Pen & Mug

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Knitting in the Good

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We equip knitters & crocheters with premium supplies, classes, and community events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Brand identity design
• Packaging design

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Pen & Mug were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Design an original visual brand identity (primary logo + multiple variations) 
• Brand Guidelines (overview of guidelines for logo usage, decorative elements, colors, and fonts) 
• Digital profile + banner graphics for all social media platforms 
• Design a template for product packaging bands

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

My vision for Knitting in the Good evolved from a vision to a real live brand! I now have a Brand Book with all elements documented - logos, fonts, colors, etc. as well as templates in Canva. I've been able to effortlessly create marketing materials that look amazing and consistent!

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Items were delivered in a timely manner, often quicker than expected. They were very receptive to feedback and addressed any questions and concerns.

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

Virtual Meeting

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

They go the extra mile with attention to detail. Their creativity, talent, customer service, and expertise are top-notch!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

I really can't think of anything! Keep up the great work!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a software consultancy that helps our clients leverage technology to digitize operations, modernize legacy systems, and enable enterprise workflows.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• Create visual assets for our homepage redesign, including an animated header illustration and a set of custom icons

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

What was the size of Pen & Mug’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We were redesigning our company's homepage in an effort to improve engagement on our website. As part of this redesign, we asked Pen & Mug to create:

• an original, animated illustration to appear at the top of the page and provide an at-a-glance first impression of our company
• a set of icons to represent our company's services.
• All deliverables needed to be created in alignment with our brand guidelines.

We originally asked for a still illustration, but in conversation with Pen & Mug decided that an animated illustration would provide additional visual interest.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Following the launch of our new homepage, we compared engagement metrics to those we measured with the previous homepage. Comparing the month prior launch to the month post launch, our bounce rate decreased by 7.5%, time on page increased by 10.4%, and for visitors landing on the home page, pages per session increased by 9%. We're very pleased with these initial metrics. We're also looking at qualitative feedback through a series of user interviews, which are going on now.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Pen & Mug are so easy to work with. They're proactive about communicating timeline and providing updates as the work is being completed. They met every deadline, responded quickly and clearly to my questions, and even walked me through the steps of adding the new animated illustration to my homepage. One thing I particularly appreciate about Pen & Mug's project management is the way they deliver their files.

At the end of the engagement, they provided me a clean set of files in several different file types (including the art files) and everything was clearly named and organized in folders. This is a small part of the overall project, but it makes such a difference to have a vendor who makes the handoff so clean -- I don't have to deal with confusing, incomplete files or dig through my email to find different file versions, which is an experience I've had with other vendors.

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

Ability to understand our brand style and adapt their work to it flawlessly; clear, easy communication; dependability

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

No areas for improvement. They do a great job and I will definitely work with them again the next time I have a design need.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at Simply Golden Events

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Nashville-based event planning company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• We needed an overhaul of our website—including content and branding.

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Pen & Mug’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The team at Pen&Mug was tasked with redesigning our website. This included the overall look and feel of the website in addition to the copy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• We had a hard deadline due to our current website expiring. Our biggest measurable was having the website completed by March 1.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team was punctual, if not early, with all of their deliverables. They listened to our feedback and had a quick turnaround time for revisions.

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team was super easy and fun to work with. Each conversation we had with their team felt like we were talking to old friends. We felt as though their team was an extension of our team, which is what you want in a design partner. We left the project feeling like the Pen&Mug team cared just as much about our company's success as we did.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

The meetings we had with the team were thorough and efficient. They were always punctual with deadlines and respectful of our opinions! We couldn't have asked for a better creative partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sr. Director of Donor Engagement of Centennial Park Conservancy

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a nonprofit based in Nashville

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pen & Mug to accomplish?

• We needed a beautiful and functional deck to share with our corporate and foundation partners
• We wanted to convey our complex mission in a simple and logical way

SOLUTION

How did you find Pen & Mug?

Referral

Why did you select Pen & Mug over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Pen & Mug’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Pen & Mug created our 2023 Partnership Pitch Deck

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Complete the pitch deck by our deadline
• Offer flexible approaches to building the deck
• Train us in how to use the deck / manipulate the slides

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Austin and his team at Pen & Mug were fantastic to work with! They supported several long, thoughtful consultative calls with our team to ensure our needs were met. They adapted well to members of our team and their relative experience / inexperience with designers. And they supported a friendly and timely feedback loop!

What was your primary form of communication with Pen & Mug?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We were impressed with the level of professionalism combined with the lovely sense of humor and way of collaborating!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pen & Mug could have done differently?

None! Just keep on rollin'

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-owner/founder of Empower. Professional Organizing. We offer organizing, packing, and cleaning services to residential and commercial customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pen & Mug, and what were your goals?

We hired Pen & Mug do complete a re-branding and image, website and marketing for our company after 1.5yrs in service. We started out using a cookie cutter marketing website to create our own image/products. After taking-off, those things, while great for the beginning, no longer matched the level our business had achieved. Enter Pen & Mug.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have a connection with an insider at Pen & Mug which allowed us to feel comfortable using their services as small business owners. After contacting them, and viewing their work with other businesses, it really was a no-brainer.

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

We started with a meeting for introductions, and interview about our business, backgrounds, thoughts on the products we wanted and what our vision looked like. During the meeting, they asked great questions and allowed me to ramble on, per the usual, and got their start from that. We were looking for an experience where we could talk out loud and they would work with us being very hands-off.

They would email us and have meetings when necessary, but were able to use their creativity and expertise to run with the project. They completed a complete re-branding with imaging, font, color scheme, you name it. We were really looking to take homegrown to the next level and they delivered. I called us "the vistaprint girls", and they've completely polished us while maintaining the heart of what we do. They completed a website, marketing materials (business cards, trade show materials, etc.) and brand imaging to take us to the next level of service.

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

We worked directly with:

• Austin: Founder/Director/Designer
• Kyle: Senior Designer
• Mari: Marketing/Design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To demonstrate success, just check out

www.makingspacehappy.org

Looking at this page, I would never dream this business is a small sister owned & run company. It captures exactly what we do with all the elegance and grit of much larger companies, and really brings us to the next level in the industry.

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

Their style is to match the needs of the client. They worked with us on how we wanted the project to be managed, and we wanted to be hands off. They're the professionals and we trusted them to run with the project. We recieved communication updates and questions several times a week and could contact them whenever necessary. I coudn't believe how efficient and timely the work came in.

I honestly didn't have any specific timeline I was looking for when we embarked on this journey and they outperformed anything I imagined all of this work would take. 

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

The vision and ability to do exactly what we wanted/needed and to far exceed that expectation. We told them that we wanted to be as hands-off as possible and they delivered. I keep looking at our final project, site and materials, and I think about our business and image, "Who are these professionals and what have they done with the Vistaprint girls?!". And they did all of this with a small team, while the quality is representative of dozens of individuals in the think tank.

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

The only thing I would have done differently is hire them sooner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Live On The Green Music Festival is locally produced by WRLT Lightning 100.1 FM, Nashville local radio station. Live On The Green is a free outdoor music festival held at Public Square Park in Nashville, TN. The festival showcases the city’s emerging musical talent and highlights well-known national acts. Since its inception in 2009, over 800,000 fans from all 50 states and 15 countries have attended the event. My position is in sponsorship sales & fulfillment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pen & Mug?

We needed an all purpose company that can produce digital assets for multiple platforms from our website, social media platforms to on-site signage, merchandise design and visual graphics.

SOLUTION

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

We got connected with Pen & Mug through a mutual contact. The deciding factors were they are local, have an amazing creative portfolio, the ability to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously and to understand our direction through words & then put it into graphic form.

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

Pen & Mug worked closely with our team since 2018 as our dedicated partner for all things graphic design and web management, including our marketing communications, sponsorship materials, event signage, social media graphics, animations, and day-of support. In 2019 we needed to rebrand LOTG. Pen & Mug collaborated with us on designing our new LOTG brand identity, and completely redesigned and recreated the liveonthegreen.com website from scratch. In 2022 Pen & Mug added another item to the list as well, leading design for the 2022 lineup of festival merchandise.

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

We worked with 4 Pen & Mug team members:

• creative director/project manager
• designer
• developer
• illustrator

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pen & Mug helped us create a LOTG overview booklet and other communications that played a major role in landing some major sponsorships. The Live On The Green website has a cleaner, more custom look with a simplified user experience that is optimized for mobile screens (more than 80% of our traffic for this site is mobile). It's also MUCH more organized and simplified for admins to manage on the backend.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our workflow with Pen & Mug was extremely effective and a whole lotta of fun. A lot of the communication was through email, however, if we needed to speak on the phone, they were available. Also, when it was time for both of our teams to get together to go over all the details, we did that too. All deadlines were met, no problem. There are times we need items to be tweaked, completely designed, or redesigned on the fly, and they get it done.

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

What I loved about Pen & Mug was they became about of our team, our family. Our mission became their mission. They are fun, creative, & have a great work ethic.

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

No, I don't have anything on this one. I just hope we can continue to work with them. The more we do, the better we become.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Sylvan Health brings affordable medical nutrition therapy to patients through the power of telehealth to treat, manage, and prevent chronic disease, I oversee all operations at Sylvan Health across our relationships with providers, patients, and investors, as well as our marketing and product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pen & Mug, and what were your goals?

We hired Pen and Mug to build and launch our new website, as well as to design our print and digital marketing materials, including social media, clinical content, and internal business documents like pitch decks.

Our goal has been to share high-quality branding and marketing materials that reflect our mission and company values to prospective customers, partners, and the world at large.

SOLUTION

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

Our team had connections who had used Pen & Mug before. We had a couple of conversations with the team and knew they were the perfect fit as it is their model to act as an extension of our team.

They had experience across all channels of marketing that we needed, and it was a plus they were local to Nashville where Sylvan Health is based.

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

5 hours/week dedicated to miscellaneous projects as needed. These include building and maintaining the Sylvan website, launching and managing our company blog (the Sylvan Digest), generating print and digital designs for marketing materials and clinical content, creating QR codes and HIPAA-compliant intake forms, and more.

Additionally, we partnered with Pen and Mug to update our team’s headshots. The Pen & Mug team will be coming to our office to take individual and group pictures that will be edited to align with our branding. Tools used have included, but are not limited to, Notion, Dropbox, Adobe Photoshop, and more. We wouldn’t want to work with anyone else!

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

Three primary team members worked with us. They included Austin, the company founder, and Morgan, a designer on the team. Jeremy, a web developer, also worked on our website. They have been terrific!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first couple of weeks of launching brand-new print and digital materials, we generated new leads from potential patient clients, partners, and dietitians interested in working for our company. We have also seen strong engagement on our social media channels as we’ve shared the content that Pen & Mug designed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our team and Pen & Mug has been fantastic! In addition to weekly meetings with Austin and Morgan, Pen & Mug is very timely and responsive to all of our emails. They always meet deadlines or turn deliverables in early. They are very quick to seek our feedback and implement any changes we request.

They also offer great suggestions and insights to help our marketing efforts be the best they can be, from creating a sample catalog of icons and graphics to serve as inspiration for our ongoing content creation to recommending local print companies. The Pen & Mug team communicated deadlines by intentionally assessing how much time they would need to complete a certain deliverable and then communicating when they could return drafts/mock-ups to us.

When we sent feedback their way, they promptly responded with another estimate of when they could get it back to us, typically within a day or two depending on the edits. For ongoing projects (e.g., publishing to the blog), they make us aware of exactly how long it would typically take them to create each post, which allows us to know how many days in advance we should submit the copy for a blog article to them that we want to have published on a certain date. Pen and Mug has been very communicative of deadlines, always delivering on time or early.

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

What I’ve found most impressive about Pen & Mug is their ability to deliver what we ask for according to our specifications and requests, while also integrating their own creativity. In each of our calls, I not only share what we want, but always look forward to hearing their thoughts, insights, and creative expertise.

Their ability to create high-quality content on such quick turnarounds has continually impressed us and we frequently receive positive feedback on our website, social media, and print materials created by Pen & Mug. The team is so positive and professional - we have loved working with them!

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

Pen & Mug has truly been great to work with and they have been very quick to respond to feedback. It’s tough to pinpoint an area for improvement!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder of a small consulting firm focused on leadership team effectiveness. My 2 partners and I launched our new consulting practice earlier this year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pen & Mug?

We engaged with Pen & Mug for design of a number of new collateral pieces, leveraging a style sheet and design guide from our web agency. Pen & Mug designed several pieces: Proposal, Contract and Handout Templates, Core Presentation Deck, Services Overview, and LinkedIn Post Graphics.

SOLUTION

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

We were referred to Pen & Mug by a mutual friend. After interviewing them as well as a few other vendors, we chose P&M based on the quality of their work product, our affinity for their design style, the value of the referral, and their personal style and approach (very relational, client-focused, easygoing and personable).

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

After an initial call with our team and theirs to get to know one another, understand the process, and share our project objectives, we agreed on the scope of the project and the way we would work together, and got started. We set up weekly meetings to check in on progress and provide feedback. The P&M team was very responsive and timely, and we would provide feedback on drafts in an asynchronous manner as needed between our weekly calls.

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

We worked with 2 resources - the owner/founder/primary POC as well as another designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The collateral pieces they delivered were exceptional. High quality, high design, templatized when possible, easy for us to use and customize. We are posting regularly to LinkedIn and leverage the graphics they designed in our bi-weekly posts. We're also using the collateral they designed everyday with our clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our team and theirs was exceptional. We met weekly as a touchpoint, and also exchanged frequently via email in between weekly meetings. We leveraged Google drive and Dropbox for file sharing.

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

I was particularly impressed by Pen & Mug's unique combination of design talent, flexibility and fun. Austin and Morgan were truly a joy to work with, extremely client-focused, and collaborative. They sought feedback and input, were responsive and friendly, and made the entire project fun and interesting; all while delivering exceptional work product that met our design style and objectives.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a member of the pop rock duo Young in a Million and over see all the branding and graphics for the band.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pen & Mug?

We hired Pen & Mug to re brand our band and give us a fresh appeal. We also hired them to not only for great a logo & fonts, but to fully design all our album artwork for CD's, Vinyl, Shirts, Pins, and multiple forms of merchandise.

SOLUTION

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

We chose them because I had recently worked with them in the past an had an awesome experience. Their work also appeals to what is fresh and relevant in our culture with an original creative edge.

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

After multiple meetings and going back and forth on branding and designs we finally settled on a unified brand. We wanted to have a nostalgic 80's edge (which is very current in popularity) over our logos, band font, vinyl inserts, and album artwork. They were so kind to try multiple ideas and we ended up going away from our original design. The value in Pen & Mug is their creativity and taking your vision and making it become something even better than your original idea. Overall we were so happy with the results, they made us absolutely smile when we saw the designs!

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

In total we worked with 2 designers, both equally did the graphic designing and were present for all the meetings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The album artwork for our vinyl and CD's are absolutely stunning and everyone we have shown is eager to purchase our album! There is something to say in appearance makes people excited to buy something. Pen & Mug took our ideas for a logo and made it a reality. Their creativity was able to bring to life what exactly we were looking to achieve and beyond!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team was so friendly and always delivered everything on time. We had revisions emailed, but would meet in person for the presentation of the major designs. They went the extra mile and totally went with a separate design we thought was the strongest and beyond our imagination! Creativity is their strongest force!

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

Their creativity was beyond anything we could imagine! It was an absolute joy to see them take our vision and make it a come to life in ways we couldn't see. They have an eye for branding and graphic design that will leave you smiling and excited, not to mention you will stand out among competitors!

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

Honestly I don't think there was anything we would have done differently. Creativity is a process and joy for us to discover the greatest designs and see them brought to life!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a tech start-up called the better MENU. Our platform provides our partners with picture based QR menus for in-house dining and website use. Our platform allows restaurants to show off their food & cocktails before they order, so guests know what to expect every time.

We provide our restaurant partners with analytics of how guests digitally interact with their menus, allowing they to gain valuable insights for marketing and menu engineering.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pen & Mug?

We needed an entire new brand design (identity, logos, colors, fonts), website landing page and sales leave behinds.

SOLUTION

How did you select Pen & Mug and what were the deciding factors?

Pen & Mug was recommended by a friend and I was evaluating a few different designers at the time. There were 2 deciding factors for choosing to work with Pen & Mug. 1st, their quality of work on their portfolio was very impressive and matched the style of design I was looking for with our brand. 2nd, they embodied the same whit and whimsy in their own brand & company culture that was exactly what we were looking to have embodied in our company brand.

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

It was a very thorough process from beginning to end with constant communications that allowed us to hit our predetermined deadlines. The project started with an initial scoping session and brand identity review to allow Austin and the Pen & Mug team to full understand who our company is, where we are going and how we want that reflected in our branding.

The project was broken up into 2 stages. Stage 1 was working through brand concepts, logo designs and color pallets. It started with rough sketches of different logo concepts and designs to help us work together to find the style that worked best for us. Once we had the logo style and design narrowed down, we fine tuned our favorite designs to get to a final set of logos. After that, we picked a color pallet (we really liked orange and purple) and the Pen & Mug team came up with brand colors that were perfect. The logos were colorized and signed-off on.

Stage 2 was the website landing page and sales materials design. We already had the content we needed for the website (via our old landing page) but needed help refining the layout of the page and incorporating the new brand identity. This process moved fairly quickly because we had all the copy ready, and the tweaks along the way were made fast.

From here, we wrapped up by creating our necessary sales leave behinds (stickers, business cards and flyers) In the middle of the project, we felt that we could benefit from some graphical illustrations in the form of a "comic" strip to help tell the story behind why we created our project. This was added to our scope of work (for an additional fee that was very fair) and the end result blew us away! Such a talented graphic design firm!

How many resources from the Pen & Mug team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Since we had the development team in-house we did not need to leverage their development services. Austin was the lead on our project and we worked directly with him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new brand identity launch has coincided with us taking the platform out of beta as we begin scaling our sales efforts. In the past few weeks since the project has gone live, we have started to see massive traction on the sales side brining in 5 new partners in the first few weeks since the launch.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication was amazing. Couldn't have been better!

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

Their graphic design ability is obviously very impressive to me (as a non-design person) but what was most impressive about the entire process was Austin's ability to understand our product, our partners and our brand vision and help us create a brand identity that hit the nail squarely on the head!

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

Cannot think of anything that could have been better! It was an amazing process that hit all our deadlines and targets.