Killer Visual Strategies

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Dark Light Inc. We’re an AI-powered cybersecurity solution.

What challenge were you trying to address with Killer Visual Strategies?

Our platform was built by very advanced scientists out of one of our country’s national labs, and the availability of use of the platform to a regular cybersecurity person was challenging. We were looking for Killer to assist us in making the power of our platform more easily accessible by the customer. Also, we wanted to do a full rebranding including logo, website, and infographics related to marketing and sales.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took full project management authority, interviewing our teams from the marketing and product development sides. From soup to nuts, they managed the process of determining what we think we needed in both those verticals. Then, they made sure the product side understood what the marketing side was doing and vice-versa so that any branding we did to external-facing prospects and clients would look or feel familiar when they would use the product. Having those under one umbrella was very important to us. Killer then melded those ideas from the different verticals.

We wanted to make an obvious change to our look and feel, but we didn’t want it to be so different that you couldn’t tell there was a connection between the old and the new. When you dig into the details of what our product is actually doing, our past messaging was always challenged because it got into the weeds too quickly, providing too many details on the how as opposed to what the solution was trying to solve for. It was important for Killer to help keep us on task, and they did a fantastic job of interviewing the right folks and then providing options as to directional ways we were going, both in messaging and look and feel.

What is the team composition?

They had one point of contact/project manager, and then for each of the skillset requirements (graphic design, video, development, messaging, wireframe development) they had a representative.

How did you come to work with Killer Visual Strategies?

One of my wife’s employees has a brother that works at Killer. When I joined this firm I was looking for a company that could look at our branding; I needed someone to help me with investor decks. Actually, I didn’t give them the job because I thought they were a bit too expensive for what I needed then, but I remembered them for when we had a bigger project. They bid with 3–4 others, and this time they won.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $110,000–$120,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2019 until February 2020. There’s no question that we’ll have more projects with them.

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

They took something that was an extremely complex solution and made it reachable by the end-prospects. We put our go-to-market on hold for a bit for a lot of the material they built for us, but, from the marketing side, I’m extremely pleased. I’m confident we’ll get a lot of traction from their work. On the product side too, with the wireframing and look and feel and the UI, it’s been a tremendous difference in conversations I have with the venture capital community. Unless you were a physicist, it was difficult to understand what was going on. Now, when you present the UI that Killer created, there’s no question the VC community is far more interested in what we’re doing.

How did Killer Visual Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s top-notch. I can’t think of one example where there was a dropped-ball on their side. Obviously, there were things that maybe some members of my team didn’t think were perfect but no one is perfect. If anything was delayed, it was because I or my team didn't deliver on time.

They were always on deadline or before. I always felt confident that we were on track and that they had our best interests in mind. Our company uses Teams, and we’d just gotten away from Slack. Killer didn’t normally use Teams but they adapted to our methodology.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was treated fairly the whole way through. The competence and results are the most important, but some companies can do that in a harsher way than others. Amy (CEO & Founder, Killer Visual Strategies) and her team were extremely gracious. They were willing to have an open discussion about pricing and impact or getting creative when I had a budget crunch. I always felt their dialogue was treating me fairly. It felt like a two-way partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This might not be a fair expectation, but them challenging our team more on what would make sense from a user perspective would be welcome. If I did this again, I would give them direct access to our end-user.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do their job and trust that their process works. They told me that if we kept the communication line open then they would be successful.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Content Officer of a survey house that specializes in the assessments of organizational cultures globally. This includes teams, M&A's, leadership development, NFP's, schools and communities in addition to the for-profit companies we do work for.

For what projects/services did your company hire Killer Visual Strategies?

We provide an array of plots and graphics that provide significant insights to the client. We wanted a stronger presentation of that data both pictorially and data-wise that reflected our brand and the modernity of the day.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted clients to be able to look at our graphs and charts and a) be drawn into the data, and b) get the big messages without explanation.

How did you select this vendor?

I have a network of highly successful senior business leaders from major industries whom I asked for recommendations. Killer Visual Strategies came recommended by someone associated with a global firm that has household recognition.

Describe the project in detail.

We met with the Killer team at their offices who predominantly listened, asked smart questions, and took copious notes. We sent them the deck of slides that needed upgrading and they came back with additional questions. The process was a successful back-and-forth between what they created and our feedback on what we liked and what tweaks would be helpful.

What was the team composition?

There was an executive account strategist who oversaw the whole project. Their team consisted of a designer, a supervisor, financial accounts manager, and contact person through whom all communication flowed.

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

Our graphics have been transformed as a result of Killer's work. We could not be happier. We believe these are going to elevate our presence in the market both for the consultants we do this work for as well as their end clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seamless. Killer worked around the time obstacles that we had internally with grace. Our video calls were collaborative and warm / friendly in nature. There was a true listening and openness between all parties.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Several things:

1. The quality of the materials they produced
2. How quickly they turned around the work (all companies should be as timely and immediately responsive as they are)
3. The alertness and presence of all the people involved. Their genuine caring and professionalism made working with them a delight.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Genuinely . . . nothing I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission manages over 100 state parks across the state. I am the marketing manager for Washington State Parks and I manage marketing around camping, reservations and the Discover Pass, among other areas, statewide.

For what projects/services did your company hire Killer Visual Strategies?

During COVID-19, state parks had to shut down per the Governor's statewide orders. As we worked to reopen, we needed a lot of help, and quickly, to develop and design an infographic campaign on responsible recreation guidelines as we opened state parks back up. They also helped us with designing graphic content for camping to be used throughout the year, with different messaging.

What were your goals for this project?

To educate and guide the public on how to recreate responsibly in parks and to also develop content that could be repurposed throughout the year with different types of messaging applied.

How did you select this vendor?

I discovered them years ago at a Seattle Interactive Conference and was super impressed with their work.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We started off developing talking points for the two projects and then went from there. We weren't sure what the best approach was and so they helped us with determining a strategy and path. We first developed messaging with key points we wanted to target, and this helped the development of the infographics - but they are the experts in this area so we really relied on their expertise as they have a very scientific approach with what they do. They developed one large infographic that we embedded on our website, which they then broke into several infographic snippets to use for social media and email marketing. The infographic was focused on responsible recreation as reopened Parks for day-use in May. In June, we opened camping, and so we worked with them to develop graphic content around camping messages that not only pertained to us reopening camping, but graphics that could be repurposed throughout the year and with different types of messaging. We hired their services because of their expertise, but also because we have a very tight turnaround of two weeks and our resources and staff were a bit tapped out during that time, preparing for reopening the entire state on very short notice.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a group of 4-6 people at various times, including an account manager, graphic designer, content developer and others who tracked the project and worked with us on strategy. We worked with the same people on the camping design as well.

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

We've received a lot of amazing feedback from our staff and customers on the content we put out as a result of this. We also received requests to reuse the content from government municipalities across the state.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were super easy to work with, and they're a great group of very talented people. They made it a fun project to work on.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The design process was really impressive as well as their ability to take very little information and develop it into a comprehensive story for general consumption across the web.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead our global thought leadership program.

For what projects/services did your company hire Killer Visual Strategies?

Animated videos/interactive graphics/static graphics.

What were your goals for this project?

Raise awareness of our PoV on deep fakes and their impact on financial/business reputation, and AI's growing role in detecting and blocking it.

How did you select this vendor?

Killer is a long-standing partner that has performed with precision and met our brand quality standards.

Describe the project in detail.

We came up with a loose script and Killer perfected it and created a beautiful animation

What was the team composition?

You know how you perform these projects why ask me ???

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

The video was well received and brought lots of views to the article (500+)

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Worked well ... Killer can now finish our sentences and anticipate our needs and concerns.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Creative and quick studies ... willing to break through walls to make us happy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of.