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Drupal firm based in Virginia / Washington D.C.

5.0
4 reviews

Plethora Design, established in 2003, is a web design and development consultancy based in Sterling, Virginia.

We're user experience specialists and offer a range of services from web design and custom programming to graphic design, content management solutions, e-commerce, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and support & maintenance. Our client list includes non-profits and community organizations, professional services & IT companies, schools and education, manufacturers and distributors, health care consultants, architects and engineers, and those in arts and entertainment.

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Undisclosed
 
$100 - $149 / hr
 
2 - 9
 Founded
2003
Show all +
Sterling, VA
headquarters
  • 22570 Markey Ct., Ste. 108
    Sterling, VA 20166
    United States
    877.515.6682

Portfolio

Key clients: 

USAID, Alliance for Financial Inclusion, World Bank, FHI 360, National New Play Network, EIT, Ashworth, Opus Integrated Business Solutions, International Development Group, Fairfax County, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, HP, NASA, Armitage Gone! Dance, Dental Trade Alliance, Nestle, ITSP Solutions, Nike, US State Department, GM, CBS, Vineyard Arts Project

Reviews

5.0
4 reviews
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Web Development and Design for a University

“Throughout every project I’ve done with their team, they’ve been exceptionally responsive to my needs.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
2014 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Over the course of a long-term engagement, Plethora Design has managed several redesigns of university websites. They’ve also assisted in ensuring ADA compliance across multiple sites.

The Reviewer
 
New Jersey
Director of Digital Strategy, University
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The Plethora team’s redesigns of university sites contributed greatly towards efforts to meet enrollment goals, while their work on ensuring ADA compliance has been thorough and reliable. The team’s clear communication and broad expertise have been key to the partnership’s ongoing success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

When I first engaged Plethora Design, I was the director of digital strategy at a university. I oversaw all the university’s web properties, including their primary domain. I’m currently still a consultant with them in a similar capacity. Since then, I also started working with a creative digital agency that primarily works with universities, and the Plethora team has contributed to several projects with them as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Plethora Design?

I have a longstanding relationship with Casper (Founder, Plethora Design) and Jesse (Senior Developer, Plethora Design), and we’ve taken on a wide variety of projects together. They’ve assisted with several redesigns for the university, as well as a few compliance testing projects with my current organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

While working with my current organization, we’ve done a variety of projects that entail ADA compliance testing, recommendations, and resolutions. We often work with companies that have received complaints from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and I utilize their expertise in ensuring that the backends of our web properties are ADA compliant. They’re also very well-versed in Drupal, which has been key to their success in both design work and compliance testing.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Casper.

How did you come to work with Plethora Design?

I had a friend that was working on a web project a few years ago, and the Plethora Design was managing the development process. At the time, I was working with a different developer on the university web properties. They were great, but couldn’t devote the amount of time to our projects that we needed. I started doing research on a variety of development agencies and Plethora’s team came highly recommended. After doing our first project with them, it was clear that their approach was particularly thorough, accommodating, and efficient.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $200,000 since the start of our engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2014, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From a university perspective, their work has been crucial in meeting the enrollment demands associated with a tuition-based institution. They were also instrumental in ensuring OCR ADA compliance across multiple companies.

How did Plethora Design perform from a project management standpoint?

I typically manage design projects with them, but compliance projects require more initiative on their end. We’ve established a very effective working relationship. Throughout every project I’ve done with their team, they’ve been exceptionally responsive to my needs. They’re almost always there to help you, and they give you notice if there are any conflicts. Communication has been great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re experts in leveraging Drupal to meet my requirements. Their responsiveness is also outstanding.

Any advice for potential customers?

Fully consider and draw out your goals prior to engaging with them. Document your requirements and work through them with the team to understand their cost structure and achieve the best results possible.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Web Design & Dev for Solar Energy Company

"[Casper] often cited data-driven marketing research for what did and didn't work."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Less than $10,000
 
Jan. 2015 - Jan. 2018
Project summary: 

Plethora handled web design and development as well as hosting, centering on creating a website that stood out over competitors. They also supported SEO efforts, provided maintenance, and did some custom work.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Millersville, Maryland
Lisa Walsh
Sales & Marketing Mgr., Solar Energy Services
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

They delivered a noteworthy website that houses all the information that potential clients need, presented in a simple and elegant way. Plethora’s team of experts is responsive and honest, though they could broaden their SEO services to include smaller companies.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a locally owned and operated solar installation company with around 30 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plethora Design?

We needed web design, development, hosting, and maintenance.

What were your goals for this project?

It was important for us to be easily distinguishable from the hundreds of solar "consultants" and installers that have popped up recently as solar incentives have increased. The website needed to be professional, comprehensive, and content-rich without making us look like a cookie-cutter solar company that outsources most of their work.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I called around three or four website developers. They either charged too much or I found their own website so severely lacking that I knew they couldn’t possibly help with mine.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Plethora designed, developed, hosted, and implemented a fully-functional and optimized website from scratch. It’s keyword-rich for the locations and demographics we’re trying to hit. Post-launch, they provided ongoing maintenance, SEO support, and web updates, as well as some custom work.

At one point, I wanted a highly-customized sketch of our sales-to-construction process. Casper [Project Manager & Senior Developer Plethora Design] had access to a talented and cost-effective sketch artist, which was great.

What was the team composition?

I primarily dealt with Casper.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Plethora delivered a website that we’re 100% proud of and super comfortable sending our clients to. Our particular industry relies heavily on education—the information has to be there and the navigation needs to be simple and intuitive. Many of our prospects have already navigated and achieved much of their education before they pick up the phone or contact us via the website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I had one primary contact and he met all of our needs. He was highly responsive, transparent, and knowledgeable.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledge and experience are remarkable. I appreciated that Casper didn't give his opinion on sales, marketing, or template layouts/choices for the website, though he often cited data-driven marketing research for what did and didn't work.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I wish they could’ve provided small company SEO services. They deal with bigger websites/companies than us.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Consulting Firm Web Development

"They've delivered everything we've asked on time and within budget...."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Less than $10,000
Project summary: 

Plethora Design contracted a new website from the ground up including backend development and visual design. The project required that the new site offer robust functionality and dynamic content. 

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
United States
David James
Founder & CEO at BSI Corp
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The new site has been received well by staff and is a significant improvement upon the previous website. Plethora delivered everything desired on deadline and within budget. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We're a management consulting firm that helps companies to expand their products and services into APAC markets.

What is your position?

I'm the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with Plethora Design?

We had an outdated, obsolete, and static website that desperately needed replacement. At first, we were considering merely a redesign, but we decided to start anew on a completely different platform. We wanted a website with dynamic, interactive content, and we also needed the backend functionality to enable it. 

SOLUTION

How did you select Plethora Design as your solution partner?

We conducted some preliminary research into potential vendors and distributed several RFPs. Plethora was one of a handful that responded and expressed interest in partnering with us. We invited them to introduce themselves and demonstrate some of their capabilities, and the rest is history. 

Could you describe the scope of the work that they delivered to you? For instance, did it involve custom visual design, backend development, training, or support?

They were responsible for all of it. It began with strategic planning and requirements gathering. After reaching a consensus on the approach, Plethora Design began to revamp our Web presence. Their tasks included custom visual design, backend development, usability testing, data preparation and migration, training, and ongoing support. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

If I recall correctly, the site cost between $2,000 and $3,000. 

When was this project completed?

It's still an ongoing project. We're now working on enhancements and functional expansion within the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that might demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they've delivered? 

We don't really use analytics with our website. We're a small firm, and that's never been of great importance to us. The staff here is fond of the new site. It's hard not to be considering what we came from. I can tell you that the site is active, and it's definitely functional in a way that the previous one wasn't. That's enough for me.

How do you think Plethora Design performed during this project?

I think they've done very well. They're very responsive and accountable with us. They've delivered everything we've asked on time and within budget, which isn't necessarily always the case with other vendors. I've been very impressed with their overall performance. 

In retrospect, are there any areas you think that they could improve upon, or are there things you might do differently as the client before approaching this type of project?

No, I can't really think of anything. Like I said, I've had a very positive experience working with Plethora Design. I have no reservations with them or the criticisms regarding their work. 

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Nonprofit Trade Association Web Development and CRM Implementation

"They’ve surprised the heck out of us with how quickly they can turnaround deliverables."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
Project summary: 

Plethora Designs provided a number of web development services in order to perform a complete site overhaul. This included backend development, database updating and integration of a backend customer relationship management (CRM) system. 

The Reviewer
 
Small Business
 
United States
IT & Web Development Manager
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Plethora Designs’s work has produced measurable successes in terms of web traffic and increases in process efficiency and content control. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We’re a nonprofit trade association of dental manufacturers and distributors of dental equipment. We’re a very small nonprofit with eight to 10 staff members.

What is your position?

I’m the manager of IT and Web development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the project with Plethora Design?

We had worked with a prior designer to design and develop two sites for our organization. One site was for our primary company, and the other was for our foundation. Both of those sites were of relatively low quality. On the surface it looked decent, but if you got down to the coding you would realize it’s pretty limited. There also wasn’t much of a relationship between our previous designer and us. When we made requests for things to be done they weren’t getting done in a timely manner. That’s when we decided we needed to make a transition. We needed a CRM system to be implemented, and we decided to go with CiviCRM. It was at that point that we decided to replace our previous vendor with someone more capable. I looked in part for a vendor with substantial CRM experience. I eventually came across Casper and Plethora Design and contacted them.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project? For instance, did it involve custom visual design, backend development, training, and support?

In the beginning Plethora Design was responsible only for our site maintenance, which involved data preparation and migration, and some information architecting. Once we were confident that they could do that work, we moved into a lot of backend improvements. Not only styling but also implementing CiviCRM in the backend, which is still very much an ongoing task. We did everything from database upgrades to integration with our other backend systems. I worked closely with them on that. I handled a lot of the set up of the database, but they definitely handled a lot of the technical challenges that came with the implementation process.

Could describe the in-house expertise that you contributed to the projects?

Our duties fell into a couple of areas. First of all, we were responsible for all of the content development that was to be integrated into the new site. With the implementation of CiviCRM, I was the one who installed it,  imported all of our database records, and set up all the fields. Plethora was responsible for the backend development and systemwide enhancements. Their team handled the deep technical aspects of the implementation and Web design while we provided the strategic oversight and creative aspects.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

In dollar terms, I probably couldn’t give you an accurate estimate. It’s been a while since I’ve looked at them. It must have been between $5,000 and $10,000.

When was the CRM implementation completed?

I had installed the CRM around March [2013], and it was live by June. However, as I’d mentioned before, we’re still in the process of rolling out functional enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or feedback that you’ve received that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

By and large, our Web statistics indicate that our traffic has been increasing steadily since we relaunched the website. This year in particular, when we first implemented the new registration system, we’ve witness a dramatic increase. Truth be told, my boss was absolutely impressed that we even managed to get it launched in the short timeframe that we did. That certainly wouldn’t have happened without Plethora Design. A lot of the tweaks thus far have not been obviously used. But, once we get the template worked on, we’ll be sharing a lot more. From what I understand, the end user experience has been quite good. Our staff loves the new system, and they’ve been very complimentary of it since its deployment.

How do you think that they performed on the project?

I think they’ve performed very well. Solutions are always delivered within the specified timeframe. They’ve surprised the heck out of us by how quickly they can work on some things. Having dealt with a very bad vendor prior to Plethora, I can say with confidence that they’ve exceeded my expectations. They document all of their work with precise detail and submit progress reports to us on a regular basis. They’ve been a superb vendor.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you think Plethora Design could improve upon, or are there things that you’d do differently as the client before beginning this type of project?

It’s important to hire the right vendor from the start, and we learned that lesson the hard way. If we’d begun this whole thing with Plethora and skipped our previous vendor, we’d be even further ahead than we are now. We relied on the recommendation of another contractor, and that came back to bite us. This time, we did our due diligence. We laid out our requirements, goals, and expectations to Plethora and they met all of them.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer