Lform Design

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of sales and marketing for a company that supplies bulk raw ingredients to manufacturers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

We basically wanted Lform to showcase our abilities as a supplier. After we became organic-certified, we wanted to highlight all of our ingredients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lform basically rebranded the company. Their team updated our logo and updated our whole website to include most of our products. Our original logo was a natural sunflower, and we wanted Lform to make it more modern. They implemented all of the content on the website.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, their design team, and their technical team.

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

We found Lform online and contacted them. Unlike other companies, they immediately responded to us. We liked that their team was closely located to us too.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little over $20,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project with them around March 2020 and paused it around May 2020 because of COVID-19 but restarted the project around August 2020. We’ll finalize the project in a few days.

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

Although we’ve yet to complete the project, we’ve received about 2 new inquiries a day. That’s all organic. We haven’t even told our customers or published a press release about our new brand. Lform exceeded our expectations.

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team’s on point. They quickly communicate, even by text message.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team pays attention to detail. They attend to the smallest design details.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them exactly what you want and Lform will deliver.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager for United Paper & Ribbon. We sell paper rolls for cash registers and credit card machines for retail shops, gas stations, and things like that.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

Our website has been down for a couple of years, so we needed to get that back up and running.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lform completed the design and development of our website. After we showed the team a few of our competitors’ websites, they decided on colors, fonts, and everything else about what the site would look like. They used BitCommerce for the development. 

What is the team composition?

Most of the time, we worked with Michael (Junior Quality Assurance Developer), Jeff (Art Director), and Charles (Head of Operations & Engineering Lead). 

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

We pulled up about four or five different web design companies, each of which gave us pretty high prices. We found Lform, checked their portfolio, and got a good impression. We called them, and they gave us a reasonable price, so we decided to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was between $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September–November 2020.

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

We haven’t gotten outside feedback yet, since the project was just finished last week. As far as our firm, we found the whole process to be really smooth from beginning to end. Lform had such positive energy, and they made us feel very comfortable working with them. The website looks as good as we wanted it to.

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was perfect. They delivered everything clearly and on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lform’s communication is exceptional. They were always very upfront about their plans during the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything at the moment. We’re very satisfied with their work; everything was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you listen to them. Don’t be scared to get their opinion and listen to their recommendations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Century Service Affiliate Inc, but we’re known by our website MyCaseBuilder. We create custom foam inserts for carrying cases so that people can safely transport their gear and have it nicely laid out in front of them — much like what you’d see when James Bond opens his briefcase. We don’t just serve spies and assassins; we create inserts for cameras, equipment, and more.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

Our main issue was that our website didn’t have a clear customer journey. Users didn’t know what we did because we offered a little bit of everything. We brought in Lform Design to evaluate our website and redo the layout. 

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Lform Design overhauled our existing website layout, creating wireframes to map out clear customer journeys. There were several scenarios that we needed to outline. Did the customer just want a replacement insert or a new case? What type of case did they want, and how would they order it? Would they like to design their own case using our online app? 

It was really about creating these user flows that would highlight certain parts of our business, specifically our pro-design service where we design the case for our customers. 

Lform Design organized our site into three main blocks: customize it yourself, premade designs, and prototype services. These blocks would guide customers to get what they’re looking for. The team used Adobe XD to create the wireframes, which allowed me to see previews of our website and get a sense of the layout. 

What is the team composition? 

I worked with Alison (project manager) but did have meetings with the designer, as well. Then there was Ian (Owner).

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

One of the members of a CEO group I’m in had used Lform Design before and referred me to them. From there, I took a look at their website to see some of the other projects they did and talked to them. I liked how they were able to take complex thoughts and actions and get them down to the basics.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April–July 2020.

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

Thanks to Lform Design’s layout, we now have a website that has clear pathways for our customers. It’s easier to understand what our services are, and our customers are having a better time navigating our site.

For example, we used to have a customize button on some of our products, but no one knew how it worked. Lform Design suggested that we put in a link to explain the process to our customers in addition to a pro-design call to action in case the customer didn’t want to do everything themselves. That made for a more informative experience without being overwhelming.

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager would set up our meetings and send reminder emails to keep me on track. It helped that they outlined the materials that I needed to get to them so that they could keep moving the project forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lform Design was able to keep the project in motion. In my experience, that’s where a lot of development projects go south. If you don’t get them approval or a process on time, then the project just ends up dragging along. They were able to push us in a good way so that we didn’t fall behind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Even though they were great at keeping us on track, they could’ve tightened up the timeframe by pushing me during certain situations. I’m not usually good at making decisions and can be a bit of a procrastinator. If they gave me 4–5 days to decide on a direction, I’d wait until the fourth day to think about it. Cutting back on my time would’ve forced me to get them a decision faster.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open about the timeframe that you need to make a decision, and they’ll accommodate. If you can make a call in one day, then do it. Quick responses will speed your project along. I’d suggest assigning a point person who can provide Lform Design with the answers they need on time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of sales and marketing at L&R Ultrasonics. We built ultrasonic cleaning equipment for the dental, medical, industrial, weapons cleaning, and jewelry industries, among others. We build the machines and the solutions that go in them.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

When I came to the company, our website was very antiquated. So, I reached out to Ian (Owner & Creative Director) through a friend of mine. A lot of our marketing tools were also outdated because we are a 90-year-old company. We needed a lot of guidance.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we first sat down with the team, they made it very clear that they weren’t just going to build us a website. They said that it was going to be a sales tool. We collaborated with Lform Design to create a tool that would help us advance in e-commerce.

They helped us update both our website and our other marketing tools such as copy and datasheets. Now, the team is doing our monthly tracking and maintenance.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with Ian and Jeff (Art Director). We’ve also worked with Charles (Head of Operations & Engineering Lead) and a few other folks.

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

I interviewed 3–4 different companies. What made me choose Lform Design was their holistic approach. Other companies were only focused on the website, but this team was focused on delivering a sales tool. They understood the business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first talked to Ian in August 2018, and our engagement is ongoing. We launched the website about six weeks ago, and we’re going to start making changes.

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

Just in the first month, we’ve had a marked increase in traffic, which we track with HotJar. So far, so good, and we have high expectations.

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They had some issues because we had so much information that had to be sifted through, qualified, and updated. There was a lot of work beyond the original scope of the project.

It took a lot of collaboration to rebuild some of the old tools and then create new ones. Given the sheer volume of information that we had to dump on them, their team did a good job of learning and understanding our business. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their holistic approach is impressive. Lform Design wants to help us build our business, and not just create a pretty-looking website. 

They understand the power of the internet and the ability of a website to generate sales. They are an excellent team to work with because they are very knowledgeable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I talked to Ian about this. When he gave us our proposal, it was very detailed. His expectations were that, since we were a company that had been in the business for 90 years, we would have everything he needed to complete the project.

We did have them, but they were antiquated and dated, as I mentioned before. It took a lot of time from both sides because the information that was expected was not available in an organized way.

This isn’t a criticism as much as it is a learning opportunity. From a project management standpoint, they could’ve analyzed what we had and decided on what they could and couldn’t work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s a collaborative process. Don’t just dump it on them and ask them to build the website for you; teach them about your product or services. You should expect to spend as much time as they do on this project, if not more.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a wholesale importer and distributor of Asian groceries. We import from Asia and distribute to supermarkets all over the United States, and I am the Vice President.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

Our company didn’t have a very strong online presence, because our website at the time was about 15 years old. We decided to refresh our branding and perform a website rebuild to go along with it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started from scratch because of the outdated framework that our old website had been built on. Our business had also shifted focus over the years, so what we were targeting back then wasn’t necessarily what made the most sense now.

We walked them through who we are, what we do and who our competitors are, and other information about the business. From there, they helped us to create a product that really showcased our business and helped to inform and direct potential customers to the right channels in order to secure them as leads.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Ian (Owner), and he delegated the different tasks involved to members of his team. That included a project manager who kept us on top of our deadlines, a designer who actually drew up the art and layouts for the site, and then a coder who built out the back of the site.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial contract was for $35,000–$40,000, and we have been billed around $25,000 for the work so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed on with them in July 2019 and we are continuing to finish up the project.

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

We’re still in Phase 1, but we are heavy on inventory and had to produce content for over a thousand products, which took a really long time to do. We’re just waiting on that to upload so that they can map it all correctly to the pages and then set up the e-commerce portion on top of it.

It ended up being a lot more complicated than we originally thought, but we’re making good progress so far. Because of those changes and modifications that we decided to make along the way, the product is still more or less a work in progress. The goal is to have the first version of the site fully online by June.

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicate over Gmail and Google Drive, sending files back and forth and providing feedback in both directions over live chats. Sometimes we do phone calls, or I go into their office when there are a lot of questions to be answered.

They’ve been very responsive to us no matter how busy they are, usually getting back to us within the same day or the next. Beyond that, they’ve just been a really great team to work with, going above and beyond to make the relationship easy for everyone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What really sets them apart is their willingness to work with you to meet every need you have for the project. A lot of organizations just want to churn out the project and get it done, but they treat their work far more as a relationship than as a project. Their commitment to us is clear in all of their deliverables and recommendations to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes they asked me exactly what I wanted, and I didn’t necessarily have the knowledge to give them specific answers. We got to the point where they understood the gaps in my knowledge and were able to explain what I needed to know to make the decisions, but we weren’t there right from the start.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework about what you want, because the better idea you have of that, the smoother the process will go. They are good at handling changes and being flexible throughout the process, but that will only cause delays in the overall timeline.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a designer and manufacturer of industrial milling equipment. I’m the VP of sales and marketing. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

Our marketing material was very antiquated. I wanted to take our content and reissue it in a more modern and user-friendly way. I’m the only member of the marketing department at my company, so I knew I’d need to bring in a third-party vendor.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped with web design, developing print materials, digital marketing, and print advertising. Their team worked with me to create a host of marketing materials that we could use at trade shows and online to present our company to the market.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with Ian (Owner & Creative Director) initially. We worked together to set up what needed to be done. I work with a group of people from Lform Design including a designer, project manager, content writer, and graphic designer. 

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

I looked at several different companies. After some consideration, I decided that working with a boutique firm would be best. That’s what led me to Lform Design. I clicked right away with their team. 

How much have you invested with them?

By the end of the contract, we’ll have invested about $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

 We started working with them in October 2019. We signed a 12-month contract that lasts through 2020.

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

We’ve seen some results from their SEO work. We’re appearing closer to the top of search results. Qualitatively, the nature of our advertising is much more professional. Our company image is more sophisticated. 

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a shared calendar with all our project milestones. They help keep me on track. We schedule regular meetings to keep our projects on track. The meetings are efficient, and we get things done. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I feel very comfortable that they’re a local B2B provider. They go above and beyond to understand my business and our market. The advice that they give is really relevant. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

They should sell themselves more. I want to see their business succeed and grow. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Look at their portfolio and make sure that their style works for you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing manager at REdirect Consulting, a consulting firm for real estate technology.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

We first brought them in to help with our website. The engagement has grown from there.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since Lform Design built our website on HubSpot, their services have moved to content creation, website updates and development, and design. They deliver two blog posts and a newsletter every month.

What is the team composition?

We work with four team members. We don’t necessarily have dedicated resources, but we definitely work exclusively with a designer, a copywriter, and a project manager. An assorted group handles the website.

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

The partnership started before I joined the company. We continue to work with them because they’ve honed in on our messaging and make an effort to understand our niche industry.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $80,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in January 2015 and is ongoing.

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

We don’t have metrics necessarily, but I can say that Lform Design has a 100% on-time delivery rate when it comes to copy and content. From a design perspective, that’s a little slower because it requires a lot of back and forth. They always show a lot of professionalism in the design process however; they take feedback really well, but sometimes, we don’t need to give feedback because it looks great already.  

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m on my third project manager with them. We had some issues in the past, but they were always willing to talk about it and make some changes to make sure that our project management was up to par. Over time, we’ve honed in on the essential skills that we expect from a project manager, so I feel like we’re in a good match with our current project manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take feedback well, but they also push back if I’m not aware of a reason to do something differently. They educate us on trends and what makes sense when it comes to long-term and short-term fixes. Their area of expertise is definitely in web development and design, especially for Hubspot; it’s hard to find people who can work within HubSpot.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve pretty much hammered out a lot of the issues we had in the past. If I had to offer some advice for them, I’d recommend that they take a more proactive approach rather than trying to fix things as they come up. We really value their insights and would appreciate it if they came to us with suggestions rather than vice versa.

Any advice for potential customers?

Have a timeline in place on the client side. Have some buy-in: things often get held up on our side when we need to get approval for the next step. Make sure you have a process for approvals so that you stick to your own timeline and don’t drag it out further. 

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I am the IT Director at AAA Innovations, a promotional products company. We cater primarily to the ASI industry. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

We wanted to completely redesign our website to give it a more modern feel while maintaining its functionality.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lform Design developed a new website for us from scratch. They took ownership of all of the technical aspects of the project. One of the main features they provided was connecting our site to NetSuite. The new site also gives customers the ability to view inventory and mock-up virtual samples. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with a team of five or six people from Lform Design including a programmer and project manager. 

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

One of our team members recommended we look into them. We looked at six other companies, but Lform Design was the best fit for us. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in January 2019 and launched the site in November. 

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

While the website is live, their team is still working with us on website updates. Our customers are really happy with the new website which is what is most important to us. There’s been an increase in users signing up for accounts on the site and we’ve had increased views. 

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. Their team is good at following up, meeting deadlines and is task-oriented. In fact, they pushed to set deadlines more so than we did. The project was time-sensitive, but we didn’t think we needed specific due dates. However, they still set up a schedule for themselves and followed through. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

They’re on the ball. They understood our company and were very engaged. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, I can’t think of anything bad to say. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Take the time to talk to them and give them as much information about your business as possible. Strong communication was very helpful in our project. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in inside sales and marketing for a lumber company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

Our previous website was archaic, and we couldn't update it ourselves; it wasn't aesthetically-pleasing or user-friendly for someone unfamiliar with code, so we began searching for a developer who could give us a bigger internet presence, make a better-looking site, and build the site in a way that we could make changes in the future.

We were also in the process of combining three businesses into one, so the new partner would be replacing the previous web design firm.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lform created a master sheet that outlined the major steps we needed to accomplish. Together, we picked out colors and templates for the website and worked on copy. We collaborated extensively, with me providing lots of information and vendor logos so Lform could design the exact site we wanted. The previous version was incredibly basic, so Lform had quite a bit of work to do.

They built a contact form, so people can now come to our site and fill out what kind of business owner they are (commercial, residential construction, etc.) so it’s easier and quicker for us to get a hold of them.

We have a page with pictures of projects our customers have done so prospective clients can see our material in action. Lform had the idea of putting a video on our landing page to make it more engaging and captivating.

One of the most important components was the backend they implemented on the WordPress site. It gives me full admin access, so I can make changes without having to do any code. Lform also integrated our social media and blog onto the home page. They integrated SEO keywords into our copy and taught me how to do that, but we didn’t pay them to actively work on SEO.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, copy writer, backend specialist, graphic designer, and two coders.

We became acquainted with everyone on the team, so I could talk to any of them whenever I needed help with a specific task. They all attended meetings for the most part, and I usually had daily contact with the project manager.

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

I found them on Google. I interviewed a few other companies, but Lform was fairly priced, local, and spent a lot of time with us writing proposals. Before even hiring them, they met with us several times to make sure they understood our needs that were frequently changing. They didn’t seem to have a problem with that, which was refreshing and much needed.

Other companies were either poor-quality or too expensive, and Lform fit our budget and plans. They even prepared various different proposals, presented to us (on their time), and gave us a good feeling, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially began working together in January 2017, and the site launched in October.

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

It hasn’t been long enough to have detailed metrics, but we’ve definitely had more site traffic and leads through our contact form. I'm the only one who maintains the site right now, and I love using it. It’s simple to navigate and easy to understand. Customers also seem to like the organized layout and that the new site provides them with much more information than the old one.

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Lform was efficient, easy to reach, and kept me informed at all times. I had all the team members’ phone numbers, so I could text any of them and get a response almost immediately.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We don’t have much technology experience, but Lform was able to work wonders. We had a basic vision for our site, and Lform turned it into something incredible and easy to use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did great.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

For a small business like ours, do your website dev in the slow season if you don’t have someone solely dedicated to it. It can take a while to finish, and if you’re busy with other things, you won’t be able to utilize Lform to the best of their abilities.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of product marketing for Kinetek Consulting. We are a Deltek and IBM business partner that specializes in delivering solutions that empower people to make decisions that maximize performance. We specialize in transforming corporate data into actionable information through proven performance management consulting, training services, and technologies

What challenge were you trying to address with Lform Design?

When I started my position in 2012, our platform essentially looked like a dentist's office website from 1994. It was poorly put together and hosted on Go Daddy. We hired Lform Design to build out a completely new platform that would bring us into the 21st century. In addition, we needed support with our SEO efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lform Design built a new website that not only capture leads and information, but also offers our clients live downloads including white papers and videos. Their regeneration helped us created an upholstered online presence. Our current site is in its third redesign. Several of our efforts have focused on revamping our homepage for SEO purposes. They put together a video to replace static pictures, and fully implemented a blog and rolling Twitter feed. Just recently, we added a success stories page. Bits and pieces of our site are designed in Photoshop. We've been making constant updates and adding new features to stay current with trends and push customers through our sales cycle.

We've purchased a new CRM system through Lform Design that’s worked really well for us. We'd been using Salesforce, which was way too powerful of a tool. They suggested that SharpSpring would be more of a personal fit for us. It handles our full ERP, CRM, and email marketing. It's also tied into our website, and shows which pages the previous leads in our CRM visit on our site. Our Twitter and LinkedIn pages are now integrated into one central hub. They helped us get in as early adopters, so we have a locked-in, fixed price for eternity. The price has increased dramatically since, so that's helped us out crucially.

What is the team composition?

We usually worked with three to five team members from Lform Design. Our point of contact depended on the project stage. I worked most closely with Charles Punchatz, a full stack developer, a few of the designers, and occasionally the owner, Ian Loew. Although I’ve never met the owner face to face, I feel a strong rapport with him when we speak.

How did you come to work with Lform Design?

My boss, who is from New Jersey, hired them based on a friend’s word-of-mouth recommendation. Their price point was lower than the other considered vendor’s, as well. Once we began work together, they hit our project out of the park. We've stuck with them ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $10,000 over five years of working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started in 2012, and we've continually updated our site from one form to another, adding features to it piece by piece.

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

Many of our leads now come from the contact form they added to our website. Through the CRM and email marketing tool they gave us, we've run several successful email campaigns. Integrating our social media and blog into one platform has been a big win for us. It’s much better than having 10 platforms all running different functions. Recently, we won a significant contract and beat out two of our biggest competitors. The contacted lead came through the new website.

Their SEO efforts have seen a marked improvement in our page ranking. Our site was on the second page of Google before we began our engagement, and we’re currently listed as the first result. Our site was originally KinetekConsulting.com, and they helped us repurchase the domain name Kinetek.com. This purchase boosted our rankings even further. Since I obtain a lot of graphic design for our company and as a side business, I was very particular about what I wanted. They were able to address all my demands and needs for the actual website in the field and the user interface.

How did Lform Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We held weekly or even biweekly calls, and touched base via email, phone, and Skype. After we were first introduced, I did my due diligence to clearly define and convey our goals. During the second iteration of our site. I literally drew what I wanted with a pen and paper, sent it over, and asked the owner of Lform Design to make it a reality. Typically, we discussed whether or not to make any design changes before moving forward. They even talked me out of ideas that were misguided from that perspective. They were very good about listening to all my points and executing my requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Critically, their ability to judge trends helps us keep up with the competition. They've pushed us in the right direction to be a top competitor in our marketplace, and we've stayed ahead of the curve ever since. Efficiency is their greatest strength. Fixes were completed in 24 to 48 hours, and they don't charge me an hour of work for something that takes them ten seconds. They've been an awesome and consistent source of help.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Approach your project with an open mind. You should know what you want, but give them a blank canvas to work with. They will steer you towards the right decisions to put your business in the forefront of where it needs to be.