High Contrast

Please describe your company and your position there.

North Star Support Group is a boutique risk management consultancy with over 20 years of experience providing a range of client-focused services globally. We provide advisory and support services across the enterprise to assist businesses and organisations navigate safely and securely through challenging risk environments. I am NSSG's Business Development Manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast, and what were your goals?

We knew our image can be improved but launching such a quest was only possible if a strong partner could back us up on this journey. Once we met the High Contrast team, we immediately knew that we can count on them so when they proposed to us the rebranding option, we simply felt comfortable pursuing it.

How did you select this vendor?

They've been recommended by another trusted partner of ours.

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

We started by mapping NSSG's core values and with this, we managed to present ourselves better as a team and its guiding vision. We knew what needs to be emphasized towards our public. These efforts culminated in the development of a new branding and brand manual, a new website and the subsequent collateral materials. But most importantly, culminated in a new team spirit as our colleagues felt inspired by our new look.

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

Uh, this is tough to count as I believe we worked with most of their team starting with their founder and their CEO who managed to give us the much-needed trust to start the journey with them.

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

I guess the new website is the best answer here so have a look https://nssg.global/.

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

Professionalism at its best. Flexible where needed, strong and argumentative where required and time-efficient working style.

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

We believe that outstanding results are meant to follow those who pursue their goals with passion and commitment. Our values were perfectly matched with the High Contrast team. And we felt confident to develop our new public identity with such dedicated professionals.

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

Meet them earlier. No, as things happen when they should. They just need to keep up the level of enthusiasm they place in their projects.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are the National Institute of mother and Child health. I am the spokesman and PR and Communication responsible.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

We needed a new website for the Institute, in order to have a much clear structure of the information and a friendlier experience for the users.

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

I met High Contrast during a meeting at a previous job and I linked their work, we also have common collaborators who validate that they are professionals.

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

We needed website architecture, design, and development. We had a kickoff meeting with the partners and our communication team, we discussed the issues then a project manager took over.

We defined together the new structure of the information, the new needs, then they created the design while our team took care of the content. We used WordPress for the development because it’s easy to use by our team as well.

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

We worked with the project manager, the designer, the creative director, and the CEO. We also got in touch with the team’s collaborators on the development side.

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

Everyone was satisfied with the work, including doctors and other personnel of the Institute. It is easier now for us to keep the content up to date and for patients to find it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were constantly in touch with the project manager and the CEO, but they also involved the designer when needed. We used Skype and Google Drive.

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

I appreciate their proactivity and involvement. You can tell that they liked the project.

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

There is always room for improvement but I can’t tell something in particular, nothing disturbing.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We design, build and deliver end-to-end CX for many of the world’s most respected digital-born and vertical leading brands.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast, and what were your goals?

We wanted to create a local recruitment website since our recruitment needs have substantially increased over the last years.

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

We searched to work with a local supplier with a nice portfolio when it comes to web developing and UX. We were impressed about their creative work they've done especially in recruitment area.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a nice kick off meeting, followed by a thorough brief sent by the agency. Then we calibrate ideas, and had two different concepts to choose from. We worked closely with a project manager that support to integrate our ideas/culture/brand guidelines into their creative concept.

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

A project manager was our direct contact, but also we got the opportunity to meet the entire team that was working on our project: copywriter, graphic designer, art director and even the owner.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We received positive feedback from our stakeholders regarding the creativeness of the new website: playful and catchy. Also, we managed to increase our recruitment capabilities.

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

Open and friendly communication, we used various communication tools for this project, they promptly and positively reacted to our feedback in a prompt and open manner.

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

We really enjoyed their creative input and their out-of-the-box solutions.

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

Not really

Please describe your company and your position there.

Highclere Consulting (HCC) is a small SME from Brasov, established in 2006. We provide high quality consultancy, training and policy analysis services for governmental and non-governmental organizations working on agricultural, rural development and environmental issues in south-east Europe and beyond. I am the communication specialist at HCC.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast, and what were your goals?

We are working on a Horizon 2020 project, AgriLink, and the initial website was outdated. We needed a new approach and a more elaborate presence on-line. The goal was to have a better design and a more intuitive and user friendly website (we are targeting several target audiences), and also an elegant and professional tool to disseminate our results.

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

I worked with High Contrast in the past, in many other projects and I knew that they were the right team for this job.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had several meetings and discussed our vision and the project objectives. The process of developing the structure and design was smooth and we were always supported in understanding the solutions proposed and how we can make the best out of them. They explained all the unclear issues and help our team to use this tool and we have nonstop admin support.

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

I am working with a dedicated account manager, but I was also in contact, now and then, with the CEO. Also, I was in contact with 2 members of the implementation team.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our partners (we are a consortium of 16 organisations) were very pleased with the new website and with the progress. The website was well received by our monitoring team and our visitors. We are planning to continue working with them after the project is over, with a different website.

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

We communicate regularly, very smooth and on point. We have face to face meeting, exchanging emails and phone calls if necessary. From our side, the process of approval takes some time, but we found great understanding in receiving the input and deliverables on time.

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

We were impressed by the way that they organize their work, the highly creative approach, the willingness to understand our needs (is a different type of project for sure), and to make sure they deliver the best.

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

None.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work as a communication specialist for HOSPICE Casa Speranței, a non-profit organization founded in 1992 in Brașov. HOSPICE introduced the concept of palliative care in Romania and is the largest foundation in the country that offers free specialized services of this type.

The organization has two hospitals with integrated services, in Brașov and Bucharest, mobile teams in four cities - Bucharest, Brașov, Făgăraș and Zărnești, six offices for palliative care and education and over 100 beds for hospitalization and related activities for people diagnosed with incurable diseases. In its 28 years of existence, HOSPICE has brought relief and hope to over 35,000 children and adults.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

Every year, we organize an intensive marathon through which we raise awareness and involve the local community in fundraising for free services of palliative care for children and adults. High Contrast is in charge of the identity of the event (cross illustration and collateral materials).

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a visual identity and a strong online campaign that would promote our annual event and create awareness for our social cause. The end goal was to motivate as many people as possible to take part in the cross in order to raise more funds than in previous years for our patients’ care services.

How did you select High Contrast?

We met at a networking event and they clicked with our cause. We were impressed by their portfolio and they agreed to offer their creative services in order to raise the awareness of our actions.

Describe the project in detail.

We wanted to change the identity of the previous annual cross event, so we had an initial discussion to set together what will be the main directions for this year, what to change and what to keep from last year, as we worked with them in the past also.

We kept on communicating through mail or calls and offered feedback along the way. They helped us create all the materials for the event: a new logo for the event, social media materials, website banners, posters, diplomas and so on.

What was the team composition?

The team was made of a creative director, a project manager, an illustrator and a copywriter.

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

More than 3200 people responded as being interested in our event and almost 2650 decided to participate actively in it. The funds raised at our running event this year reached over 37,000 euros.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everything was great, as in our previous collaboration, we had clear and transparent communication and we were kept in the loop constantly throughout the creation process. They understood our needs very well and were extremely patient and helpful, especially when facing short deadlines. We received very good feedback from our followers, runners and sponsors on the fresh and creative design.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very responsible and professional. They never hesitate to ask if something is unclear and are very supportive in providing additional feedback and solutions if they see fit for our vision and objectives.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always room for improvement, but I would not hesitate to contact them directly and tell them my honest opinion as our collaboration is transparent and our discussions are always productive and understanding.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the marketing manager of an IT company that provides outsourcing services and automotive software.

What challenge were you trying to address with High Contrast?

We hired them to help us with our brand identity.

What was the scope of their involvement?

High Contrast helped us with our brand identity. They created a new logo as well as internal and external materials. We also did some social media campaigns with them.

High Contrast also designed and developed a new website for us. They made the site more candidate-oriented, as the company’s goal was to hire more candidates through the website. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with two designers, a copywriter, and a project manager. We also worked with Rares (Creative Director) and Emilia (CEO).

How did you come to work with High Contrast?

I previously worked with High Contrast to help create a new brand for a different company within the same group. When I moved to this role, we needed to change the brand identity, website, and logo. I wanted to work with High Contrast again because they did a great job on the previous project. They came up with cool, fresh concepts.

How much have you invested with them?

The budget was between €10,000–€25,000 (approximately $12,000–$30,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from February—December 2018.

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

High Contrast made it much easier for candidates to apply through the website. Once the website launched, many more candidates applied through it, which was the purpose of the project. The website was more responsive, cool-looking, and fresh.

Our company’s visibility on social media also improved thanks to the great campaigns that we did together. I was satisfied with the quality of their work and liked working with High Contrast — they always had fresh ideas.

How did High Contrast perform from a project management standpoint?

The team’s deliverables were always on time. We held weekly meetings to discuss the progress and what was next. Our teams communicated through phone and email, and we had face-to-face meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I loved High Contrast’s designers — they had great ideas for designing online campaigns, internal materials, and so on. They delivered very fresh ideas and different perspectives.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could move closer to us and open an office here. High Contrast could also hire more people and create a bigger team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want a different point of view and a fresh, well-designed website, hire High Contrast.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Spectra offers UV systems for water, air and surfaces disinfection. Our mission is to guide clients in choosing the most appropriate UV disinfection solution for their business. I am the General Manager of Spectra.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

We hired the High Contrast team for a full branding package. They helped us create the brand positioning, the visual and verbal identity and all the collaterals for Spectra mapped in a complete brand manual. Then, they took care of designing and developing our website and we currently have an ongoing maintenance agreement for the brand and website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a brand that is aligned with the activities of the company and enables us to reach more visibility in our target market in order to have a growth of 100% in our clients.

How did you select High Contrast?

We analyzed local and national agencies, checked portfolios and had a meet and greet chat with all of them. Also, someone from my business network recommended High Contrast based on previous experience with them.

Describe the project in detail.

After we made our collaboration official, we established together the deliverables, timeline and our way of communication. We had an initial discovery meeting to make an analysis of the brand, market, competition and trends to better understand and define the needs and objectives of the brand.

Then, the team started the creative process and we kept constant communication via e-mail/phone. At each material created, we set feedback meetings to have a final say in the main direction selected and proceed further based on the things discussed with the final versions of all the deliverables.

At the end of the project, we had the brand positioning, naming, logo and all the visual elements of Spectra together with a ready to launch website

What was the team composition?

The project manager from the Beneficiary was Mr. Aurel Caras. The project manager from the Consultant was Ms. Emilia Jercan The team from High Contrast: Rares Dragan Senior Consultant Gabriel Raileanu Designer Bogdan Dobrescu Designer Ioana Cotrus Copywriter Delia Dinca Content manager Marius Ioance Developer Tudor Barbu Developer Andrian Solomon Tester

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

All the materials were delivered at the promised quality and our expectations were met. We have our branding complete, guidelines to keep taking advantage of its potential and a functioning website that keeps on bringing new promising clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was a very efficient process, we kept the communication with the Project Manager that made sure our feedback was implemented and we were always aware of what is the status of the project and made sure we were actively involved in its creation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're very involved in the process by contributing new ideas, offering suggestions for improvement, and guidance based on the current reality and being always so proactive in implementing our feedback and adding more to it for the quality of the project overall.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are always things that could have been improved, but through honest feedback and transparent communication we always managed to discuss and solve any issues or clarify any aspect in a quick discussion with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Neo Vision, a full service technology agency.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

We've worked with High Contrast on multiple of projects involving UI&UX, Branding and Digital Strategy. We've recommended them as our Marketing Partner to our clients on projects where we needed design and we also worked with High Contrast at our own branding and website design project.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to change our website (both design wise and structure wise) in order to better reflect the stage that our company has reached now. After planning with High Contrast we decided to go through a full rebranding process.

How did you select High Contrast?

We've met High Contrast at a Digital Conference in Bucharest. We've seen the opportunity of a long term partnership since we felt like we're complementary companies. We've analyzed their past projects, work process and company culture and realized we're a great match.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We've went through a few discovery meetings in order for High Contrast to learn about our brand and company and they started working on our new brand and website design. They went the extra mile in order to deliver a perfect product.

This included over 20 logo concepts until they finally presented the shortlist and multiple website iterations until they got an outcome they were proud to present.

What was the team composition?

We've worked along 2 designers, 1 copywriter, 1 project manager, Rares - their creative director and Emilia, their CEO.

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

The engagement we got from our website and our new brand was over the top. This has been measured in career applications on our website page, lead generation from our website and traffic increase.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We share a similar company culture and set of values so we really felt like we worked with our own internal team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their obsessiveness for delivering the perfect result. They will only show you their work if it passes through their feedback process and they will not shy away from starting over if they feel like the direction isn't the best one.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Hire more people and get a bigger team in order to deliver your products to more businesses.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Admnistrator of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast, and what were your goals?

We hired High Contrast to re-design our website in WordPress. It was a big challenge since the products are 100% customisable online directly by the user. The goal was to simplify the ordering process, create a unitary design and improve the customer experience overall. The team did a great job not only with the design but also with integrating our own views into it, and the communication all along was very good.

How did you select High Contrast and what were the deciding factors?

We needed a reliable company which understood our needs, and from the first conversation, they already had ideas that they could convince us with.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

1. Initial meeting where they gave their view and feedback about what needs to be changed and where they understood better the product and our brand vision.
2. They presented us with a proposal, which we amended together and then, they started implementing it.
3. There were several changes needed throughout the process, which was done through constant communication

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

3: designer, project manager, head of the company

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We receive very good feedback from our clients about the design.

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

We communicated by mail and had online face-to-face meetings when more elaborate discussions were required.

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

They gave a great visual identity to our brand which is not easy to explain in words.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some things would have been easier to communicate by phone, than by mail.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and CEO of Footprints for Retail, a tech company that in just 5 years has developed, tested & validated a proprietary AI that uniquely transforms Indoor Location Intelligence into high impact advertising.

For what projects/services did your company hire High Contrast?

We hired High Contrast to help us in redesigning our website, including modern illustrations that help us better explain our technology, and recreating some of our brand elements like PowerPoint templates, demo videos, newsletter design, Social Media templates and case studies.

What were your goals for this project?

By redesigning the website, we wanted to develop a narrative on the footprintsforretail.com homepage that clearly states and illustrates the SaaS solution offered by Footprints and destined to Shopping Centers to understand, predict and address the behavior of their shoppers. We needed our homepage to have a much friendlier approach of our solutions in terms of language and design.

How did you select High Contrast?

We were actually approached by them and had a discovery meeting to see how we can work together. We felt a good chemistry, they understood what we do better than other agencies and that had a major impact on our decision.

Describe the project in detail.

We had an initial talk to clarify the main aspects of the project. We wanted us to be on the same page in terms of what Footprints does and what are our plans for the future and how they can integrate in our objectives for the website design. Then, the team started working on the project and we kept on offering feedback.

We received each proof of concept either through a quick call or communication via e-mail. Finishing the homepage design and the illustrations, we moved on to also having some side materials created:

• PowerPoint templates
• demo video
• newsletter design
• Social Media templates
• case studies.

What was the team composition?

The team included a creative director, a project manager, a web designer, an illustrator, a motion designer and a copywriter.

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

Our website has been redesigned and we can see how the traffic on the website has increased since then. Our initial vision for the website is very well aligned with the outcome. The website has a much friendlier approach now while still looking professional while the product and services are clearly exposed through fresh illustrations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I believe our communication was very fast and concise. The Project Manager was the main intermediate between us and the design team and made sure we are always informed about all the changes and updates throughout the project, and for us to have the final word on them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very eager in not just delivering the materials, but also suggesting points of improvement if they saw fit based on their experience. We felt heard and understood because our feedback was always implemented, but also guided and helped during the process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sure, but we already mentioned during our discussions these types of aspects as our communication has always been transparent, honest and productive.