Here and Now Creative Co

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of The Nail Hub, LLC and Attain Cosmetics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Here and Now Creative Co?

We were looking to rebrand our existing business as well as create a completely new brand for a separate project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Here & Now was recommended to us by our digital advertising company. After an initial meeting we knew they were an excellent fit.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After beginning with a series of questionnaires we worked on selecting a branding design that fit our business. Here & Now Creative worked with us step-by-step to develop the trajectory for our branding design and helped us create the vision from our own instincts and ideas. Here & Now helped us not only to create a new brand for 2 businesses, but also all the product and web design elements. They worked closely with all our other teams to complete large projects.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with both company founders; Meghan and Sam.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The rebrand we did on The Nail Hub helped formalize and mature our business presence. Our customers have provided lots of positive feedback about the new look and feel. We expect to have the same type of result with our new LOB.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Here & Now works very efficiently. They conduct all communication through email and video calls. They provided a full timeline with deadlines for our responses and when to expect action items and deliverables.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We really appreciate Here & Now's unique approach to developing and creating a brand. They are very organized while being very creative which is rare. We also appreciate their relevant and youthful approach to branding and design and their candidness.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Invoicing could be a little more detailed and aligned to project milestones. Our situation is unique as we are building something from scratch that requires a longer timeline, however, the only area that I think could be improved is on the invoicing side to provide more clarity.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Dearly, a new baby, children's, and maternity retail brick-and-click store that offers hand-selected essentials for little ones ages 0-5.

We focus on bringing the very best products and brands - high-quality, sustainable, beautiful - together and marrying that with a truly special and highly-personalized shopping experience both in-store and online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Here and Now Creative Co, and what were your goals?

I started this business as the mother of two while also working part-time, and knew that I wanted to bring in a strong creative team to help me get everything off the ground.

With this kind of business, a compelling brand is essential - so I wanted to find people who understood the vision of what we were going for. I hired Here and Now to help me name and define the brand and brand strategy of my business.

SOLUTION

How did you select Here and Now Creative Co?

I was looking to work with an agency that was female-founded and worked with female founders. I did research online and found a few options. I spoke to a few other branding agencies and Here & Now stood out right off the bat because they were extremely responsive.

They emailed me back right away. When I got on a call with them, it felt like they immediately understood the vision of my store. I felt comfortable talking to them and it immediately felt like we were working as a team together.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

The project broke down into three phases: Discover, Design, and Finalize. First, they sent me a questionnaire and we created a shared Pinterest board to upload inspiration.

Then, we had an initial call and really delved into the vision, mission, and values of the company. They wanted to learn how I understood the industry, competitors, and my business.

They asked a lot of great questions and I was impressed with their insights, even at this initial stage. The result was a mood board presentation along with suggestions for names for the business (which I had been stuck on for months).

Together, we landed on the perfect name and a direction for the brand. Next, was the Design. This portion was surprisingly fast because they delivered such an incredible brand strategy and brand guidelines right off the bat.

My feedback was so limited, I found myself going through it a few times trying to find any tweaks or changes. It was just that good - it was exactly what I had in mind, but nothing that I could have verbalized and it felt exactly right.

I even shared their work with a few friends who are in the design field to get their blink and they had basically no feedback as well. They loved it.

One thing we did end up revising was an illustration element - they had found the perfect concept but I suggested a custom illustration with a few variations. They loved the idea and helped facilitate it.

The illustrations turned out perfectly. During the Finalize portion, they took care of all the details and wrapped everything up with a bow. I received a Brand Guidelines document that was 46 pages long and very detailed (including brand mission, tagline, values, etc) all articulated perfectly.

There was also an in-depth look at our target customer, customer avatars, tone and voice, USP, and more. That is in addition to all of the specific logo guidance, usage, etc.

In addition to this document I received all of the logo files (primary and variations), brand mark files, custom illustration files (with many variations and layouts), and a font guidance document.

How many people from the Here and Now Creative Co team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked primarily with Meghan Martin (Co-Founder and Head of Strategy and Client Relations) and Sam Laubauch (Co-Founder and Head of Design and Creative). We also worked with Lauren, their copy writer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Dearly is just starting up but as I work with other professionals (web developers, attorneys, vendors, etc) they all comment on how much they love the name and the branding.

As a new small business, this kind of a brand gives us the credibility we need to form partnerships with top vendors and of course, is a competitive advantage as we enter the market.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Meghan and the team were extremely communicative - we mainly leveraged email and she was always very quick to reply which I appreciated. We also used Google Meet and Loom (for me to record feedback) which was very efficient.

They worked hard to adhere to timelines and meet deadlines.

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

It almost felt like they were psychic. I know that's kind of an odd thing to say but it felt as if they took the vision I had for my business and translated it into reality. The value they provide exceeds expectations - specifically, I am thinking about the customer values and customer avatars they provided.

I wasn't expecting such an in-depth dive and it's been immensely valuable to me as I prepare to launch!

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

I would love if I could have used them for more work - web development, etc so it would be great if they had more services other than branding and brand strategy!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Resist Nutrition, a small food startup. We make plant-based protein bars designed for womens’ hormonal and metabolic health. We’re located in Brooklyn, New York.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Here and Now Creative Co?

We sought out a branding and packaging design agency to help us with our brand refresh. We launched about a year ago with a homemade design, and now that we’re branching further out into retail, we realized that we could improve on our packaging design and create a more cohesive brand to increase our retail presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Here and Now Creative Co met with us and sent a proposal that included price and timelines. We sent back more details on what we were looking for, and they sent us a branding and packaging proposal with several ideas. 

We discussed the project timeline, and Here and Now Creative Co sent over a rather comprehensive brand strategy questionnaire to help zero in on things like tone, colors, and other creative questions specific to my brand. During our first month working together, we focused on brand strategy.

Here and Now Creative Co sent several revisions to zero in on the final design. They then created a brand strategy and concept, which they iterated. Then we worked on the packaging. After the completion date, Here and Now Creative Co has continued to offer help in working with our packaging manufacturers.

What is the team composition?

We worked mainly with Meghan (Co-Founder & Creative Director) and Sam (Co-Founder & Art Director) on branding and packaging. They brought on a copywriter briefly. 

How did you come to work with Here and Now Creative Co?

We researched options via Google. We’d seen Here and Now Creative Co’s name pop up on a Slack channel that’s very popular among consumer packaged goods company founders. They’d been praised for being an affordable option — it’s notoriously expensive to get branding and packaging design services. 

We also saw that Here and Now Creative Co focused on women-founded and focused brands, which was exactly what we were looking for. We spoke with a few different agencies and ultimately chose Here and Now Creative Co. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $21,000–$22,000 with Here and Now Creative Co.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in November 2021, and they delivered their final file in January 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We participated in a startup sprint through NYU, which provided a little bit of funding. We were able to test some of our new packaging and branding on a test group of 50 people in our target audience. We concluded that Here and Now Creative Co’s branding and packaging really did speak to our audience in a way that our previous packaging had not. 

The new packaging made our USP focal. It’s less busy and easier to read. We also did some customer discovery with our new branding via Google Ads, which produced some great results. 

We’re still implementing the new packaging. Something I really liked about working with Here and Now Creative Co was that they were willing to offer help after project delivery. 

Here and Now Creative Co brought our ideas to life in a way that was simple and straightforward, yet really engaging. Here and Now Creative Co really listened to our questionnaire responses and incorporated those into their design iterations. I felt that they were not doing anything generic, they really worked to understand our brand. 

The first iteration of the packaging was already almost exactly what we wanted. We were blown away by their first attempt and didn’t have many notes after that. Both Meghan and Sam were instrumental to this project and extremely helpful. 

This isn't the last time we're going to need packaging, design and possibly branding as we add new products to our line. This is definitely a relationship that I'd like to revisit as we find our need for packaging increasing.

How did Here and Now Creative Co perform from a project management standpoint?

We collaborated via Google Docs, PowerPoint, email, video chat, and Zoom. The platform varied depending on how extensive our notes were.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with Here and Now Creative Co felt super natural, personal, and specific to what our brand is all about. I feel like we got more value than we paid for. 

The thing that stood out to me the most was that they were women-focused, and they understood that we are a women-focused brand selling a womens’ health product. We liked that Here and Now Creative Co was a small agency, so we’re able to really get to know them. It all felt very personal, and we felt like we got a lot of personalized attention and understanding. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the end of the timeline, things did feel a tad rushed. I would’ve liked to have a little more time. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know your audience and be really clear going in about what you want. The questions that Here and Now Creative Co will ask are so specific. You need to have a really good idea of who you are, especially compared to competitors in your industry. Know what you want, and give Here and Now Creative Co the information they need to make your ideal come to life. 

Here and Now Creative Co are a great deal, especially considering the value they provide. Know also that Here and Now Creative Co specialize in serving female-founded consumer packaged goods companies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and owner of Dew Wonders. We are a skincare company that creates all encompassing skincare masks that allow our customers to skip their 10-step routine and go unfiltered.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Here and Now Creative Co?

I needed to develop a brand identity for Dew Wonders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Here and Now Creative was hired to develop a brand for Dew Wonders. That included defining key principals, target demographic, USP, brand positioning, brand personality and designing a brand identity, etc.

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with two teammates. 

How did you come to work with Here and Now Creative Co?

I found them on Instagram. 

How much have you invested with them?

I spent less than $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–October 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was blown away by Here and Now’s work — their deliverables were detailed and according to my specifications. They understood what I was going for and gave me a complete branding package.

In addition, Here and Now did everything professionally. They never took over, and they only tried to guide me — they listened to everything I wanted and implemented it well.

How did Here and Now Creative Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Here and Now’s team was very good at project management. We never had delays or unnecessary back and forths, and they worked swiftly. They prepared a detailed schedule and stayed with it. We used Google Docs and Google Meet to collaborate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was very impressed with how they were able to cultivate a high-quality brand identity that stands out in a saturated market from just a general concept. Their attention to detail is amazing and their work stands out!

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, their work was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with their team and be clear with what you want. Be open-minded — they will steer you in the best direction of where your brand should be in the market. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a better for you snack company that makes date-based bites without added sugar or sugar alts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Here and Now Creative Co, and what were your goals?

We wanted to focus more on our D2C and online selling channels and needed packaging and a new brand identity that matched our origin story.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found several companies via online research, referrals from other brands, and agencies that have been connecting with us on social. I narrowed it down to three companies and ultimately I had a great feeling about Here and Now because of their portfolio, their clear communication, and their ability to understand what I was looking for.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We started off with a detailed discovery period through which they understood my business, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. I shared with them the brand strategy work that I had done in-house. Based on that, they sent me an additional questionnaire to nail down keywords and values. Then they created a mood board which I was able to give feedback on. They nailed down the mood board until it was exactly to my liking.

They used this as reference for the brand assets- logo, font type design, and design assets. They pretty much nailed this part right away. We then moved on to packaging. They created packaging for seven SKUs for us. We changed directions 3 times on this and it was through their guidance that I was able to stay aligned with our goals. They were very patient in accepting detailed feedback from me and they offered their professional opinion when they disagreed with a placement/sentence, etc…I appreciated that they were so proactive and took the lead.

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

Two people! They’re both owners. Meghan was the lead brand strategist and I had the most communication with her. Although the both Meghan and Sam were on every zoom call. Sam was the designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a little early to tell on other progress as we’re working on that now. But we filmed a National TV spot with the new branding which will air in 2022. Stay tuned!

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They sent a project timeline before the start of the project and were very good in staying on track and pushing me along when they needed a response from me. We communicated via email very often and had zoom calls scheduled for each major review/discussion. They were very generous with their time without letting our timeline stray wild. Any delays were all from my end.

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

I loved their reassuring energy and confidence. I felt like they were really going to make sure I got what I’ve envisioned. They were SO patient and great at taking feedback. Big branding agencies often have a lot of ego attached to their process. I loved that they’re a small team and I got to communicate with both of them every time. They were a small agency with tremendous skills and expertise!

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

I think we weren’t close with the first version of packaging design that I wish it didn’t count as a “version”. It ended up costing us a little bit more to go through the third revision (two revisions were included). But it was a reasonable cost and overall I’m extremely happy with the value we received.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and creative business strategist at a financial fund. We invest in and provide capital and community to women and underrepresented founders who are looking to build wellness-based companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Here and Now Creative Co?

We hired Here and Now to develop our brand strategy and visual identity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Here and Now conceptualized and drew up a logo completely from scratch. We didn’t provide their team with any draft or samples, but we did show them some visual inspirations that they could build off of. We didn’t have specific requirements, either; we just let them have free creative rein.

After conducting a strategy session with our team to discuss who we were as a company, they presented multiple logos and color options for us to choose from. We provided our feedback for the first drafts and repeated the process until, in the end, they produced a final logo that we felt aligned with our identity. They created two versions of the final logo: one that had our name on it and another that was just pure imagery. 

Here and Now also helped us develop our mission statement, values, and competitor analysis. They included all of this in a branding and strategy deck that we could use as a guideline for our content, social media campaigns, or even our web development. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from Here and Now. Meghan (Co-Founder & Creative Director) did the overall concepts and coordinated our communications. Samantha (Art Director) handled the designs and the creative side of the project. There was also another person who did all of the written copy. 

How did you come to work with Here and Now Creative Co?

One of our friends from an investing network shared her branding deck with us. We were blown away by how beautiful it was and it got us interested in working with Here and Now. Our friend introduced us, and that’s how we got started with the engagement. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project officially kicked off in September 2021 and ended in November 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Here and Now’s work was outstanding. We came to them with a very vague concept but they were able to execute it into an actual visual brand that nailed down our identity. Their team listened to every single thing that we wanted to have in our brand and produced a final product that was much better than what we could’ve imagined. We were really happy with the work they provided to us. 

How did Here and Now Creative Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team met all of their deadlines and was extremely thorough with their communications. We never had any issues in terms of exchanging feedback, considering that I’m based in Australia. Here and Now just over-delivered at every turn. 

We communicated our feedback via Loom and called each other over Google Meet. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was the first time I had ever worked with a branding and strategy company, and we loved that they were an all-female team. What really stood out about Here and Now was that they listened and heard us out. It was a wonderful experience.

We also felt that they were really creatively inspired. They didn’t show us anything that we had already seen before. Everything stemmed from their own design and impressively captured who we were as founders. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were so happy with the partnership.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend that you absolutely work with Here and Now. Once you do, be sure to provide them with a lot of honest feedback because they’re a team that appreciates that and is very receptive to it. It would also help to go in with some visual inspiration or some of your own work as this will give the team a better foundation to work off of. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of MIKU

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Permanent Jewelry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Here and Now Creative Co to accomplish?

• Identify Brand & Logo
• Design Brand & Logo
• Be unique

SOLUTION

How did you find Here and Now Creative Co?

Referral

Why did you select Here and Now Creative Co over others?

• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Other

How many teammates from Here and Now Creative Co were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Moodboard, Logo/Name, Refined Color Palette, Brand Mark

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My 3 goals were achieved!

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

Response time was excellent. Initial project timelines were met at 100%. They were always wonderful and easy to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with Here and Now Creative Co?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Very easy to work with and actually did what they said they would do. Not to mention, everything was on time. You don't see that very often anymore.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Here and Now Creative Co could have done differently?

Nope!