eDesign Interactive

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a venture studio, which is a venture capital incubator model.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

We built our website when the company started in 2015. We didn't have any portfolio investment companies at that point. We changed directions and needed to redesign our website to showcase those changes. Also, we wanted to shine a light on our portfolio companies. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

eDesign Interactive built and designed a whole new website. Their team built a CMS into the backend, which allows us to make updates. They also built an e-commerce piece to the website with Shopify.

We gave them our brand guidelines, which were fairly out of date. They led a discovery exercise that guided the initial design. Their team created the designs based on our founder’s feedback too. They balanced showcasing our portfolio companies as well as our founder. Their team also refined the site's copy.

They help with our SEO efforts too. As well, their team continues to work on our website.

What is the team composition?

Outside of developers, there were probably five people working with us.

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

I searched for agencies and they were one that I came across. We saw some awards they’d won. We interviewed and received proposals from about 30 different agencies with various price points. eDesign Interactive provided us with the most appealing price. Our founder also liked how they were creative, and project minded. They seemed to care about delivering on time and budget.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost about $50,000, but we have them on retainer with a minimum number of hours. They bill us if we go over those hours at a reasonable rate. Their price is reasonable for their talent and output quality.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in the fall of 2018. The website took about a year to complete, which was due to our constant design changes. Their team still provides SEO services and website updates as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re pleased with the website. We had little structure to give them, so they built the platform from scratch. We’re pleased with all of the site's elements including the copy.

We’re a complicated customer, but their team dealt with our ever-changing requests and needs well. They’re professional and accommodating. Their team not only presented the risks associated with decisions but also presented compromises. It’s a pleasure to work with them.

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

eDesign Interactive used Basecamp. They were always on time. Our work style isn’t always easy because our founder gets pulled away for several weeks at a time for his other businesses. They were able to schedule their work around us. Their team provided constant updates on the design and build. They were able to make sure they got the most important pieces delivered when our founder was available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service and level of professionalism stand out. We’re not the easiest client and we had agencies in the past get frustrated with us. They kept chugging ahead. Their ability to problem-solve was top-notch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did an amazing job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a great team of people. If you’re on the west coast, they’re on the east coast, so the hours can be tough. However, eDesign gave us notice and fit meetings into our tight schedule.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former brand manager at a consumer goods company that manufactured and marketed various food items.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

I was managing a brand that needed a blog for its website. They also helped us build a website from the ground up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided blog-writing services for one of our sites that was in need of written content. In that effort, they wrote the blog copy and found appropriate images to publish on the site. With that, they offered analytics and insights on the backend.

That included tracking the average time spent on the site and how much traffic we were receiving. From there, they would recommend tweaks and changes to our strategy. We came up with blog topics together, deciding upon relevant information. They posted a blog each month, and I was able to provide any edits I wanted. Their team also published the finalized information on the site.

We also created a new corporate website together from scratch. They took care of wireframes, designs, images, and more. Their team both drafted and edited copy in collaboration with my team. Throughout the design phase, they came up with iterations of sites for us to examine. We went back and forth on edits until we finally went live.   

What is the team composition?

There were about four people on their team for the blogging project. For the website, I spoke with an additional three people. I’m sure there were more resources working in the background on both fronts. 

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

My VP of marketing had reached out to them, and they had come to us to present on their capabilities at one point. We went with them for these projects because they were a smaller team that could be agile and nimble. They always responded to us quickly when we reached out with questions or concerns. Their team also provided examples of high-quality work that they had done in the past. 

How much have you invested with them?

Between those two projects, we spent about $60,000–$80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from March 2017 and continued to do so through 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They made our new site much more modern and fresh, revamping the outdated, older version. That brought us up to speed on the latest UI and design thinking. The design is mobile-friendly, which appeals to a wider audience. They were helpful in making sure that our site would render nicely across devices. It was easy for me to trust that the quality of work would be excellent, so I never had to worry. The usability of the final site is great and intuitive. The content they created really reflects the essence of the company as a whole.   

For the blog, their articles and imagery were always top-notch. For instance, they produced very high-quality content that involved how to make a particular craft. We were always very happy with their work. 

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Once every month, we would meet to discuss our website’s traffic and other relevant analytics for the blog they were running. They were highly-organized and did a great job of managing the project. Their team was on top of the timing and schedule of the project to communicate on certain deadlines. That allowed us to revise our timeline if needed. We were always able to deliver right on time, with really strong design work. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their content is very impressive, and their team was responsive. It was important for us to be able to access them when needed, and they exceeded expectations with response time. Those things set them apart. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get examples of their past work and talk through potential timelines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time of the project, I was an associate director of marketing for Sabra Dipping Company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

eDesign Interactive was helping us with a relaunching of the Sabra Canada website. The site we had was dated, did not have the functionality that we wanted, and needed to more closely address our brand positioning.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team helped us plan out what main goals we wanted the site to achieve, updated our brands look and feel, and streamlined the UI/UX to help the user find information more readily and with fewer clicks.

The site is bilingual, so we had to be able to completely mirror the flows and functions of both sites for each language. There was also some complexity in the site design, particularly around recipe pages, and a store locator function based on both postal code and product categories available at those stores.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Vincent (Partner, eDesign), and he had around 4–6 people working on the project with him.

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

I believe we were referred to them by an agency that we work with within our industry.

How much have you invested with them?

The development of the site cost around $20,000–$25,000, and then we spent around another $30,000–$35,000 on the maintenance of the site for the following year, including SEO, updates, and accessibility.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from around May–December 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The year that we implemented the website with eDesign was one of our highest growth years, reaching almost 48% for the year. That was due to a combination of factors, but the redesigned website was certainly a huge part of that.

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was able to understand our deliverables perfectly from the beginning, and really did a great job of producing them within our time and budget structure. They communicated seamlessly with me and were always available and responsive to our feedback. I felt very comfortable and confident with Vincent leading the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think the quality of the relationship that we had with their team members stood out the most. They performed sophisticated work that I would expect from a highly established digital marketing web asset agency, but there was also a personal touch in their responses and the rapport that we developed that you can often have difficulty getting out of your account person.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any additions or gaps that I felt need to be corrected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It is well worth the time to get to know Vincent and his team so that your collaboration with them will be as enjoyable and productive as possible. I would recommend them not just as an agency for digital work but for all of the marketing technology demands that modern CPG companies are looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for Hardie’s Fresh Foods. We’re a B2B that sells fresh food ingredients to chefs in restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

The design and business challenge was figuring out how we could simply and beautifully show our products to our customers. We carry about 7,000 items, so it’s not an easy task. We had a WordPress website that had some basic information on our company, but it was less focused on the products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

eDesign Interactive redesigned our website to help us categorize some of our products and make our website more visual. Our team provided a creative brief and a wish list for deliverables, and eDesign Interactive came back with wireframes and design options. We went from there.

They created the architecture to categorize the products, implementing a CMS system so we can update the content ourselves; produce changes seasonally, as does availability from week to week. The team added some fun, unique features; for example, instead of typing in your search, you can actually draw the item and it’ll search that way. The team helps us produce interesting content that makes it easy to talk about our products.

eDesign Interactive continues to tweak the site, adding more content and continuously making it better. We have a maintenance contract, but some of the work we ask them to do is outside of just pure maintenance, like adding new functionalities. 

What is the team composition?

There is a team of nine people assigned to work on our account. Our primary contacts are Vincent (Partner, eDesign Interactive) and Andrew (Project Manager, eDesign Interactive). 

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

A colleague of mine did the research, and they stumbled upon a food site that eDesign Interactive did. We really liked the site.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spends about $10,000 each year on maintenance. They do a great job being responsive and fitting a lot beyond maintenance into that fee. The redesign was a separate cost of around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with eDesign Interactive in late 2018, and our new website has been live for at least six months. We’re continually building upon it to make it better.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A huge part of our brand is beautiful food photography; people taste with their eyes. Our previous site had delivered some beautiful photography, but it was very slow. With the redesign, the site is a lot faster and more responsive, especially for mobile users. As a result, we’re getting three times more traffic and leads coming in through our website than we did previously. 

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very well delivering on the creative brief; they’ve nailed it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

eDesign Interactive has some very creative solutions. The team delivered beyond the creative brief by providing additional ideas; they really surpassed our expectations from that perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could put requests on the schedule a little faster. It’s a fairly new relationship, so we both probably just need to set expectations on the turnaround time. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Start with clear direction and be open to new ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a business manager at the Orthopedic Institute of New Jersey. We’re a multi-specialty practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

We wanted to make a new website but also needed site maintenance and management services. We also wanted to improve our online visibility through organic search efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

eDesign Interactive managed the entire project. During development, one of their managing partners worked intensively with us, setting up meetings to discuss different ideas. Eventually, we all agreed on a design. Their team developed the backend so that I'm able to update information such as our physicians list. They also designed the website, providing graphic design services. Their team implemented different sliders, a find a physician page, and a location page.

Now, their team manages our digital marketing efforts. They created content for the website and continue to work it. We have a special project to create content for body part pages. We work with a medical writer who their team provided to fill out those pages, so it makes it easier for us to show up in searches. They also provide us with paid advertising through Google.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact’s Vincent (Partner, eDesign Interactive). I also work with about six individuals including Andrew (Project Manager, eDesign Interactive) and Marin (Senior Project Manager, eDesign Interactive).

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

When I transitioned into this role, the company was already working with eDesign Interactive.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2018, and their work with us is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a nice, visual, and professional orthopedic website that looks clean. I like the graphics. Their team completely revamped the platform. Users can easily access the site and find a physician. They can check out our about OINJ page, our directory, news, and events, etc., so it's a great experience all around. Their team did a good job.

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Basically, we worked with Vincent who acted as the project manager on their side. We had follow-up calls weekly and used an online source to manage the project. They perform well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project management skills distinguish them from the competition. They work well as a team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that I can think for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend them. If you have an opportunity and need for them, give eDesign Interactive a shot.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior VP of digital marketing at Frost King, a family-owned weatherstripping company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

We were looking for marketing help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

eDesign Interactive designed our website and provided marketing services. The team did the initial designs for our site and have since revamped it. They provide suggestions for themes and ideas to change how customers look at our business.

The eDesign Interactive team helps us create coordinated messages from our company across various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They coordinate seasonal campaigns and come up with ideas to gain new customers. I provide them with an idea and they create the content. They always get final approval before posting anything.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Vincent (Partner, eDesign Interactive), but we work with up to five members of the eDesign Interactive team.

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

I have been working with Vincent for the past eight years. I really enjoyed working with him and decided to stick with him when he ended up at eDesign Interactive. It’s turned out to be a great fit and they give him all the resources he needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with eDesign Interactive began in August 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website is a great showcase for what we do as a business. Vincent is always honest with me about both good and bad ideas. He’s always thinking outside the box.

Their team can always spin our campaigns in new directions and makes them fit in the medium we’re looking for, be it Twitter or Instagram. They consistently do a thorough job.

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

eDesign Interactive always follows through. I love when someone says they’re going to do something and actually does it, it’s a breath of fresh air. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The eDesign Interactive team really cares about us and our company. It shows in the quality of work they do for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, every step of the process has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do it. It’s a no brainer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of a small consulting and executive coaching firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

We needed someone to develop our new website as a step in our onboarding of a new coaching client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

eDesign Interactive developed our website completely from scratch using WordPress. They did the design, look, and feel of the site, coded it, and put it all together. They also connected us with a photographer, which was super helpful. There’s some animation in the design as well.

Because we’d done some work on our mission and message beforehand, we knew what kind of language we wanted to use. We had some text and wireframe ideas that we gave to eDesign Interactive. They were very receptive to any ideas and then they had some really great ideas as well.

Once the website was completed, we went through it so I could go in and make any edits to our site as needed. Vincent (Partner, eDesign Interactive) and the team were very helpful in putting together instructions. We also had a face-to-face session where I could ask them questions and see what the interface would look when I made many updates to some aspects of the website. (Obviously, I can’t make maintenance updates, but if I want to add a new book to our bookshelf, I can do that type of editing.)

Eventually, we’d like to have a video and possibly links to a podcast. I was pushing to launch though before adding these additional features. We will continue to work with eDesign Interactive to add these new features.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about five people. My main contact varies between Vincent, Maria (Project Manager, eDesign Interactive), and two other people switched midway.

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

I spoke with a few other independent, freelance web designers. I’d used one of them for my first site, but I felt it wasn’t the best option for us now. We wanted something a little more sophisticated that could support new aspects to our website that we wanted to add down the road. The ideal vendor would also provide maintenance and regular updating as needed. 

While looking online, I came across eDesign Interactive. I noticed that they were local to where I am. I felt it’d be helpful to be able to meet in person. Seeing their other clients and their website were really big selling points as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

eDesign Interactive is amazing to work with and super receptive. They have a lot of fantastic ideas, and the process has moved quickly. We wouldn’t have as nice and useful a site if we didn't hire them. They’ve really helped us bring our ideas of who we are as a firm to life visually.

We’ve gotten quite a bit of client feedback as well as friends and associates. Everyone that we sent the website to or people who have looked at gave us positive feedback and said it has a great look and feel to it. It reflects the services that we’re offering.

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

It is a small team, and everyone is super responsive and on top of things. We use a piece of software where I can send out important information and everyone on the team has real-time access to it. That makes the whole process super smooth in terms of communication. 

Once we started working together, we set up a weekly call to discuss what’s been done and if there’s something we needed to clarify. We also meet in person 3–4 times with Vincent typically. They’re amazing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

eDesign Interactive excels in how they work with clients and their ability to manage the project. Their creative ideas are on the cutting edge. They can manage a product efficiently and effectively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m satisfied with the experience. I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My only advice was if you’re not able to dedicate the time to a website redo, I’d wait to start it. Once the project begins, it’s an added set of duties that takes some time and intellectual commitment. If you don’t have a lot of extra time, you can slow the process down. I felt that if I could move faster in getting my feedback and other items to eDesign Interactive that they needed, the process could have gone even more quickly. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an executive director of marketing at a community college.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eDesign Interactive?

As the demographics of our students was changing, it was more difficult to attract high school students to college. We wanted to increase enrollment, so we started looking for a vendor to help us with our digital marketing campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

eDesign Interactive provides SEO services and manages our social media to help us increase traffic to the website. They've also developed all the creative for our digital marketing campaigns. They give us monthly Google Analytics reports on how our website is performing and provide recommendations on how we can improve the user experience. Also, they maintain our blog and oversee keyword strategies.

What is the team composition?

We have two main points of contact.

How did you come to work with eDesign Interactive?

We worked with Vincent (Managing Partner, eDesign Interactive) when he worked for another company. We liked the quality of his work, so we continued to work with him after he started his own company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen a dramatic increase in attendance at our recruitment events and the traffic to our website has increased. eDesign Interactive understands our market very well and always comes up with new and creative ideas. Also, they work very collaboratively with us and listen to our concerns, which we appreciate. We're very pleased with the results.

How did eDesign Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

We have phone calls at least twice a month, where we discuss our digital marketing campaigns and our website. They're very organized, professional, and meet all of our deadlines. Also, they're very accessible, so I can reach them anytime I need to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're always looking for innovative ways to reach our market. They understand that we have a limited budget and they're willing to work with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we've been very happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a good overview of your goals and your business. Make sure you create opportunities for them to talk to different people in your organization because they're great listeners and can develop creative ideas based on those conversations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Creative Service Manager of County College of Morris

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Education

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire eDesign Interactive to accomplish?

• Rebuild Website

SOLUTION

How did you find eDesign Interactive?

Referral

Why did you select eDesign Interactive over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from eDesign Interactive were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Research and create personas, wireframes and overal site plan and navigation.
• Design site including templates, styling, colors, etc, for desktop and mobile.
• Migration of top level pages.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Employee and user feedback was an initial resource and will continue to be a valuable resource. We will continue to track/monitor website traffic, bounce rates, Google analytics, time spent on pages, etc.

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

The eDesign team was a pleasure to work with from our initial kickoff and planning to launch and post launch of the site. They were extreamly responsive to every issue, need, concern we had - especially when it came to solving some of our unique issues. They were commited to finding  a solution to every problem. Their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to our project kept us on track to meet our goals.

What was your primary form of communication with eDesign Interactive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Simply - thier dedication to finding a solution to any challenge that arose!

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Delegate

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Platform for Salesforce services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire eDesign Interactive to accomplish?

• Brand and Identity Refresh
• New website design and implementation
• Content

SOLUTION

How did you find eDesign Interactive?

Referral

Why did you select eDesign Interactive over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

What was the size of eDesign Interactive’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Brand and Identity revamp. Website re-design and implementation. Design guidelines. CMS implementation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Deliverables of new logo, brand guidelines, website.

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

Projects were delivered on schedule and on budget. Their team was very organized and detail-oriented.

What was your primary form of communication with eDesign Interactive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to understand what we were trying to convey as a company. Their ability to have a genuine curiosity into who we were and what our culture was.

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

Project management tool they use to engage with clients, basecamp, is incredibly inefficient and difficult to use. Would love better access deliverables and project plan outside of basecamp. Things were missed on our side because of this tool not being engaging or user-friendly.