HMG Creative

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO for an urban mobility operations company. We manage mobility assets, including bikes, bike-sharing stations, scooters, and metro transit vans across North America.

What challenge were you trying to address with HMG Creative?

We needed to completely revamp our website. We had a conference that we were sponsoring and we wanted to have the new site up and running in time for the start of the conference. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through a complete A–Z refresh of the website. One of the things I was responsible for was business development and we really wanted to showcase all of our great work on the site. The team was assigned to create a forum on the platform so that interested third-parties who wanted to talk to us or work with us on a mobility project could complete that forum on the site.

They essentially built out a blueprint, a template for the site. They worked very closely with us on gathering some existing content we had such as photos and video that we could feature on our site. We handled most of the copywriting, but they did all of the design work.

We had a shelf, so we knew what we wanted the categories to be broken down into. However, for the UI, the look, feel, and design of the site was driven by HMG Creative. We worked closely with them on what we were looking for and what the angle was. They also helped out with our social media, specifically spearheading our organic and paid social campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We probably interacted with five folks, including James (Founder). They also had a project manager.

How did you come to work with HMG Creative?

I found the HMG Creative team through a contact that I had down in Austin, who knew James quite well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a mid-sized figure, around $50,000–$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our contract ran from May–September 2020.

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

They did a great job with our website, and we were very happy with their end product. Everything was on time and within budget. It’s still a little bit early to delve into the details of the new site since it’s still only a couple of months old. However, we had a couple of pretty significant leads come in, and I would definitely attribute that to the new site’s look and feel.

In addition, our CEO and CFO — founding partners of the company — were thrilled with the team’s final product. Some of our general managers also gave positive feedback and they were very supportive. The site was definitely something that the entire company could be proud of. They also helped a lot with our social media campaigns and that went very well. 

How did HMG Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager was extremely responsive. There were several times when we emailed late at night after business hours. Despite that, they hit all of the timelines and deadlines and were in line with our expectations.

They were very organized and meticulous. When we were mapping out what the site would look like and all of the content that was required, their instructions were very clear on what we needed and they went over everything to make sure it was complete.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were one of the less expensive vendors that we talked to. Even though they were less expensive, the quality of their work didn’t suffer and it was really on par with my initial expectations. Just looking at some of the other sites and the clients they worked with, it was definitely in line with what they provided us.

I also thought they were no strangers to working with B2B companies and that was unique. They really understood who our core audience was and what we were trying to achieve. That was really helpful because some of the other agencies we talked to just didn’t have that experience, so it was a little bit more difficult to convey what we wanted to do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think I would be nitpicking on some of the copywriting on their end — there were a few minor mistakes but they were able to rectify that. They don’t have areas to improve on anything systemic or structural — it was just a minor thing. Overall, we were happy with the way things turned out. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just like anything in life — what you put in is really what you get out of it. I think copywriting was their labor of love. They do offer copywriting services, but our industry is very niche and nomenclature heavy, so we took that upon ourselves to do. People just need to be aware of copywriting and the fact that it doesn’t reflect on HMG Creative’s capabilities. We didn’t engage them in copywriting, but just for other partners, it’s a pretty difficult task. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations coordinator at Austin Partners in Education. We’re an educational nonprofit that works with Austin Independent School District (ISD) better serve students. I was leading the website development project for our team.

What challenge were you trying to address with HMG Creative?

Our Drupal website had been built in 2005 and was very outdated. The design was terrible, so I would often receive phone calls from users who found it unnavigable. We hired HMG Creative to give us a brand new look for our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed and developed a new website from scratch. HMG revamped our logo (the basis of which had been designed by IBM last year) to reflect the Austin skyline. Their team migrated us over to WordPress and redesigned the website to be customizable and user-friendly. I believe they used HTML.

They also helped us with some Visualforce pages on Salesforce. This entails APEX coding, so they helped us integrate them into our website. They used a plugin called Elementor Pro.

While the website’s launched, we’ve since hired them to be an ongoing hosting partner.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with two people: Daniel (Creative Services Manager), who served as our project manager, and Blaine (Senior Visual Designer). We also worked with Johnny (Creative Director) who helped us with some of our Salesforce pages.

How did you come to work with HMG Creative?

We sent out RFPs to a couple of web development companies in the Austin area. We reached out to HMG Creative due to several considerations. One was that a board member of ours had recommended them. Secondly, a similar company to ours had utilized HMG Creative, and their website looked great. Lastly, our executive director had seen their name on the list of the top website companies, featured in an Austin-focused business journal.

Upon receiving their pitch in response to the RFP, we felt that they’d be able to meet our needs. They’re very responsive and quick to answer our questions. We felt that they’d be a good fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere around $33,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in December 2019 and the website was launched in July. We still have an ongoing relationship.

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

The website they created is beautiful, and we’ve received many compliments on it. The quality of their service was also great. They’re very responsive, which was a key highlight of our engagement. We would frequently go back and forth.

We're very thankful that they were patient with us in trying to make sure that everything looked right. We were generally very pleased with how their designs and our website turned out.

How did HMG Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We utilized email to communicate, and they always got back to my questions within a day, at the latest. We used Google Docs to provide feedback, and they were very receptive. There were delays that were out of their control; they tried their best despite the COVID-19 curveballs to our schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciated how customizable they made the backend of our new website. It’s super customizable, and it’s easy for us to navigate on the admin side.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would’ve liked it if there had been a more efficient tool to provide feedback on different website pages. It’s hard to visualize or articulate what a web page should look like, so providing purely descriptive comments on a blank Google Doc felt tedious at times. We also would’ve appreciated an additional overview of the content they placed on the site (I understand that that was out of the project scope, though.)

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d definitely encourage customers to go for it. If you’re looking for something that’ll be user-friendly on the backend, they’ve got it down. I’m relieved to know that we can manage and update our website by ourselves.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a B2B SaaS company that develops software that assists enterprises design security IoT systems. It functions on the iPad and Android tablets. That allows users to drag and drop different types of technologies to create a digital map of their IoT. I’m the co-founder and VP of sales and marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with HMG Creative?

While we didn’t rename the company, we needed to entirely update the brand. That would involve a new look and feel as well as a website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our last site was created with a Wordpress template, which held us for quite some time. However, it was time to establish our brand more comprehensively. First, a representative from their team attended one of our events and spoke with our clients about our branding. From there, they contributed their feedback in a meeting with our team to assist us in narrowing down our values and goals. Then, they drafted our brand story and designed the entire look and feel for both the brand and the site. That involved the creation of a logo, color palette, and more.

Working collaboratively with us, they detailed our site map. We wrote the content for the site while they designed it. Once we approved their design screens, they dove into the development and integrations. The launch was smooth because of our approval and testing rounds as well.   

What is the team composition?

We worked with one contact while creating the brand story. He had a small team and brought in a project manager about halfway through the project. So, there were about four people on the project. 

How did you come to work with HMG Creative?

We did our homework before hiring them, examining 4–5 different companies. Their team was by far the most professional and helped us decide to focus on branding before starting on the website. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a total of about $60,000 on their work. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off in Septemeber 2019 and launched our site in March 2020.

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

We decided upon one of the first designs they brought to the table, and our logo is a huge step forward. We’ve received a very positive response on our rebranding efforts, traffic is up on our website. The increase in traffic could be attributed to many parallel efforts, however. 

Recently, we entered into a high-tier accelerator program for startups. Because of their work, we appear like a larger, more professional company. That’s helped us build confidence within our consumer base. We haven’t received feedback in this area yet, but all our results have been positive.

How did HMG Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated on a weekly basis through a combination of Google Drive files and Basecamp. Google Drive was appropriate for most of our work. Paul (Visual Designer) has been fantastic in his creative process. They have a great process, but it could’ve been managed a bit better in our case.  

The introduction of the project manager partway into the project was a bit difficult. We were way over hours, and that was a surprise to me because we weren’t tracking them before. This occurred during the site map phase. We felt that they should’ve been monitoring their hours on their end, as they were responsible for project management. Because of this, we went over our budget by about $5,000. We ultimately agreed to this, though.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re an organized, creative team. There was a gap between the brand story work and their website deliverables, but they maintained professionalism through that. They were professional, creative, and knowledgeable about their technology. We never doubted their capabilities.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

We ran into some back and forth while we were writing content based on their loose designs. That caused some delay. It may have helped to work on the brand story and design at the same time. We were hoping to launch in January 2020, but the deadline got pushed back into March 2020. Running into issues with timing and hours stressful, but it’s difficult to avoid that when project managers jump in late. 

We would’ve also liked to hear more from their owner. He was very involved in selling us on their services, but our contact with him ended when our contract began. It would’ve been nice to have a check-in with him.   

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them about their process to make sure you understand everything. Make sure you have a project manager from the start because that was one of our biggest struggles. It may also be helpful to request checkpoints with the owner of the company.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and managing partner of TXV Partners, an early-stage venture capital fund.

What challenge were you trying to address with HMG Creative?

We needed to upgrade our branding, social media, website, and general identity as a firm.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first step was to complete the revamp of the website into one that was expressive, colorful, and more reflective of who we are as a company. 

The next area we sought help with was around our branding and utilization of various social media platforms. HMG Creative did a comprehensive report on our own identity as well as that of our competitors before implementing their own plan. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a total of about four or five individuals. 

How did you come to work with HMG Creative?

We conducted an online search for local creative firms and looked at a total of about 15 or 20 firms. We compared them pretty extensively, and ultimately decided HMG Creative would be the best fit for our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement took place from July–November 2019.

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

We’ve received a number of compliments on our website. It’s one of the first things people say about us after researching our company — that we have one of the most clean, defined websites in the industry. We’re very proud of what HMG Creative was able to accomplish for us. It gives us a lot of confidence.

How did HMG Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We were always on the same page and well-aligned. It was a very enjoyable process. The team was hands-on and we felt like we were getting really focused attention. Throughout the project, we kept in touch over email and phone calls.

HMG Creative was very disciplined and always met timelines. They were the most professional team we’ve ever worked with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The amount of research they conducted and diligence they put into forming a plan for our business was excellent. HMG Creative looked at local and national firms, becoming experts on our space before executing on a website or branding project. It was comforting and helpful, and it spoke volumes about the level of commitment they have towards their clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re very satisfied with the experience overall. I have no negative comments or complaints. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know your business and what you want to accomplish. Come prepared with examples of what success looks like to you, and HMG Creative will be able to take all that information and create a smooth, successful outcome.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate director of marketing at College Forward, a college access nonprofit. We serve students starting in their junior year up until they complete their post-secondary degree.

What challenge were you trying to address with HMG Creative?

We hadn’t updated our website in about seven years, so we needed a new site that was going to help us move forward with our tech-mediated coaching solutions. Actually, the previous developer never finished it. We wanted a partner that wasn’t just someone who could fix the website but had more of a full-service marketing agency because we’ve been using various vendors for a number of different things.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HMG Creative designed and developed our website. They took a lot of student surveys and presented those findings at a meeting. Then, they delivered wireframes and made sure the look and feel were right for us. We used WordPress to build the site. They also gave us a new style guide to help us figure out how to keep the website updated as things grow and change. 

What is the team composition?

I had one main point of contact but 4–5 people worked on the site.

How did you come to work with HMG Creative?

They were referred to us by another company. We did RFP so they were the only company that we talked to. I felt from the first call that they really seemed like a good fit for us. Asking important questions, I could tell they wanted a business partner, not just someone to complete a job for. They met everything we were looking for in a full-service agency and were able to use a WordPress platform.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2019–February 2020.

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

Our website wasn't previously mobile-friendly, and in one week we were able to recruit an Americorp coach through the app. That was really huge for us because a lot of the people we recruit are mostly college students. I was able to view this through Google Analytics. We also run some social ads, so the ability for them to see the ad and then go to the website and complete everything on their phone is really great and will drastically increase the number of applications we get.

How did HMG Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. From the beginning, they gave us a really detailed timeline and were very clear about the deliverables that we needed to complete or anything needed on their end. Their creative director was checking in with us to see if we needed any help and were making our deadlines. They kept a chart that we could see projects being updated in real-time. We communicated through calls and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were really friendly and down to earth. I never felt like I was being talked down to and it seemed like they could relate to us. They really cared to know what people were saying about our brand. Our main value is to put students first, so the fact that they could incorporate all of the students’ opinions into the design was huge for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I could recommend is it would’ve been nice to use project management software like Asana or Basecamp, but I understand why they didn’t.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They take a really good strategic approach to design, so make sure that you’re ready for those hard questions. They’re not just going to build a pretty new website for you; they want to make sure all of the pages and functionality are based on a good business strategy. So, having a solid footing on where you are as an organization and what you want to see would be really helpful.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an e-commerce store that sells ethernet cable in bulk. I'm the vice president of marketing and business development.

What challenge were you trying to address with HMG Creative?

We're changing the way people buy low-voltage cabling through online channels. Since the website is the foundation of our business, we needed something that offered a good customer experience. We also wanted to display the brand in an advantageous way. We needed a knowledgeable, creative team that could be our marketing arm.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built something up from scratch, and they added new features. We have a more streamlined checkout process, and they greatly enhanced the product filters and the search process. The product isn't overly complex, but the filter helps our customers find exactly what they need. They also manage our social media on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, our email marketing, and the organic SEO for the site.

What is the team composition?

We worked with seven or eight people from their team, led by an account manager.

How did you come to work with HMG Creative?

We found them through a Google search and may have discovered them on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent a little over $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2018. The website is finished, but we have them on a monthly retainer for our marketing and social media needs.

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

They do an amazing job with our social media. When we started working with them, we had almost no social media presence. Now, we have over 1,600 likes on Facebook and over 700 followers on Instagram. We've had a lot of engagement with influencers in our community, and Instagram is particularly successful for us.

How did HMG Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive, and their communication is good. They outline projects ahead of time, so we always know what to expect. They followed a schedule for the site, and they communicated as they finished each step of the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They buy into our brand, and they take the time to learn about our company and our goals. They incorporate all of that into the work they do for us, and we can trust them to continue building the brand according to our vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The website took a little longer than we had planned, but that's the only speed bump we hit. Part of the responsibility for that is on our side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get to know the people there. Their creativity, personality, and dedication align well with our company, so I'd recommend speaking with them to see if they line up with your goals.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager for SINC. We host custom dinners and forums for IT executives to network with their peers and solution providers.

For what projects/services did your company hire HMG Creative?

We were in dire need of a new website and a complete rebrand in order to stay in line with our competitors. HMG was able to give us a new logo, color scheme, and a whole new website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the website to be more user friendly and for the website to give a direct path for our different users. I also really needed the new website to be easy to update on the backend and not hard coded. HMG was able to do this and also train me on how to use the new website before it was launched!

How did you select this vendor?

I searched for vendors in the Austin area and compiled a list of 4/5 vendors. I spoke with all of them on the phone and HMG offered to come to our office for a meeting. We really liked what HMG had to offer and had a very reasonable price compared to other vendors.

Describe the project in detail.

After we selected HMG, I had a meeting to meet with the team at their office. I then met with the Creative Director and was able to give him an overview of what we were looking for. We had a few discovery meetings throughout our project and their team was always available for when I had a question. Once the templates were built out, I was able to go through and see what the website would look like and built out content for each page based on the needs given. This took about a month of development on their end, and then I was given the end product to have a training and launch!

What was the team composition?

I only spoke to the Creative Director but I know he had a team of developers creating the website.

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

We have had a ton of great feedback from vendors and attendees about the new website and how great it is. We have seen an uptick in registrants for events which is exactly what we needed!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Creative Director was very easy to work with! He was very knowledgable about our needs, available for calls, and always quick to respond to any questions or concerns.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really enjoyed working with everyone at HMG Creative. Everyone was personable and knowledgeable about our space and what we needed to succeed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we are very satisfied with their work! We actually will use them again for future projects.

Please describe your company and your position there.

A medium sized biotech firm, Associate Director of Marketing

For what projects/services did your company hire HMG Creative?

We needed to redesign our website to bring it up to modern standards. We needed to improve the user experience. We needed our website to impact our specific user/customer.

What were your goals for this project?

Improve the experience of customers who choose to interact with our organization digitally.

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed six local web design firms and received quotes from four. HMG was regularly in communication and stuck with our slow selection process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

This was a full website redesign including a custom search section of the site, a client login area and an expansion of our branding.

What was the team composition?

I believe there were 3-4 individuals that worked on our project but there could have been more.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We've regularly been complimented on the impact of our website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

HMG met and exceeded deadlines. They communicated well and we were very happy overall.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The level of access to leadership was excellent. I felt as though my questions were answered quickly and thoroughly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall, we were very happy.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Howard Steel. We're a commercial construction company that is a steel fabricator and installer.

What challenge were you trying to address with HMG Creative?

We were looking for a vendor to update our website and help us with rebranding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they met with me and went over everything we wanted to accomplish. Then, they redesigned our website, sent their own photographer to a lot of our projects, and updated our photo gallery. They also created a new logo and took care of all of our hats and shirts.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 2–3 of their team members, including their owner.

How did you come to work with HMG Creative?

I was referred to them by a friend who had worked with them previously. We liked the fact that they were a full-service agency and could help us with all of our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between February–July 2018.

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

Our clients can look at our website and see that we're a legitimate company. Also, our sales went up 30%.

How did HMG Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very professional and organized. We mostly used email to stay in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have outstanding customer service and made the process very easy for us. Also, they sent us a bill every week, so we didn't have to pay in advance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It was a very smooth process.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the marketing manager at Capital Factory, the center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas. Last year, more than 100,000 entrepreneurs, programmers, and designers gathered day and night for in-person and online for meetups, classes, and coworking. We meet the best entrepreneurs in Texas and introduce them to their first investors, employees, mentors, and customers. According to Pitchbook, Capital Factory has been the most active investor in Texas since 2013.

For what projects/services did your company hire HMG Creative?

We came to HMG Creative wanting to redesign our website, which was old, outdated, and complicated to update.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to concentrate on the UI/UX of our website. We also wanted it to be easy for anyone on our staff to update it.

How did you select this vendor?

We found HMG Creative through a friend that had a great experience with them. We loved their portfolio and knew they could come up with something great for us!

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

HMG Creative designed, developed, tested our website, and trained our staff on navigating the WordPress admin. They walked us through the strategy of our site in a way that was simple to understand. They also did everything in steps, which made it easier to give feedback and receive updates.

What was the team composition?

My CEO and I were involved in the project. Most of the communication was with their creative director.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

HMG Creative took our ideas and concerns into account and helped us create a beautiful website both on the backend and frontend. We’ve seen our yearly sessions increase by 16% since its launch.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They used Google docs, which made giving feedback and updates easy.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism, attention to detail, and desire to see our project succeed were remarkable.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There's very little they could improve on. If I had to suggest something, having an account manager that follows up and keeps everything on time would be helpful. It would also be beneficial to have in-person design meetings throughout the project. Sometimes it's hard to explain what you want in text or over the phone, especially if you aren't a developer.