Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Digital Marketing and Brand Manager. We're an HR Technology B2B Solution for executive-level hiring, development, and succession planning. We're a rapidly growing company that helps organizations hire senior management and sales professionals in a trusted, scalable, and digital format.

For what projects/services did your company hire FlowState Marketing?

Our last website was developed in-house on Squarespace and lacked the scalability needed to continue growing the brand. Our brand was also almost a decade old and the coloring, copy, and styles weren't connecting well with our global audience.

FlowState was brought on to update our brand color palette, copy, and website in a way that would allow us to build trust and authority with potential buyers in our space.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a brand that resonated with a global audience, a website that told our story, and an identity we could take into the next decade with pride.

How did you select FlowState Marketing?

FlowState was one of the agencies we contacted and presented our potential project to. They were the best as resonating with our goals for the revamp and redesign. We were also under a tight deadline for phase 1 of the website and needed the project to land on our desk sooner rather than later.

Describe the project in detail.

FlowState kicked off the project with a few discovery meetings which involved myself and other key stakeholders. They attempted to identify the essence of our brand that would eventually translate into a refreshed look and feel.

We then moved into a design phase where they took many of the ideas we'd collaborated on and moved them into the design. A few rounds later we reached a look and feel I believe both sides were happy with.

Next was copy, which was a bit of a heavier lift than we anticipated but their copywriter was patient and incredibly helpful in identifying areas she needed our input and copy she believed would resonate with potential buyers.

Once it was all put together we went through a copy round of revisions and comments to help finalize the website we now have today. Now, we're entering phase 2 of the website design to help us expand functionality now that we've identified additional content needs.

What was the team composition?

We worked with their project manager, a copywriter, designer, developer, and other additional staff. The team stayed very consistent throughout the project and that enabled us to maintain a clear vision of our goals, branding, and outcome criteria.

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

We have a completely refreshed brand, copy, and a whole new website. The redesign was popular with our domestic and international clients which felt the brand was continuing to innovate and stay modern.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There were a couple of points where communication or understanding throughout the project broke down. But I was managing executive stakeholders and their team was working with tighter deadlines than we were able to meet. But, once we got into a rhythm and everyone understood turnaround times the project began moving a lot smoother.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

FlowState understands branding very well. Their copywriters know their stuff and are very dedicated to building a clear vision of who your company is and what consumers or potential buyers might want to learn.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was a lack of understanding of the real customer journey on both sides going into the project (hence, phase 2). I think there's some focus on design over functionality for the client that I believe could be improved upon.

There are just things we're unable to update on our website without more work than might otherwise be necessary.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a brand manager at a healthcare biotech company that develops and commercializes everything from dietary supplements to medical foods and drugs. We also provide ingredients used to develop those products, selling them to B2B customers. I oversee the commercialization of products as well as our corporate brand.

What challenge were you trying to address with FlowState Marketing?

They were tasked with helping us redo our corporate brand. We were an early-stage startup that was under new leadership and had just acquired several small companies. At that time, we were trying to figure out our high-level brand strategy.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They undertook brand identity from a corporate perspective, taking charge of logos, design assets, and the development of a new website. When we approached them with the work, I provided them with the corporate color palette and a brief of what we wanted to communicate to our customers and audience.

In terms of the design, they had creative freedom otherwise. Returning with a design that reflected our requirements, they opened themselves up to an iterative process. They designed and developed the site on WordPress. 

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Tom (Director of Digital) and Reena (Project Manager). They were our day-to-day contacts, but we also interacted with copywriters, developers, and designers. Especially at the beginning of the project, we had larger calls with the entire team to ensure that everyone understood the company and project. 

How did you come to work with FlowState Marketing?

They’re a local agency, and we had heard good things about them from other regional businesses. We reached out to them for help defining a brand identity for the company.

They provided a quote and proposals, finding that they provided high-quality work as a smaller, nimble agency. We felt that they would be able to function as an extension of our team. 

How much have you invested with them?

The development projects cost about $50,000 in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April–October 2020.

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

The company has a much more established brand than it did before our engagement. Feedback has been incredibly positive, truly reflecting the work we’re doing currently. Internal colleagues are happy with the changes to the site.

We’re also noticing that more customers can find us online through our website. Our old site didn’t mention the B2B end of our business at all, but FlowState Marketing was able to include that on the new platform through a series of lead capture forms. That’s helped different types of customers reach out to us through our site with ease.

How did FlowState Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well. We’re an early-stage company with a lot of moving parts and differing opinions. Not only did they manage deadlines and communicate, but they were flexible when we needed to adjust something last minute. 

They were always very accommodating of change. The site launched according to schedule, even though we could’ve easily delayed the project with requests for changes. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was a challenging time for consistent branding at our company, but they did a great job of quickly understanding our business and the main points of communication we needed. They were much more nimble and flexible than larger agencies, able to roll with the punches. 

They’re very invested in client success. For instance, we had a hard deadline that aligned with an important board meeting. When we were having trouble with our hosting environment leading up to the meeting, they allowed us to host the site on their server until the board meeting was over. They did it free of charge. That level of partnership isn’t always easy to find at an agency. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared with requirements and show transparency with your business challenges. When we gave them insight into things we were facing internally, they could better serve our team.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner at Walter’s 303 Pizzeria & Publik House. We’re a local pizzeria with four stores in the Denver area.

What challenge were you trying to address with FlowState Marketing?

We hired FlowState to provide branding services. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

FlowState helped us with a branding program to help bring us to an understanding of who our market is. They helped us develop a new and improved logo based on what we already had. They provided additional collateral like new menus as well.  

The team is also completely redesigning our WordPress site, which has included integrating a POS system for our online orders.

What is the team composition?

We initially were working with around eight or nine people on a consistent basis. When COVID-19 hit, we paused our partnership, and when we came back we were working with about three people, including Tom (Creative Director).

How did you come to work with FlowState Marketing?

We started looking for a partner around the time when we were opening our fourth location. We came across some of the work FlowState had done in the area, so we reached out to them. They came off initially as a smart, confident team, so we decided to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little under $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019. We put things on pause for a while during COVID-19, but the work is ongoing again. We’re set to launch the site in about two weeks.

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

Since our site hasn’t gone live yet, we unfortunately don’t have any metrics right now. I can tell you it’s been really enjoyable working with FlowState. They’ve kept us on track throughout the whole process, and were patient with us even when it was tough to meet their deadlines, working around our schedule. 

The best part about the engagement was that we always felt like FlowState had time for us. They were diligent, but also flexible and understanding. 

How did FlowState Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was exceptional. Their ability to keep our projects on track is top-notch, as was their patience. As a restaurant, we have so many variables going on on a daily basis. FlowState was really great at managing us when things fell through the cracks. 

We used Basecamp to track progress. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their patience and ability to understand our business stands out. They became familiar with our daily operations schedule, so they were able to adjust to our needs along the way. 

FlowState also gave us the ability to understand what needed to be done while working with an agency like this. As we grow, we might need to bring on support for larger projects. Now we know how to work with a true branding and marketing agency. We’d work with FlowState again in a heartbeat.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we first started working together, it was a bit tight and restrained. One thing they could’ve improved on was being available and ready to host us as clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared and be diligent about your time and effort. FlowState will work hard to keep you on track, so make sure you understand the timeline process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of Flatirons Field Services, a private midstream company in the oil and gas sector. We have infrastructure assets in North Dakota as well as a chemical and water treating business that operates in several states. We are a growth company, so we are always looking at new opportunities in North Dakota and beyond. We have a team that sources and executes on these opportunities.

What challenge were you trying to address with FlowState Marketing?

We needed an updated website that looked professional and current. We wanted it to capture the attention of people through good SEO.

One of our challenges was that we have two very distinct operating platforms: the midstream business and the chemicals business. They are very different in terms of how we advertise and approach them from an operational standpoint. However, we needed to represent both of them on our homepage.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They initially helped us out with branding, such as company design and color schemes. Our original logo and corporate design were seven years old, so we really needed an updated look that was consistent with other companies out there that are similar in size to us. 

They leveraged that into talking about how to redesign the website. They worked with us on the language and the key terms that would drive the message of the website. Then, they used that to develop an initial template for the website that we could comment on. 

Finally, they got into programming and coding so that they could develop a functional website. I know that they worked on SEO; I just don’t know how it was embedded into the website.

What is the team composition?

There were two project managers that we interfaced with on a regular basis. Overall, I think there were 4–5 people from their team.

How did you come to work with FlowState Marketing?

My co-worker and I really tackled this website together. He represents the chemical side, and I represent the midstream side. He brought FlowState to us, and it was a competition between FlowState and another smaller company that was focused on the energy industry. That other company bid a much lower rate than FlowState, but what attracted me to FlowState was that I wanted an unbiased, generalist developer to come into our industry. I wanted to have a clean slate.

An energy-specific web designer knows the lingo very well and understands what the rest of the peer group is doing, so that what you get is going to be pretty consistent from a language and design standpoint. There is low risk because you are going to get something that is similar to your peers. I didn’t want something that was necessarily similar, and I wanted an element of new entry into the space. The risk with that is that they might not get the industry, and then it all falls apart. It was a calculated risk, but it turned out to be the right choice.

How much have you invested in them?

It was about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

September of 2019 was when we launched the early-stage design discussion with FlowState, and our work was finished in February 2020. I would say that they targeted to have it done by the end of the year, but the reason for the two-month delay into February of this year was entirely on our side. We just got busy, and then with the holidays, things rolled into the new year.

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

The homepage was very well done. The site is streamlined and easier to navigate than our initial site, which is a huge improvement. Now, our site’s users can easily go from one of our businesses to another. 

I wanted to have a rolling counter on the homepage that shows how much natural gas we are processing from the midstream standpoint. This is just a visual cue to people in the industry that shows the size of our company and how much business we do. FlowState was able to set that up with minimal interaction from us, and I really like that as something that is viewer-appealing and also unique. You don’t see that with any other industry peer out there. I was trying to go for a blend of consistency with other up-to-date websites in our peer group but also ways to differentiate ourselves.

Our industry went into a very steep downturn right after we launched the website, and then with the Coronavirus, I have been really out of touch with people for the past couple of months. I haven’t gotten a lot of feedback from people outside of the company, but I know that people inside the company like the website. It is working well, and it looks beautiful.

How did FlowState Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I think it was great. The website overhaul was a lower priority for me; it was important, but we’re a small company that is juggling a lot of things at the same time. I found it very helpful that they were consistent on the timeline and tried to keep us on that timeline so that things didn’t slip into oblivion. In order for them to understand our industry, company, and people, we had a very interactive and verbal collaboration during the first couple of months. Once they began website design, we left comments on different layouts and the wording of various sections. 

One of the interesting things about this engagement was that FlowState didn’t know much, if anything, of our industry, and we didn’t know much, if anything, of what they do. I think a testament to the success of the final product is that they do a very good job of getting up to speed internally on various industries, regardless of their existing knowledge base. Then, they manage that on their end without having to bother the industry folks with website development lingo.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing that impressed me was how quickly they got up to speed with our industry. I got the feeling at the beginning that they didn’t know much about the oil and gas sector. I didn’t discount them for that; in fact, that was one of the reasons that I hired them. 

They did a very interesting diligence process to identify keywords and terms that they could then use to populate a very early draft. The language within that draft was almost ready to run. We were surprised by that; we expected to have to coach them and go through several iterations to get them up to speed, but there was not much coaching needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I had a very good experience with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The advice I would give is to trust their ability to understand the business and also stick to the timeline you set. I think timelines are very important to them, and I can understand why. When you are in the thick of it, you can move much more efficiently toward each successive step because you are in the sphere of understanding the industry, business, and company. What you don’t want to have is a three- or six-month lapse, because then, you have to relearn a lot of that stuff. Make sure you honor the timelines, as FlowState can be very insistent about them. If you do, which we did, you will get a very nice product out of them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Production and Marketing Coordinator at a production company headquartered in the Denver area. We produce corporate events and serve clients across North America.

For what projects/services did your company hire FlowState Marketing?

We wanted to redesign the website to include information that more clearly presents what we do and who we are with an updated appearance. While we could have created a basic website in-house, we were looking for something more customized which required outside services.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a website we could easily update on our end, be simple to navigate and represent our company well.

How did you select this vendor?

We researched various web designers in the area and narrowed our search down to a few. After holding some interviews and reviewing proposals, we ultimately chose FlowState for their portfolio, offerings and scheduling flexibility.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we officially accepted their proposal, we had an in-person kickoff meeting at their office to align our visions for the website. From there we had calls and email communication to review designs and provide feedback. We utilized google docs to communicate final website copy. The project ended with an in-person meeting at our office.

What was the team composition?

There were a bunch of different people on the team, but I mostly interacted with the Project Lead and the Web Developer. They were both very accommodating when it came to making tweaks to the design and making sure we understood how to maintain our site after it launched.

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

We have heard from people who looked at our site that they found it to be very informative and clear, which was one of our goals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was very accommodating of our busy schedules, as this project was occurring during our busy season. Sometimes there were miscommunications and slow response times from their end.

Project deadlines and expectations for various phases weren't always clear to us and the project dragged out a longer than we wanted. That all being said, we were in a busy season and sometimes our feedback was a little delayed. Overall, we were happy with the team and pleased with the end result.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with the web developer's willingness to spend time training us on Wordpress. And some specific Adobe XD features that would help us maintain the site. They also provided us with the XD files upon our request, as we prefer to have ownership of our assets and we are very appreciative that they accommodated this request.

Are there any areas for improvement?

When initially presented with the design concept, we were only given one direction mock-up as an option. I would have liked to see three very different design directions to react to early on in the project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an action sports apparel company that is pushing the envelope in performance motocross gear technology.

For what projects/services did your company hire FlowState Marketing?

We hired FlowState to develop our website and shoot the media content used within the website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for the project was to create a user friendly website with the abilities to display our new gear technology in creative ways.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected FlowState after thorough website searches and reading other reviews online.

Describe the project in detail.

From start to finish, our project included designing a website with unique functionality and design. The concepts and functionality that FlowState put into our website were top notch.

What was the team composition?

We had a team manager that we contacted the about most of our project question and thoughts. It was also nice to have direct contact with our developer who was always willing to go the extra mile in fixing any issues we saw.

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

Upon the launch of our website, the positive responses we had were phenomenal. We had numerous customers and friends telling us how unique and professional the website was.

FlowState had helped us create a moto apparel website that was unlike anything ever seen before and it was well received.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication we had between our team and FlowState was excellent. FlowState constantly kept us up on updated information and anytime we needed to get ahold of them they were always available to speak with us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive points to highlight about FlowState is their ability to handle all aspects of website development, project creating, and product branding.

Not only can they create a very professional media platform, but they can also help position your brand with merchandise items and other media content all in house. Not very many companies with all these capabilities under one roof.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of Servant Coffee, an artisan coffee roasting business headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

What challenge were you trying to address with FlowState Marketing?

We wanted to build an e-commerce platform and needed a firm to handle all of the design steps that came along with the process of entering the digital space for the first time.

What was the scope of their involvement?

All of the brand assets for the company were already in place, such as our logo and loose brand architecture, and FlowState Marketing’s first role was to develop a digital platform and an email service that we could use as a basis for our digital presence.

Their team also develop our merchandise as well. That involved developing a storefront page within the website, as well as designing t-shirts, hoodies, and hats that we now sell on the site.

We also wanted to integrate the website with an app that could support our subscription-based coffee delivery service, and FlowState Marketing helped us interview different app developers and pick the right partner for that so that we could establish the two in tandem with one another.

What is the team composition?

On their end, we had anywhere between 3–6 people working with us depending on what stage of the project we were in.

How did you come to work with FlowState Marketing?

One of the owners of their company operates a sister company that is more of an apparel-based business. I met him at an industry event and got to talk to him, which is when I found out that they had a marketing business as well.

I got in contact with them when we realized this need, and we decided to go with them from there. They turned out to be much smaller and nimbler than our previous marketing partner, so we were more than happy to continue the engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

For all of our work with them, we have spent somewhere in the $30,000–$35,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

The whole project ran from about April—October 2019.

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

As a startup company, it would be a little difficult to quantify the exact impact of their work in terms of additional revenue or profitability, but they really enabled our operations in the digital space. We have gotten a lot of really positive feedback from our customers regarding the site.

From a qualitative perspective, we were incredibly pleased with both the work that they delivered and the attitude of their team. We never doubted their personal commitment to the project and saw them go above and beyond the initial requirements time and time again.

How did FlowState Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they did a very good job managing the project, and our communication was always really open and clear. We had regular face-to-face meetings, and they were always very adaptable, so despite being a brand-new business and discovering more information or things to include frequently throughout the project, we were able to stay more or less on track throughout the entire development process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They stood out to me from the very beginning because of the excitement and passion for the project that they communicated to us. Not only that, but their previous projects demonstrated a level of commitment and creativity that made me really excited about bringing them to the table. Those two factors gave me a lot of confidence that they would be able to bring our vision to life.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I do think that they could be a little bit sterner to help ensure that we don’t fall behind on any timelines because of client delays. They do a good job having a great attitude and rolling with the punches, but I think something they will gain with more experience is the ability to maintain that while still being fairly strict about their requirements.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients need to have a clear sense of scope for the project and be aware of the impact that delays on their end can have on the overall timeline of the project. As long as you give their team specific requirements and stay on top of your work, the project is going to go very smoothly.         

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Sunny Acre Corp., a restaurant.

What challenge were you trying to address with FlowState Marketing?

We were going through the process of disfranchising and decided to go out on our own. We needed help with rebranding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

FlowState Marketing is helping us with the rebranding process. First, they took steps to get a feel for our company before they made any decisions or suggestions. We finalized the rebranding at our location. 

There are a couple of details that we’re working on. FlowState Marketing has provided a new color scheme and logo, along with a new attitude and voice for the restaurant. They’re helping out with the creation of the website right now. They did a temporary website.

They’re also doing a photoshoot of the food and the restaurant, which will be used in digital advertisements that we hired another company to do after the big project is finalized. FlowState Marketing has helped with print advertisements.

What is the team composition?

There are four people. A fifth person came on when we started working on merchandise.

How did you come to work with FlowState Marketing?

I found them online when looking for rebranding companies in Colorado. They were on a list of the best 10, and I started making phone calls. After reviewing their website and what they offered, FlowState Marketing seemed like the right fit. They had the right energy, and it felt like we’d be a good match for each other.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $22,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019, and it’s ongoing.

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

They’re really well organized and pay a lot of attention to the culture of the place they need to represent. People say the new look is very fresh, and they’re very excited for the changes. The changes are gradual; people still recognize our brand and feel comfortable with it, even though the look and presentation are different.

How did FlowState Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They have pretty strong team management. We communicate with a group, but we get answers from one person, which is nice; we don’t have to repeat ourselves to everybody. There is a lot of exchange over email, and we’ve had two in-person meetings. They’re very much on schedule. They give us due dates, and it’s up to us if we want to meet them or not.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a slower and more in-depth process. I was expecting it to be a much faster process. I’m very glad that it hasn’t been, though, because I don’t think I would have defined our restaurant as such if I hadn’t spent the time answering so many questions for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like a more visible schedule. They talk about it, but I’d like to see it. They’re good at giving short-term dates, but not the overall schedule.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give yourself enough time.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We have two SaaS products for healthcare providers: one is a mobile solution that integrates with EMRs, which allows providers to access medical records and document in real-time using their smartphone or tablet, the other is a cloud based solution that streamlines and digitizes the administrative functions for ASC's and surgery clinics.

I am a National Account Manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire FlowState Marketing?

We came to FlowState with an existing logo, brand and marketing material that lacked intentionality, and were looking to partner with some creative types that would take our vision, our values, our core competencies to create a new look and feel that better resembles all of those attributes.

What were your goals for this project?

To develop a new logo, brand and marketing material that would remain relevant, informative, homogenous, and most importantly, depicts accurately and favorably on what DocBuddy is all about.

How did you select this vendor?

We had started kicking the tires with various marketing firms, and those initial exploratory meetings with other agencies never had the right fit feel. Whereas from the start it felt more like a real partnership with FlowState in the way they communicated with us, their flexibility in establishing the parameters of the project, setting expectations, and their overall transparency.

Last but not least, it was evident that our vision, values and product actually resonated with them and they were excited to walk this leg of the journey with us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The overarching project initiatives were logo, brand, web and advertising content. The project kicked off with several discovery meetings with various internal members of both teams, centering on the formation of brand identity. Those meetings then progressed into stylescapes and the build-out of the brand assets, which involved newly designed business cards, letterhead, advertising collateral, presentation templates, etc.

We also utilized FlowState in creating new web content to keep our messaging consistent across all platforms, which is where their flexibility in partnering with us was on full display, because we had already partnered with a separate vendor to do the web design, and FlowState managed that unusual handoff with ease. 

What was the team composition?

The contributors on our end involved mostly everyone at DocBuddy at some point or another, from the Founder/CEO to our account reps, as we're still a small close-knit group that really values each other's feedback, plus FlowState was really great at creating an inclusive forum to share thoughts and refine the content.

We collaborated with 4-5 key contributors on FlowState's digital advertising team througout the project.

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

We've began to rollout various aspects of the brand refresh to our current client base and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Each employee at DocBuddy is highly committed to the direction and success of the company and when choosing an outside company to contribute to the look and feel of something so personal, you really want that outside company weighing in to have a shared outlook on things, and all I can say is during the project it became evident that DocBuddy and FlowState are kindred spirits. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I feel like their approach to the project was refreshing because they let us drive and pick a la carte the services we would utilize them for and they did a great job of managing the expectations, the timeline, the costs, a lot of input coming from all directions, to deliver a great end product that exceeded what we had initially hoped for. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-Founder of a new cold brew start up, where I was responsible for creating and expanding the entire brand identity for our young company.

For what projects/services did your company hire FlowState Marketing?

Since we were just starting out, we needed to develop an entire brand identity, as well as create all of the necessary branding assets. As a company, we were struggling to find our own voice, as well as figuring out how to personify it. We came from backgrounds that were not in branding/marketing, we looked to find a firm that could best help us articulate ourselves through both our messaging and our packaging.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for the project was pretty straightforward, create a brand identity and packaging that matched that. We cannot say enough good things about FlowState and how this turned out. Not only do we feel our identity is clear and concise, I receive compliments multiple times a day regarding our packaging, which they designed.

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to over 15 firms that we found while searching the web, and recommendations through friends. As we began our search, we prioritized three things: The firm's design aesthetic, their pricing, and the "gut" feeling we got when meeting with them. FlowState really hit the mark on all three. Their motto, "Design With Purpose" could not be more true, their artwork and messaging were exactly that.

We did not want extraneous and unnecessary assets, everything we received had a clear purpose and was to the point. In our initial meeting with one of the owners and their digital director, we hit it off immediately and felt that they understood exactly what we were going for. The team at FlowState is ambitious, creative, and just plain fun to work with. Finally, we felt like we were receiving incredible bang for our buck with our scope of work for the price we were quoted.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The process began with an in depth discovery session, in which myself and my co-founder met with the entire team at FlowState so that they could learn more about us. This session was incredibly helpful, as they knew exactly the questions to ask us. We were initially afraid that we would not be able to articulate our desired direction for our brand, however upon receiving our prospective brand directions, or "stylescapes" we were pleasantly surprised.

Throughout a series of revisions and further meetings, we were able to hash out all things that encompass a brand identity. The process felt incredibly collaborative (something we had requested) and we really felt as though the work was something we had a hand in creating. The team was incredibly communicative throughout the entire project, and we appreciated the transparent, honest creative process. FlowState really went above and beyond in regards to our packaging, designing the label for three totally separate SKU's, and during our legal review were sending us revisions almost immediately as needed.

What was the team composition?

It felt we had the entire company at our disposal, but we had three main contacts. The Digital Director, a Project Manager, and Digital Media Designer. Our project manager kept us apprised to the group's progress, setting up weekly meetings and calls if necessary. Creatively, the design team was just a call or email away.

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

Our company will be taking our product live in the coming month, so it is hard to give a quantifiable result. However, our brand awareness is through the roof. We've seen a 600% increase in our social media followers since the release of our digital can designs, and as I mentioned previously, I receive multiple compliments a day regarding our packaging.

It will stand out against a shelf, and it has made pre-sales for our products much easier than anticipated. The cans look incredible, and in our first sales meetings, buyers are eager to get them on the shelves ASAP. My business partner and I could not be more excited as well, FlowState exceeded our expectations tenfold.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was incredibly effective. Everyone on our team was accessible during business hours, and even after. Expectations we made clear, and they were upheld. FlowState utilized an online scheduling tool that live-updated their progress on each task, and we could see how it was coming along relative to the timeline we'd agreed upon.

They were also incredibly open to feedback, and when we had issues articulating issues we had with certain things (again, we did not come from creative backgrounds, so would have a hard time explaining why we didn't "like" the way something looked) they knew exactly what questions to ask to get the answers they needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

FlowState's commitment to their clients goes above and beyond. There are two things that come to mind when I speak to how impressive they are. First, we had a last second request for something (after hours on a Friday) for some marketing materials with virtually no lead time. We called FlowState's President in a panic, and he picked up on the first ring and helped us out for around thirty minutes. It was only at the end of the call that he let us know that he was literally in the middle of taking his engagement photos and stopped them to help us out.

Second, during the legal review for our labels with the FDA, we had several minute changes that needed to be made. Unfortunately, the FDA doesn't give them to you all at once, but one at a time after each correction is made. Our designer helping us with the labels at FlowState must have sent us over ten revisions within one day, never taking longer than ten minutes to fire something back. He spent the entire day helping us out so that we could push our cans through legal compliance.

Are there any areas for improvement?

FlowState is a very young company. This was part of the reason why we chose them, knowing full well that some of the things we were asking of them hadn't been done at FlowState before. It was a learning process for both of us on some things, but we would do it with them all over again.