needs once I started working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $9,500–$9,800 with Design In DC. 

What is the status of this engagement?

My company began working with Design In DC in January 2021 and the partnership is ongoing. 

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

We’ve received a lot of positive qualitative feedback on our customized website that tells our story well. Members of my industry have said it was a very fresh take on the problems in our industry and our unique solution. 

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

Design In DC ran the project very smoothly — they’re in the top tier when it comes to project management and communication. Isabelle was very clear on their deadlines and what was needed to move forward at each point in the process. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with other web development companies before, and Design In DC was among the best regarding project management. They executed a very customized vision of our website within the set timeframe. I was honestly shocked that they could build exactly what we wanted since they hadn’t done anything like it before. 

I also felt like I had a natural collaborator in Isabelle — she was always around, and I knew I didn’t have to worry about Design In DC misunderstanding what we wanted. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything for Design In DC to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As a marketer, I have a lot of experience creating content so I could provide some to the Design In DC team. However, I’d advise a customer that doesn’t have that same experience to still work with the Design In DC team because they’ll guide customers through every step of the process. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager for Loraygroup. Our business is building and development in the construction sector.

What challenge were you trying to address with Design In DC?

We hired them to rebrand our company and build our website. Along the way, we also added photography services. We used those three services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design in DC built our website from scratch because we had specific needs related to our trade. We previously had a website through Squarespace, so they went off of that, but they provided content curation as well.

For the website, they created a contact page where our clients could upload their construction plans and another one where subcontractors could upload their insurance information, W-9, and a description of the trade they work in. It also had a blog page for us, and Design and DC integrated MailChimp and our calendars to the contact page so our clients could schedule their appointments.

Additionally, they created our logo and brand guidelines. For photography and videography, Design in DC sent a crew on-site. They did a video for our website and took headshots of our team. Also, they took photographs of our projects, company vehicles, and so on.

Overall, it was a year-long project. We went through a long exploration stage because they wanted to know us and what we wanted to do. After that, we moved to implementation. For the process, they’d come up with ideas, and we’d decide where to go from there. However, we brainstormed for a while, especially because it was during COVID-19.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Ziad (CEO), a lead creative, a project manager, and someone on content curation throughout the process. I think they subcontracted the photography team.

How did you come to work with Design In DC?

My boss found them by looking online. We got proposals from other three companies, but Desing in DC seemed like a good fit for us. It seemed like they’d provide personalized attention, and they understood what we wanted to accomplish. They were very creative and personal, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $24,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020, and we ended the partnership in September 2021.

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

The website is now easier to navigate thanks to all the features they added. Since we launched it, we’ve received great feedback from our clients. Also, after we announced the rebranding, we saw a change in the way the clients see us and interact with us.

How did Design In DC perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was very communicative. They had a channel on Slack, and they added us. Every time we had a question, they were there for us. Overall, Design in DC was attentive, and they managed the project well.

Within our organization, we communicated via email and text messages. It was the first time we used Slack, but we liked it. Their team would share documents, and everything would be in there. It was a great form of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What made them different from other companies was that they took on our project and got very personal. Design in DC showed that they cared and wanted to give us exactly what we asked for. In summary, they took the time and were detail-oriented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know, honestly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When they communicate or send something to review, do it and answer back immediately. Our project dragged on for a year, but it was mostly on our part. We weren’t in a rush, but if you don’t want the project to be that long, just communicate as soon as possible.