Pickled Frames

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at Haakaa, an online maternity and baby products store.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pickled Frames?

We needed help with producing an animated video.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pickled Frames produced an animation video for us. Initially, we discussed how we wanted the video to look, how long it would take, and how much it would cost us. We also gave them our ideas for the video, which was a music video. It already had a storyline, but it needed to be made as a video.

Their team did exactly just that and contributed a lot of good ideas along the way — they pretty much handled the whole production process. They would send an email to us to confirm if we were happy with the video or if we wanted to make any changes. The video was over three minutes long.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with the founder and director of their company.

How did you come to work with Pickled Frames?

We saw Pickled Frames’ work on Fiverr. Their animated videos looked amazing and fun, so we decided to hire them for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from October–December 2022.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
 
We showed the video to our internal teams, and everyone loved it; the video was really fun and had great colors. We’re planning to publish the video on all of our social media platforms.

How did Pickled Frames perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style was good. We communicated via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Pickled Frames worked fast, and we were satisfied with their services. This was our first time working with an animation company, and their team did a good job overall.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve been more patient and understanding whenever I was not available. I had limited accessibility because my home country is China. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Pickled Frames is a good production team, and they’re easy to work with —  I would definitely recommend working with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the project manager in Universal Music Poland

For what projects/services did your company hire Pickled Frames, and what were your goals?

Animated music video for preschoolers - a song about puppies. We needed friendly, simple animation and characters that would evoke the sympathy of children and parents. We wanted to feel that the video should be fabulously colorful, but qualitative and not pushy.

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

We were looking for a company that can offer us different styles of illustrations, works efficiently and at good prices. We chose from 3 comparable offers - flexibility, friendly approach and commitment were decisive

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

Already at the stage of submitting the offer, they asked a lot of detailed questions, which proved their commitment to the subject and efforts to match the offer as best as possible. Thanks to this, after making the decision to choose PickledStudio, we had a lot of arrangements behind us, which made it easier to start work.

We started with character designs and then came up with a script that was 100% PickledStudio. We received animation samples with proposed textures, colors and the way the characters move, and after accepting these elements, the whole video was made. Several corrections were made very efficiently.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We were in contact with the project manager and animator. Together, we developed a realistic work schedule with a set deadline

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

Very easy communication, mainly by e-mail

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

They were very involved in the project from the moment of submitting the offer. It was obvious that they took the time to think everything through carefully and not to act clichéd.

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

Not for us.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a math education platform.

What challenges were you trying to address with Pickled Frames?

We needed to create animations for our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we wrote the script and had the voiceover done with the voiceover artist. We sent that back to Pickled Frames with all the instructions on how the animation should look. They’ve created the animation based on that. We’ve reviewed it and made adjustments. Additionally, Pickled Frames has done all the editing.

What was the team composition?

We’ve only worked with the CEO. We haven’t met him or his team in person since it’s a remote collaboration.

How did you come to work with Pickled Frames?

I found them on Upwork.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent about £40,000–£50,000 (approximately $49,000–$61,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2017, and it’s an ongoing collaboration.

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

Their work is fantastic; we love it. The animations are clear, and they’ve gotten exactly what we wanted. Moreover, our working relationship has been easy. We don’t have to give a lot of technical instructions.

How did Pickled Frames perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great with deadlines, and we’re always informed of the project’s progress. We use Google Drive to share documents and information, as well as email to send notes back and forth.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We love their style of animation and the speed of their work. Moreover, Pickled Frames is excellent at getting our technical directions; they always understand our notes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their prices could be more affordable, but their work is outstanding.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do a test with them to see if you like their style. Also, give as detailed instructions as possible; they don’t have to be technical, but make sure they’re clear.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CCO of Score Digital, a custom software development company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pickled Frames?

We wanted an animation studio to provide us with intros, outros, and in-between transitions for some videos we were creating.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pickled Frames helped us create animated content for our videos from scratch. Initially, we provided them with our brand identity and brand book, and we had a discovery call to discuss the kind of narrative we were looking for, the personas we were addressing, and what the videos would be about.

Then, Pickled Frames developed the storyboards for the animated videos, ensuring that the animations would resonate with our brand and the essence of the videos we were creating. To execute this project, they used their own equipment and studios.

Their team delivered the first version of the animated content, and we had a few iterations on it before reaching two different final versions with different sounds and backgrounds. The content they developed included an animated logo and brand elements with licensed music in the background.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Dominik (Founder & Director), who managed the project. I believe 2–3 other people worked on the project, but I didn’t work directly with them.

How did you come to work with Pickled Frames?

A friend of mine recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $1,500–$3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–May 2022. They only took about 2–3 weeks to complete the project.

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

Pickled Frames delivered truly awesome work. Both final versions of the animated content were very good and exceeded my expectations. Our logo was greatly animated, and the sound reflected our brand spirit and principles; the animations and sounds have an energetic feeling.

Additionally, the quality of the videos was outstanding. Pickled Frames delivered the content in 4K so that it could be used in various videos, and they also delivered it in various formats so they would be readily available for us to download and use.

Overall, Pickled Frames’ deliverables checked all of the boxes I expected for such a project. However, the company that is producing the actual videos for us is struggling with postproduction, so we haven’t seen the animations in an actual video.

How did Pickled Frames perform from a project management standpoint?

Pickled Frames had an extraordinary work ethic and well-organized processes in place, and they worked very fast. Whenever we asked for something, they were very responsive, and their communication was instantaneous. Moreover, they delivered ahead of the deadline they initially estimated.

We used a tool to collaborate, but I don’t remember which one. On it, Pickled frames laid out the project, and we could see the storyboards, so it was very clear to me how the final video would look. I was also able to leave comments through this tool for them to respond. As for communication, we used email and Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Pickled Frames executed a very good project, and everything was very smooth. If the other video production company did half the good job Pickled Frames did, we would already have the videos.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Pickled Frames has a great organization, so I can only advise them to keep doing what they’re doing so that they continue to be successful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire them! They’re awesome and very efficient.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of the company, Kuma Threads, where we focus on building a simple and free-spirited clothing brand that gives back to the community.

For what projects/services did your company hire Pickled Frames?

We were looking to launch our brand and wanted to step into the social media space with something other than a video of the founders explaining who they are and what it is that they're sharing, and we felt that coming up with something more creative would be that step forward to differentiate us from the rest. Pickled Frames were able to provide this amazing animated trailer for us.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for someone who had a great reviews on Fiverr and had an extensive portfolio to look at and most importantly an art style that wasn't common something that made it distinguishable from others.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

First we described our idea and what we wanted to see realized and we provided a rough trailer of what we had worked on and photos for reference material. Soon after they provided various sketches for us to choose from, for the mascot and background, and helped us smooth out any details that were needed to complete the project. Then they provided us with multiple updates on the project until its completion.

What was the team composition?

I worked with Dominik the founder of Pickled Frames and hey helped my with every step until the end.

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

So far it has been well received on social media and hopefully we can work again with Pickled Frames in the near future.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Although there was a time difference the line of communication was never lacking, always easy and fast to relay information.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment to putting out great work and not cutting corners was impressive. Others would quickly take a clients money and give them what they want without any feedback for improvements. Pickled Frames made sure to iron out the kinks and chime in and elaborate on ideas.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

As far as I saw I believe they did a fantastic job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a vice president and content and video producer at a foundation that is promoting education

For what projects/services did your company hire Pickled Frames, and what were your goals?

We hired Pickled Frames to create a series of a short animations for children about a human. Our goal Was to create content that interest children and educate them about our bodies.

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

We used our contacts to find a right agency. Pickled Frames did some work for our friends and they were very happy. Main factors was the quality and creativity of their work . Further on we learned that Pickled Frames has very professional team and are really "client minded"

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

These were about 5-minute animations for children about the mechanisms of the human body. We did 8 episodes in total. The Pickled Frames team initially prepared the character designs and general animation style. Then we got storyboards. The next step was animatics with sound. At the last stage, we received ready-made files with music, the character's voice and ready-made animations.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We have worked mainly with Dominik - director and co-founder at Pickled Frames. Dominik was in constant contact with us. He responded very quickly to our feedback. Throughout the process, he was always proposing solutions, not piling up problems.

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

The animation series has been very well received in our community. In total, several hundred thousand people watched it. For several years, since it was created, it has been watched all the time and is a very good educational material for children, which is very engaging for them. In addition, The materials created together with Pickled Frames helped us to establish our new YouTube channel for children, generating tens of thousands of subscribers at the start.

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

Project management on the Pickled Frames side was very clear and efficient. At the beginning, we were given a detailed work schedule, which did not change during the project. Contact with the team was always very professional and focused on listening to our comments. We felt understood by the pickled frames team from the beginning. We talked mainly by phone and e-mail

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

In addition to great design and animation work, what attracts attention in cooperation with Pickled Frames is a very professional and positive attitude to cooperation with the client. Each contact with the team gave satisfaction from working together.

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

I can't point to a single thing I would improve on pickled frames side.

Please describe your company and your position there.

i work at Apollo. We focus on a plant-based version of chicken, the most consumed type of meat on the planet. Made with unique technology and beans.

For what projects/services did your company hire Pickled Frames, and what were your goals?

We were in the process of planning a new brand for our plant-based meat. We wanted to create some buzz around new products and packaging with simple animation. We planned to post the animation on our social media channels and to our partners.

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

We chose Pickled Frames because of their affordable pricing, fast responses, and very open-minded team who took care of us.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

We started with the initial call - we introduced our goals and new brand identity. We introduced our initial idea and we get feedback from Pickled Frames (as they know best what works and doesn’t work in animations). Then, the creative team from Pickled Frames send us the first graphics which we could feedback on. When we accepted all the graphics we could start the animation process which was very quick. We could also feedback on each element of the animation.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We worked with Dominik, a project manager who outlined the project and kept us on schedule. He collected all the needed materials and pass our feedback to the animators. We communicated through e-mails and the process went very smoothly.

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

We created the buzz we wanted. We used video in our communication on various channels and it get very positive feedback. Even for our team and investors, the animation was a great sum-up of our new brand designing process.

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

The team was easy to communicate with and worked really fast on our project. Everything went as planned

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

I think the best part was work was done really fast. Even though we hadn’t worked on animation before, thanks to Dominik, the process was very transparent to us.

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

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

Animation studio

For what projects/services did your company hire Pickled Frames, and what were your goals?

We were deciding between 2D and 3D animation for our animated series, and we needed the 2D to be created in very short time range because there was a need for decision. We had nothing but quick storyboard ready, but apparently, that was enough.

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

We contacted few animation studios that we were able to get in contact with asap (due to short deadline) and they were the only ones, to guarantee that the deadline will be met.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

We provided a storyboard we've had prepared and after one or two meetings abour payment details and contracts we left PF to do what we needed. There was no directing from our part, as time was of an essence.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

I was in contact with founder and director of the Pickled Frames and he kept me updated about every aspect of the animation they've finished.

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

The work result they provided made it very easy decision to go 2D as their work was great and nice to look at even without our directing.

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

As the project was fast paced from the very beginning due to the short deadline, PF founder was great at keeping us updated about the schedule and what is going on with the project. But in the same time, listened to any feedback or changes we provided.

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

They did great work even when the deadline was short and made no shortcuts in the process.

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

Not really, I received exactly what I needed and I hope we can work together some time again.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Love Local Design, a small web and application design company that also does some digital marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pickled Frames?

We were looking for someone to complete some short animation sequences for an app we were designing for an end client.

What was the scope of their involvement?

After explaining what was needed, Pickled Frames sent preliminary sketches, which we went back and forth on to be more specific. We spoke with our end client, and they gave some feedback at that point to make the project more specific to what they were looking for. The animations accompany an application that was previously designed, and the animations that Pickled Frames created are in response to how a user answers a question on the application. 

Once Pickled Frames came up with the neutral version for the animation and look, they worked on giving different emotions to the characters, like anger and nervousness. They also came up with different characters because we wanted to ensure that the doctors and patients were all represented differently.  

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Dominik (Founder & Director). 

How did you come to work with Pickled Frames?

We found Dominik’s profile and then found out he had just started Pickled Frames. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between October 2019–October 2020. The process took longer because we worked with doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

The project was completed, and we were very happy with the work. Pickled Frames did exactly what we had hoped for, and we were extremely pleased with the professionalism and detail in the illustrations. 

How did Pickled Frames perform from a project management standpoint?

All the requested work was delivered on time and within budget, and Pickled Frames was very upfront if something was going to take longer. We added more requirements along the way, and the project scope grew, but they still worked well within the budget. We communicated via Zoom and email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was one of the most professional experiences we’ve had with subcontracting. We were really excited that we got professional quality animation that was still approachable. We thought we’d have to go to a large studio for what we ended up with, and we found a diamond in the rough. We feel like we got a professional look and feel for a good price, and they had excellent communication. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that we can come up with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your requirements and give examples of what you’re looking for. However, this would be advice we would give when working with any subcontractor.

Please describe your company and your position there.

A Fairy Tale After All develops and produces quality narrative motion pictures while maintaining an anti-excess philosophy, allowing high-quality projects to be done for less. AFTAA accomplishes this by utilizing valuable resources and industry relationships to maintain studio quality production at the 'independent' budget level, producing projects that are as compelling as they are commercially viable.

For what projects/services did your company hire Pickled Frames, and what were your goals?

Prologues for both films, A Fairy Tale After All and Welcome to Fairy Rings.

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

My first experience was with A Fairy Tale After All and we needed a company that had a very unique vu=ision that matched the fairy tale we were telling.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

They were very accommodating and not interested in accepting funds immediately until we were satisfied with the direction of the designs, layout, timing, and overall storytelling. You can tell, as I've worked with many animation companies when a group of artists cares about their craft.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

Dom from Pickled Frames was an absolute joy to work with, and he guided us through the most efficient way possible to achieve our goals.

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

The projects were completed within a sufficient amount of time, and they are part of a feature-length film distributed worldwide.

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

The company as very available for communications, including zoom calls.

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

I was impressed by their artistry and willingness to accomplish the director's vision as planned.

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

No. We will work with them again.