Select Creatives

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Designs Inspired. We’re focused on computer-generated imagery, 3D designs, and exhibitions. A very big portion of my work has to do with weddings, especially in the Middle East.

What challenge were you trying to address with Select Creatives?

One of my clients was preparing an event for people with mental health disabilities, including those who suffer from depression. They wanted a very specific animation, but it was something out of my scope of work. However, I wanted the job because it also included other elements, so I hired Select Creatives to help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I shared the information that I had with Select Creatives and they were able to give us a proposal. They created the drafts and storyboards in the top-of-the-line Adobe After Effects and other associated software. 

I realized they have a great team for coding and online services and they’re my go-to team now for anything that has to do with those services — I’ve used them for website design and more.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the founder and a designer on this particular project. My communication was 80% with the founder.

How did you come to work with Select Creatives?

I met the founder when I worked on other projects in Saudi Arabia, and I kept in touch with him. I knew he was a genius when it came to graphic design, visual meetings, and animations. I decided to work with Select Creatives because they had a competitive price and instant responses when I contact them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $1,500 on this project. They stuck to a budget and had no issues regarding payments. There weren’t any other costs added on. It was very comforting that we worked within the budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project with Select Creatives in August 2020. Our partnership went on from there, and we’re now on the fourth project together.

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

We don’t have any specific KPIs in place because I was working as a middleman between my client and Select Creatives. They were aware of the outsourced project and always kept me in the loop on what was happening.

Despite only having 20 days to complete this rendering and animation project, the end result was very professional. They were fantastic and made the project very easy. My client has used Select Creatives multiple times since that successful work.

How did Select Creatives perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was very good and thorough. They were great at responding to me by email, text, or whatever way I contacted them. We didn’t do video or call conferences, but we used WhatsApp to share videos and audio tracks with the group.

The first week, we gave them feedback and they had a day to work on it. During the second and third weeks, we communicated on a daily basis — around 4–5 times a day. By then, we had already started with the draft animations, sketches, and audio aspects.

It was difficult to work remotely with lockdown and reduced working hours, but it was very smooth collaborating with Select Creatives. They definitely met our deadline and were on the ball the whole time, which was the crucial part.

The team was flexible; they received feedback almost instantly and worked on it in the same way. We had a very short time frame and it was amazing how their team was able to put aside some of the work and push forward our projects when we needed them.

My client gave feedback about how quick and understanding the team was with the materials and the requirements submitted. They were handing over letters and asking for a full-scale and solid buffet. We gave Select Creatives a little information and they came back with so much — my client was very pleased. 

Select Creatives filled in the gaps with their experience and knew what would or wouldn’t work visually. They were able to amend the storyboard in a way that we couldn’t predict; it worked out to their advantage.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Select Creatives was impressively clear with everything they did. The team was honest about how their product works and what we needed. In addition, they were open about the sources and software they were using. It was really nice because it showed their character and confidence in their product; there wasn’t any mystery. 

Select Creatives was also very professional and informative. I’m not experienced in animation, so there were a lot of times when I didn’t know what needed to be done. They filled in those gaps and told me what the industry standard was.

I understood everything and they made sure I had full comprehension of what was going on. They would show me online samples or other projects they had worked on, too. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is related to the culture in Finland, but if I can have a service without needing to interact with another human being, it is easier for me. This is a very prominent characteristic for Finnish people and we've talked about it before. I suggested to Select Creatives that they create a way for us to send job orders without having to actually communicate directly through using an online software.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear and honest, and show all your cards. Select Creatives will always give you one more card than what you have on your deck. They’ll give you an extra edge, more information, and extra work.

The founder is a bit of a perfectionist, so he’ll only submit something he believes is ready and good. Ask him about everything you don’t know. He has a good way of explaining things to people who aren’t in the profession.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a cosmetics company called Beauty For Less.

What challenge were you trying to address with Select Creatives?

I hired Select Creatives to build my website and help me with marketing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Select Creatives developed my website using WordPress. I had a design in my mind but the one they provided was much better.

I recently signed an agreement with them, so they will now help me with marketing and SEO.

What is the team composition?

I mainly deal with the owner.

How did you come to work with Select Creatives?

I knew the owner because we worked in the same company. He was the IT manager at the time, and I was in retail. He then founded his own business. His services were more expensive than other companies, but I didn’t want to get a poor quality service somewhere else — money wasn’t a priority as much as the project itself. My business idea was unique for the Middle East, and I wanted it to be presented well, so it was all worth it in the end.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2020, and it’s ongoing.

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

Working with them has been an amazing experience. I sent the website to my friends and they all said it was beautiful.

How did Select Creatives perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication has been good and constant.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like the creative side of their business and how they come up with new ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I had a design in my mind but they built it better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it. Their service is pricey but worth it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I´m a founder and CEO of Prime Event Oy. We are event marketing specialists and consultants that helping event agencies and professionals around the world to succee.

For what projects/services did your company hire Select Creatives, and what were your goals?

We had a vision to create online & realtime platform for measuring the results of different kind of events. The task was demanding since no such a broad level or sophisticated service or metrics were existed. We created more than 300 metrics by ourselves, but we needed an expert who can make this as a digital platform, that automatically creates infographic reports.

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

We started the project with a Nordic IT company, but the project was too demanding for their knowledge and resources. We found Select Creatives via a recommendation of our network. Select Creatives made a very good expression from the very first steps, and made pro-actively suggestions for improvement.

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

UI / UX development, planning & execution of landing page, webshop for licenses, dashboard planning & executions, metrics & functionality & report generation programming. Whole nine yards.

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

We had one contact person who took care of all issues and aspects from day one to the final.

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

Schedule was extremely tight, but Event Metrics Pro (eventmetrics.fi) is up and running. Further development (creating & implementing new metrics) has been under discussion.

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

Select Creatives created a good project plan and followed it. Communication was mainly done via email and telcos, but also some applications were used for validations and data transfers.

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

Flexibility, innovative touch & keeping promises & schedules.

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

For the phase II, we will reconsider the communications channel use for even smoother cooperation.