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. I 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.
The logo and other brand deliverables have been highly praised by external stakeholders and customers. The new brand projects a sophistication that has boosted the credibility of the company within its industry. Despite a few project management and scheduling hiccups, they met expectations.