Pixelcarve Inc.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing manager at David Aplin Group, a national staffing firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixelcarve?

We were looking to completely revamp the user flow and design of our site, starting with a CMS shift from an open source WordPress site into the HubSpot automation platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We made the decision to go with HubSpot shortly after meeting with Pixelcarve, and worked with them on the entire scope of the project. They completely redesigned the site, optimizing use of all the features HubSpot has to offer, including the addition of a company blog. They also wrote a great deal of custom code on HubSpot to make our platform unique. At the start of our engagement, they took the time to understand our brand and our history, and they managed to put the essence of that into the work they did for us.

It was a complicated project with several moving parts and various third-party software that had to integrate. We ran into some challenges with our applicant tracking system and HubSpot transferring data from the back end to the front end. To address this issue, Pixelcarve created a custom API that allowed us to take information from our applicant tracking system and display them correctly on the site. This was above and beyond the original scope of work, and they did a fantastic job on it. Additionally, we recently changed our applicant tracking system, and worked with them again to reintegrate everything and make sure the API was still working with the new system.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about six people total. At the start of the engagement I was working directly with their CEO, their VP of Sales, and a marketing manager to determine the scope of the project. When we started development, I transitioned to working with a project manager, a UX designer, and a full stack developer.

How did you come to work with Pixelcarve?

It started with a simple Google search. I needed to find a local development group, and Pixelcarve kept showing up as an option. After going through several amazing reviews, I sent them a quick email and they got back to me right away. When we met with them, their customer service totally blew us away. They were very engaging and professional, and were the only group that came out to meet with us.

How much have you invested with them?

Overall, we’ve invested between $35,000-$40,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2016 and concluded October 2016. However, they have provided ongoing support since then, and we intend to continue working with them.

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

A significant number of users have given us very positive feedback on the improved design, functionality, and accessibility. HubSpot reached out to us as well, and was very impressed with what Pixelcarve was able to accomplish with custom coding. We also worked with another marketing consulting firm later on, and they said that our code had been written very well.

How did Pixelcarve perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. We primarily interact via email and phone. Any time I reach out to them, they’re easy to get a hold of. They’ve been very responsive and very collaborative. When I have an idea and it’s not feasible, they’ll reliably come up with a solution or alternative idea.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Throughout our engagement, they’ve felt like an extension of our team, as opposed to a third party. Any time we’ve reached out to them, it feels like reaching out to a coworker.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of. They’ve just been great.

Advice for potential customers?

I’d say give them a chance. They’ve got very collaborative people in all the right positions, and their advice is always helpful. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a Partner and the Chair of our Securities Law Group at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP, a Toronto-based business law firm. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixelcarve?

We needed to redesign the firm’s outdated website, which was more traditional and slow performing. The new design should be fresh, and last at least a few years. We wanted a partner that could execute our vision with little hand-holding or guidance.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed the site and built it on their proprietary platform, ChocolateCMS. We wrote a lot of the content, and they organized it in the new site architecture. Pixelcarve was tasked with designing the site and the development in addition to project management.

We commissioned a logo redesign in the midst of the website process, and the team incorporated it into the design. They also provided guidance in selecting a new color palette for the site.

What is the team dynamic?

Curtis [CEO, Pixelcarve] and Ryan [Creative Director, Pixelcarve] were heavily involved in the project, along with 2–3 other people on their team.

How did you come to work with Pixelcarve?

I was part of the firm’s search committee and suggested Pixelcarve be one of the companies considered. I knew Curtis from a Board of Directors that we both sat on. We contacted 5–6 companies to come in and do a presentation, and then had follow up meetings with the top 2–3 to get a more detailed pitch.

The firm had a conservative budget for the project, and Pixelcarve was willing to work within that limit. They were unanimously selected by the committee.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $40,000–$50,000 Canadian [$31,532–$39,416 USD].

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in September of 2012 and was completed in April of 2013.

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

From when it was first launched to now, we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on the site from clients. A common comment is how it stands out from other law firm websites. The colors they selected make it very fresh and vibrant.

How did Pixelcarve perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive, acting right away on any comments or feedback from us. The team did a great job working with a client that knew very little about the technological or marketing aspects of the project. We relied on their expertise, and they were right on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're good people and really easy to work with, which is hugely important. Even as their business is getting bigger, they maintain a boutique feel in their attention to customer service.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There’s no need to be demanding. They're open and accommodating, and they'll work hard for everyone.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of finance and administration for a law firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixelcarve?

We wanted a complete redevelopment of our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were tasked with interviewing our people to get a sense of our brand. We were looking to redo our logo, letterhead, and everything else, on top of full website redevelopment. I believe it was built in WordPress.

We wanted full control of its backend, so as not to rely on Pixelcarve for edits after the fact. We didn’t have video functionalities or other special requests.

What is the team dynamic?

We had direct contact with around four people from their team, with a total of six to eight people involved, including the vice president, a designer, a project manager, and a backend developer.

How did you come to work with Pixelcarve?

They were recommended to us and had done a couple other law-firm websites we liked. We put in an RFP [Request For Proposal] to a few firms, and Pixelcarve was the most impressive group.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the site was between $40,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2016. The website was launched in September 2017, with some delays on our end. We receive ongoing support and they also host the site.

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

We’ve had nothing but positive feedback. It’s actually been surprising. People find the site easy to navigate, and lawyers from the other side of legal matters have gone out of their way to write to us, saying how impressed they are and that it's one of the nicest sites they’ve seen in the industry in terms of navigation and cosmetic appearance.

How did Pixelcarve perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of the communication was in the form of conference calls, but we also had face-to-face meetings when there was a need to address items that would've otherwise taken longer. They were patient, understood our hiccups, and were generally nice to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The website went in one direction, until we had an internal change and needed it to go another way. They were very accommodating and patient of that. They didn’t seek additional charges and the end-product is high-quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a turnover in our project manager a couple of times during the process. It required some readjustment from us and for a few things to be explained again. Other than that, it was quite seamless.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and involve the people you’ve been working with as a group. Feel free to contact the VP, the designer, and so on—they’re all open to hearing what you have to say.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Marketing Manager of a destination marketing tourism organization.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixelcarve?

We had a pre-existing Joomla website and were looking for a complete new design and development in Wordpress. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a completely new build on WordPress. They designed the new website and created the backend. They also launched the new website. Now, they’re responsible for maintenance and hosting. They did not provide any logo or color work, just web design. We wanted to drive traffic to the website through improved SEO features and increase outbound links to our stakeholders.

A few cutting edge features they developed are an itinerary planner and mapping functionality for the website. We researched to see what other destination agencies were doing digitally, and those were 2 big components that we really wanted on the new website. They hadn’t built those features before, but were able to figure out a way to make it happen.

What is the team dynamic?

We had a single project manager who was assigned to us. In total, we also had about 5 other people working on the project who would step in and out at certain times – some were involved in the design, the HTML coding, and in the launch of the website.

How did you come to work with Pixelcarve?

We had an RFP process, and they submitted through such.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested somewhere in the range of $35,000–40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016, and the website launched in February 2017. The engagement is ongoing.

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

It’s been nothing but positive feedback; it was like a night and day change from our old design. We’re really happy with the results.

How did Pixelcarve perform from a project management standpoint?

I was very impressed. We communicate primarily through phone and email. We have a really great project manager that was assigned to us, and our experiences with him have been very positive. Even now, if I find an issue with the website it gets addressed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re cutting-edge when it comes to web design. They have a very knowledgeable team with good leadership. In particular, I was really impressed when I presented a couple of components that we wanted for the website which they had never done in the past, but they looked at it and said they could it. They absolutely delivered and exceeded my expectations. Both the design and the architecture of the website are top-tier.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

A project needs strong project management from the client as well, so if you aren’t sure of what you want to accomplish you might run into problems. I recommend mapping out your goals and objectives of the website because you need to build based on what you want to accomplish.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a global business development advisory and investment firm. We work with and invest in companies in the retail, consumer, fashion and luxury industries to optimize and accelerate their businesses across channels, geographies, and classifications of product. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixelcarve?

We had an outdated website, so we needed someone to take a fresh look at our site from a B2B perspective. Pixelcarve had a great track record of modernizing outdated B2B websites.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took our site, which hadn't been touched in several years and modernized our image and message. They helped to assemble all of our content and imagery and put it into a format that was much more straightforward and focused on our range of services, track record, and an incredible team. The site now reflects the essence of what we do and our company culture. 

A few months after we launched the site, we made a shift in our company divisions and Pixelcarve was incredibly helpful in adjusting our site in a very timely fashion so close to the initial launch.

What is the team composition?

We worked closely with two people who were exceptionally responsive and very easy to work with.

How did you come to work with them?

After we described our business, client base, and team, they really understood what we do and how we engage with our clients. From a design perspective, we were very selective with respect to the aesthetic we were trying to achieve. They really captured that and were able to translate our vision exceptionally well.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the fall of 2016 and we have an ongoing relationship.

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

Our traffic and engagement have grown immensely. In the first month, our new site was launched, the number of users went up 400% and the number of page views went up 500%, compared to the previous year. The bounce rate also improved by 5% indicating that our message and service offerings were more clearly received.

Within the first year, the number of users went up 25% and the number of page views went up by 23%. At the same time, the bounce rate improved by 3% and the session duration by 36%.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been immensely responsive, very quick to eradicate issues, and easily available. We use phone and email to communicate as well as Dropbox for organizing our images and content.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're knowledgeable and focused on making sure our business has a clear mission and a message. They provided guidance on what should be prioritized on our homepage and how we can get the most out of our web presence.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind - we continue to work with them on a regular basis and are very pleased with the outcome.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having your internal team organized can make the process much smoother as there are a lot of different opinions about what should be done and how things should be positioned.