Sharpen's elite designers turn smart investments into exceptional exits.
The startup landscape has changed.
Usability and customer experience are the key differentiators separating good products from exceptional investments. But it’s almost impossible to find business-savvy design consultants who understand the full product lifecycle— from the needs of a pre-seed startup to the customer- and employee-experience challenges of a game-changing market leader and a lucrative exit.
This is why startup investors, founders, and enterprise intrapreneurs choose Sharpen Partners. Our team of veteran product designers draw on diverse careers in research, technology, architecture, business, and the arts to assemble the perfect team for your new or re-imagined product.
Contact Sharpen for a free remote consultation with our product-design leaders to see how we bring ideas to life and transform them into results.
Service packages for every product & every need.
GO FROM ZERO TO PROOF OF CONCEPT IN JUST ONE WEEK Our team joins your squad for a one-week Unicorn Invasion design sprint, leveling-up your project with a mixture of business analysis and user research all the way to information architecture and high-fidelity visual design.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GO TO MARKET IN AS LITTLE AS TWELVE WEEKS Experience Transformation is our proven and repeatable process for elevating both the user’s experience and the business’ results through the rigorous application of design-thinking and an omnichannel approach to tactical execution.
PRODUCT-DESIGN LEADERSHIP— A PARTNERSHIP FROM BEGINNING TO END Our design leaders and consultants join your startup to help with every phase of customer- and employee-experience work by offering creative pricing that converts a third of our fee in exchange for equity.
Min project size
$50,000+
Hourly rate
$300+ / hr
Employees
2 - 9
Locations
Roswell, GA
Year founded
Founded 2022
1 Locations
Roswell , GA
No have been added yet...
Pricing Snapshot
Min. project size
$50,000+
Avg. hourly rate
$300+
/hr
Rating for cost
4.6
/5
What Clients Have Said
Sharpen offers good value for cost, with project investments ranging from $8,000 to nearly $2 million. Clients appreciate their responsiveness, quality deliverables, and effective project management, though some projects exceeded budget due to competing priorities.
Clients appreciated Sharpen's collaborative approach, working closely with them as a team rather than a traditional client-vendor relationship, which facilitated better project outcomes.
Positive Impact on Business
Sharpen's work had a positive impact on clients' businesses, including increased user adoption, improved customer experiences, and recognition through industry awards.
Areas for Improvement: Budget Management
While generally positive, some clients noted minor issues with budget management, where projects occasionally went over budget due to mixed project priorities. These issues were resolved satisfactorily.
Innovative Prototyping Process
Sharpen's innovative prototyping process, particularly their 'Unicorn Rescue' product, was highly effective in quickly turning concepts into high-fidelity prototypes, securing additional funding for clients.
Positive Client Relationships
Sharpen built positive and strong relationships with clients, often resulting in long-term partnerships and repeat business due to their reliable and high-quality service.
Attention to Detail
Sharpen's meticulous attention to detail was frequently mentioned as a standout quality, ensuring that all aspects of the project were carefully considered and executed.
"JD and Michelle were very responsive and delivered everything we requested within the project timelines."
Aug 9, 2023
Executive VP, Laughlin Constable
Alex Helfers
Advertising & marketing
Chicago, Illinois
51-200 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Sharpen designed the UI/UX of a website for an advertising agency. They developed wireframes and created eight UX templates for the client.
Sharpen's work left the client highly satisfied. They skillfully maintained existing functionalities and design elements while innovatively expanding the project's scope. The team's responsiveness and timely deliveries were commendable. Their attention to detail was a hallmark of their work.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and position.
I am the Executive Vice President, Connected Experiences of Laughlin Constable
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
We are a 360 advertising agency serving nationwide and global businesses.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sharpen to accomplish?
UX design work for a website redesign for one of our key clients
SOLUTION
How did you find Sharpen?
Prior working relationship
Why did you select Sharpen over others?
Pricing fit our budget
Great culture fit
Company values aligned
High quality deliverables
How many teammates from Sharpen were assigned to this project?
2-5 Employees
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
Sharpen created wireframes and components for 3 total sprints of an enterprise-level website design. The design was for a european audience, based and elevated from an existing design already available for US markets.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Sharpen created 8 total UX templates across 3 design sprints. The client teams were very satisfied with the work and the Sharpen team found a smart balance between preserving existing functionalities/design elements and pushing the work into new territory.
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
Yes. JD and Michelle were very responsive and delivered everything we requested within the project timelines.
What was your primary form of communication with Sharpen?
Virtual Meeting
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
I was very impressed with the level of detailed thought and best-practices recommendations the Sharpen team put into all of the work they shared with us. We didn't adopt every one of their recommendations to share with the client, but most of them we did and we appreciated the attention to making the best user recommendations they could.
Are there any areas for improvement or something Sharpen could have done differently?
The only slight area of improvement I would mention is that the Sharpen team did go a bit over budget due to some mixed and competing project priorities near the end of our timeline. We were able to find a satisfactory resolution to the budget issue.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
4.5
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"JD and his team do a great job!
Creative Design Services for Marketing Analytics Firm
Architectural DesignGraphic DesignProduct Design
$50,000 to $199,999
Apr. - June 2023
4.0
Quality
4.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
4.5
"We worked together as a team and did everything possible to get through the project."
Jul 13, 2023
Client Engagement Lead, Block + Tackle
Karina Hausafus
Advertising & marketing
Atlanta, Georgia
11-50 Employees
Online Review
Verified
A marketing analytics firm hired Sharpen for their creative design services. The team was tasked with updating the client's pitch and Playbook decks that outline the client's product requirements.
Both pitch and Playbook decks were successfully delivered, much to the client's delight. The team was highly agile when it came to accomplishing their tasks, and internal stakeholders were particularly impressed with the vendor's team dynamic and collaborative approach.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and position.
I am the Client Engagement Lead of Block + Tackle
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
Marketing analytics and strategy solutions
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sharpen to accomplish?
Creative redesign
Copy writing
SOLUTION
How did you find Sharpen?
JD has done previous work for us
Why did you select Sharpen over others?
Close to my geographic location
Great culture fit
Company values aligned
Previous work
How many teammates from Sharpen were assigned to this project?
2-5 Employees
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
Block+Tackle will partner with Marriott Stakeholders to update the existing Cobrand Pitch Deck and Process Playbook with a consistent visual appeal and tone-of-voice. B+T will be considering both Internal (Marriott) vs external (bank) views of the Playbook materials, ongoing edits to the materials, visual anchors such as iconography and color coding to tie sections together, as well as the need to create a visual representation of the high-level process and tie sections back to that process visual.
We will also emphasize the bank relationship and create framing for alternate financial products. As part of this project B+T will design and produce two sales support decks: Pitch deck An overview sales deck speaking to executives and decision makers about the opportunity and ROI for co-branded credit cards. Playbook deck A highly-detailed procedural deck that outlines the many steps and requirements necessary to facilitate these financial products
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Successful Pitch Deck and successful Playbook deck
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
Deliverables were completed in a timely manner and very well thought through. They created a change log to track changes being made. They responded timely.
What was your primary form of communication with Sharpen?
Virtual Meeting
Email or Messaging App
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
We work very well together and our personalities work well. We worked as a team rather than client/vendor.
Are there any areas for improvement or something Sharpen could have done differently?
It was a difficult project to work on due to the client, but we worked together as a team and did everything possible to get through the project.
RATINGS
4.0
Quality
4.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
4.5
NPS
Data Visualization Tool for Telecommunications Company
Custom Software DevelopmentUX/UI DesignWeb Development
$1,000,000 to $9,999,999
Sep. 2018 - Jan. 2019
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
4.5
Willing to Refer
5.0
“They listened very well and always came back with really good recommendations and solutions.”
Sep 21, 2022
FormerManager, Telecommunications Company
Anonymous
Telecommunications
Atlanta, Texas
10,001+ Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Sharpen designed and developed a data visualization tool for a telecommunications company. They created a dashboard that structures consumer feedback data. The team used design tools such as Adobe Illustrator.
The tool Sharpen built got glowing reviews, had 80%–90% user adoption, and was also instrumental to the client winning serval awards. The team excelled at receiving feedback and delivering on time and within budget. Their ability to provide simple solutions to complex problems stood out.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a former manager at a telecommunications company.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Sharpen?
We needed a tool for our frontline employees to better understand customers' feedback and end-to-end journey. The goal was to improve the customer experience.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Sharpen designed and developed a data visualization platform for operational and consumer feedback data. We gave them our brand guidelines and an idea of the data and how it would be useful to understand it. The team interviewed several potential users and leaders within our company.
From there, they created a dashboard that structured the information to make it easy to read and understand. The dashboard also combined all data into one view. They built the tool as a web application. Sharpen used a variety of design tools, including Adobe Illustrator.
What is the team composition?
They assigned three client-facing teammates to our project, though I’m unsure how many people worked behind the scenes.
How did you come to work with Sharpen?
We found them through mutual connections because they’d had previous projects with people on our team.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent just under $2 million.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from September 2018–January 2019.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Sharpen’s work was key to our company winning several awards for customer-centric businesses. The tool got glowing reviews and 80%–90% user adoption within the company’s management. Overall, the product was a big success that’s still living, breathing, and growing today.
How did Sharpen perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management was excellent in delivering work on time and within budget. The team was very responsive to our feedback; they listened very well and always came back with really good recommendations and solutions. We worked in sprints, so we did biweekly in-person meetings and had daily back and forth through Webex Teams and meetings.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Sharpen created very simple solutions to very complex problems.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything they needed to improve; we were very pleased.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Make sure you provide them with a good understanding of your business objectives and challenges. From there, allow them the freedom to interview and discover where they need to so they can start the project from a good place.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
4.5
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Template Design for SaaS Solution Company
Content Marketing
Less than $10,000
Aug. - Sep. 2022
4.5
Quality
4.5
Schedule
4.0
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"Sharpen was mostly available and delivered on time."
Sep 14, 2022
Director of Brand Marketing, Conga
Emily Horton
Software
Broomfield, Colorado
501-1,000 Employees
Online Review
Verified
A SaaS solution company hired Sharpen to iterate several template designs for keynote presentations with PowerPoint compatibility. The team also provided content development and editing.
Sharpen satiated the client's needs by successfully delivering visually-pleasing templates for keynote presentations. The team was highly diligent in managing the project, and internal stakeholders were particularly impressed with Sharpen's professionalism and creativity.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Director of Brand Marketing for Conga, a SaaS company providing predictable income products for companies investing in holistic revenue management solutions.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
For what projects/services did your company hire Sharpen?
We hired Sharpen to design our Keynote presentations for the CEO and CPO for our largest yearly event, Connect.
SOLUTION
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We needed someone who can communicate high level C-suite concepts with intelligent design. It was very important the designs were to brand but also felt new and interesting.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
We had several presentations that required templated powerpoint designs with layered actions. Sharpen provided multiple template designs and then helped us lay out the content in interesting ways.
There were multiple rounds of edits that required Sharpens attention to detail. It was a difficult task but the end result was impressive.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
JD Jordan, Designer/Owner
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The CEO was really impressed with the design of the keynote presentations. It doesn't get much better than that.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Sharpen was diligent in maintaining our deadlines despite version control issues and lack of access to our cloud.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
JD is as much a professional and creative director/designer as he is an intelligent thinker and business owner. He wears all hats well. His level of expertise is hard to find.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
We have made sure for additional projects that JD is able to access our cloud files so we don't have version control issues. It wasn't his fault, just an IT security issue that we have since resolved.
RATINGS
4.5
"Look forward to working with you again soon."
Quality
4.5
Service & Deliverables
"Excellent designs and attention to detail"
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
"Sharpen was mostly available and delivered on time."
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
"High level work demands high prices."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"Absolutely!
Rebranding for an Events Company
Branding
$10,000 to $49,999
June 2018 - Ongoing
4.5
Quality
4.5
Schedule
4.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
“I appreciate their willingness to look outside themselves and find suitable solutions.”
Jan 14, 2019
Former Employee, Next Page Events
Ian Anthony
Advertising & marketing
Cartersville, Georgia
1-10 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Sharpen (formerly J+E) led an annual rebranding initiative. They created marketing materials to support a sales convention and a subsequent advertising campaign. Their efforts include digital and print design.
Sharpen (formerly J+E) revamped a company’s entire communication package. They delivered new marketing visuals, pop-up displays, and email headers. Their contributions have received positive feedback from the client’s executive-level officials. A talented and flexible staff facilitates a productive engagement.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a former employee of Next Page Events.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?
We needed an experienced design firm to help rebrand our client’s internal sales communication materials. The deliverables were going to be unveiled at a marketing event, so expert-level skills were necessary.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Our client hired us to develop the visuals for their yearly marketing redesign. MaxMedia worked directly with myself and the client to discuss the project’s overarching vision. The collaboration process ensured that each party started the engagement with a refined understanding of each other’s goals. We approached the client with three potential looks and made additional adjustments per their feedback. Once the design elements were outlined, MaxMedia starting creating new marketing materials.
From newsletters to general email signatures, MaxMedia redesigned the client’s entire communication suite. That process involved creating new PowerPoint presentations, images, and fonts. They also developed new banners, print materials, pop-up displays, email headers, and visuals.
What is the team composition?
Their co-founder and project manager were our primary points of contact, respectively.
How did you come to work with MaxMedia?
We sent out RFPs to about five different design firms, but MaxMedia stood apart from the rest. They have experience communicating with large-scale corporate clients, so it made sense to hire them.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent over $30,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We first reached out to them in June 2018. The project was delayed several months, but it’s currently ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
There are a couple of different metrics we look at with this project, but what was most important to us was getting the approval of our client’s communications team. In addition to our main contact, there’s a team of 12–14 people that we needed to impress. Thanks to MaxMedia’s contributions, we quickly got the reassurance that we were heading in the right direction. That was followed by approval from many of our client’s executive-level employees.
We’ve received both positive feedback and constructive criticism from the sales and marketing teams that use our deliverables to do their jobs. We’d make immediate adjustments if dictated by client feedback. It’s an ever-evolving engagement.
How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?
They were incredibly involved in our scheduling. Due to communications problems on our end, we had to delay the project for several months. Luckily, MaxMedia was more than willing to adjust their timeline and accommodate our needs. They modified their internal resources in response to the project’s progression and budget.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re passionate about their work. I appreciate their willingness to look outside themselves and find suitable solutions. The client gave us a lot of stock images to work with that weren’t hitting the message we wanted to put forward. MaxMedia fought with the issue for a long time before admitting that the materials didn’t work. That transparency allowed us to come up with an innovative approach. They went above and beyond our expectations.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Our ability to communicate with each other could be improved. That’s likely a symptom of two small companies trying to serve a giant one by comparison.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Approach MaxMedia with a passion-project. They have real creative talent on their staff, so not leveraging that would be a waste of money and time. Come to them open-minded, prepared to be challenged, and willing to take risks.
RATINGS
4.5
Quality
4.5
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Web Redesign for Marketing Agency
UX/UI Design
Confidential
Aug. - Oct. 2018
4.5
Quality
5.0
Schedule
3.5
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"They moved our website into the modern age."
Nov 26, 2018
Director, Consumer Experience, Moxie
Markham Butler
Advertising & marketing
Atlanta, Georgia
201-500 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Sharpen (formerly J+E) redesigned a website. The team added features and created a mobile-responsive design to support the larger branding effort.
The design and technical upgrades made the website cutting edge in a competitive industry. The team demonstrated leadership and accountability throughout the partnership. They were communicative and diplomatic as they worked around scheduling conflicts between teams.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and your position there.
I’m the director of consumer experience at Moxie, a marketing agency.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
For what projects/services did your company hire MaxMedia?
We engaged them to redesign our website’s UX and provide consulting.
What were your goals for this project?
We wanted to amplify our value proposition in the marketplace and differentiate our team from the competition. Specifically, we wanted to build brand trust and loyalty in a vertical that had seen year-over-year declines in enrollment. An enhanced website would showcase our team’s new direction and take advantage of modern web and marketing platforms.
SOLUTION
How did you select this vendor?
I worked with JD (Design Director, MaxMedia) at previous agencies. We needed someone who could deliver specific requests and own the workstream with little-to-no oversight. I engaged JD because he had the right experience, maturity, and focus to deliver a superior product.
Describe the project in detail.
MaxMedia redesigned the website with an entirely new feature set and platform. They provided branding services and updated our set of metrics.
What was the team composition?
We worked with JD, who coordinated with multiple offices and agencies in the same corporate network. In total, we worked with account leadership, project management, UX, creative, development, content strategy, brand strategy, and intelligence, and QA resources.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
They moved our website into the modern age. The site is not yet launched, but we already have mobile-responsive design and modern web technologies and components in place. Our users expect these advanced features.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
JD owned the project with minimal oversight. He was extremely effective.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
MaxMedia was committed to the final product and doing the “right thing” for the client. Detail-oriented and communicative, the team handled difficult interactions with diplomatic tact. What’s more, their sound thinking resulted in expert decisions and sophisticated design artifacts.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Scheduling was our only challenge. Occasionally, our clients and internal structure put strict time constraints on our availability. At times, our expectations for short-term deliveries were impractical due to scheduling conflicts with MaxMedia. However, we resolved that issue each time it arose.
RATINGS
4.5
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
3.5
On time / deadlines
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
"Cannot answer, I did not negotiate the contract."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Presentation Design for Creative Studio
Other Design
Less than $10,000
Sep. - Jan. 2018
4.5
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
4.0
“Their creativity is unique, and they bring new assets to the table that other vendors don’t.”
Oct 2, 2018
Creative Producer, Studionow
Alex Gangi
Advertising & marketing
Atlanta, Georgia
51-200 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Sharpen (formerly J+E) completed a PowerPoint deck for a third-party client within a very short turnaround time. They originated 3D designs and added point-of-sale and quick-serve retailer assets.
The presentation deck was a success and generated new opportunities for the client. Sharpen (formerly J+E) worked late to meet deadlines and delivered everything on time. Their designs were attractive, clear, and easy to read.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a creative producer for Studionow.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?
We had an important PowerPoint deck for a client that needed to be completed in a week. It was a high-level, demanding request, and we needed a creative team to help us.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Our client and I laid out the PowerPoint slides we wanted, and MaxMedia did design work for us. They took notes and redesigned the slides quickly. The final product was a presentation deck and out-of-home design pitch. They built a deck for the pitch and another for our client to present. The team came up with 3D design layouts, added point-of-sale assets, rebuilt a quick serve retailer into the design space, and did some high-end rendering.
What is the team composition?
I'm not sure how many team members worked for us, but I interacted with both of the owners. They handled my project personally.
How did you come to work with MaxMedia?
They joined our network, and we reached out to them and started working together. We typically don’t do many presentation decks, but we'd worked with them in the past.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $8,000 on the project.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together for about nine days in September 2018.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The quality of their work was very high, and the design was beautiful, engaging, and easy to read. Our client was thankful for the decks; the pitch went well and opened new doors for them.
How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?
They had to balance their time with other work but always delivered what I asked for, even if it meant working late. MaxMedia hit all their timelines and did a good job.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their creativity is unique, and they bring new assets to the table that other vendors don’t. The quality was much better than expected.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They could improve their communication and availability. Sometimes, I needed instant feedback and didn’t always have the time to wait on last-minute deliverables. That’s the only place they could improve; otherwise, they work really well as a team.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be upfront about your expectations. Give them exactly what you expect and a solid timeline to stay ahead of schedule.
RATINGS
4.5
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"They delivered above and beyond what I was expecting. A similar deliverable would have taken other vendors a month."
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
"They hit most of the deadlines, even though there were some scheduling conflicts."
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"They were affordable."
Willing to Refer
4.0
NPS
Video Production for Food and Nutrition Non-Profit
Video Production
Confidential
Feb. 2017 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"There's a lot of one on one attention provided by MaxMedia, and I think they're darn near perfect."
Apr 23, 2018
Director of Cooking Matters, Open Hand Atlanta
Tammy Reasoner
Nonprofit
Atlanta, Georgia
201-500 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Sharpen (formerly J+E) managed pre- and postproduction for a series of videos created by a food and nutrition non-profit. Project elements included storyboarding, film location management, and script re-writing.
The videos created by Sharpen (formerly J+E) have received positive feedback from focus groups and everyday viewers. Fruit and vegetable sales have increased at a farmer’s market highlighted in the films, and general brand awareness for the non-profit has grown as well. Future projects are forthcoming.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the director of a program called Cooking Matters, which is a part of Open Hand Atlanta. We are a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) agency that works with low-income individuals and families on healthy food shopping and cooking.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?
We engaged MaxMedia to come up with creative ideas for videos that we could then shoot and show in different settings where lower income individuals would be able to watch the material.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
MaxMedia helped us make a total of five videos. One is around 10 minutes and was shot in a grocery store while the others are 30-second snapshot videos about a farmer’s market that are shown on the subway system in Atlanta. MaxMedia oversaw the pre– and postproduction of all the videos, and even rewrote the script for our longer video after we expressed dissatisfaction with it. We really didn’t have any experience with this type of thing, but J+E were great at helping us with storyboarding and dealing with the different personalities on set.
What is the team composition?
We worked with their design director and media director.
How did you come to work with MaxMedia?
They have a long-term partnership with Open Hand, so they came referred from our senior director of development and communications.
What is the status of this engagement?
We have been working with them since February 2017 and have some more video productions coming up.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The short videos that we created ended up being run on our subway system and they have definitely grown awareness of our agency's brand and the farmer’s market. Fruit and vegetable sales at the farmer’s market increased this summer, and I get messages and pictures of our work from people saying how excited they are to see the videos on the subway they're riding.
Additionally, the larger product we shot has been shown to two focus groups and the feedback has been extremely positive. As a result we have received approval to show it at Georgia Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics.
How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?
Very well. They have stayed on deadline and on budget for us, and they really have been miracle workers at times when we found ourselves up against a tight deadline. They make everything work.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Creative and film is not our specialty, nor do we want it to be. It was a very stressful process for us so having a firm like MaxMedia to manage the communications, outcomes, and the expectations in a way that I didn't have to become an expert in the field has been super helpful.
They are very reliable and understand that we're a non-profit with pretty strict expectations as to what the end product should be. They really work with us to meet those expectations and they don’t have an ego when our superiors want something slightly different than what's been proposed. It's just been a pleasant experience and they definitely have saved the day a couple of times on our video shoots. I definitely want to work with them more when I have the chance.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Not so far. They are a small agency but I think there's a benefit to that. I actually think it would be sad if they grew to be huge and we were just one of a million clients that get handed off. There's a lot of one on one attention provided by MaxMedia, and I think they're darn near perfect.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Coming in with a project scope, clear expectations, and being as transparent as possible will help them do their best to work and facilitate creating the programming at a faster pace.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Design for Broadcast Media Company
Other Design
Confidential
Dec. 2016 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"The quality of their work is top-notch. I couldn't ask for anything better."
Feb 2, 2018
Marketing Manager, Broadcast Media Company
Anonymous
Media
Atlanta, Georgia
10,001+ Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Sharpen (formerly J+E) design collateral – pictorials, diagrams, and maps – for the broadcast industry, presenting data transfers across the network.
Exceeding all expectations, they deliver creative and unique designs. The final products are visually appealing, impressing external and internal clients. They stay on top of deadlines, responding to emails within hours and implementing changes immediately.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I work at a broadcast media company that provides foundational access services, such as internet, metro ethernet, and voice solutions to business customers. I support the carriers – indirect and wholesale groups – and make sure they have the foundational access they need for different collateral pieces, trade shows, and events.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?
We needed a company to help us create collateral, such as images, icons, and a new map, to show what was on our network and how data transferred across the network.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
I usually reach out to them via phone or email to let them know what exactly I need – presentations or artwork for different trade shows – and they deliver it. So far, we've done 10 projects with them.
What is the team composition?
We work with JD [Jordan, Design Director, MaxMedia] and Ellie [Jordan, Media Director, MaxMedia].
How did you come to work with them?
It was a referral from one of my co-workers who had worked with them. We looked at the collateral that MaxMedia had created for other companies and liked the quality, so we decided to choose them.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in December 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our internal team and our external clients are very pleased with the pictorial and the diagram that MaxMedia has created. They took something that was very technical and made it visually appealing.
How did they perform from a project management standpoint?
They're very responsive and never missed a deadline. Exceeding my expectations, they reply to my emails within 2–3 hours (with other vendors, it's 24–48 hours). If I request any changes, they implement them promptly.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They think out of the box, creating materials that are better than anything I could think of – even if it's something simple.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, what they're doing is great.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"The quality of their work is top-notch. I couldn't ask for anything better."
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
"They stay on schedule and often have to push me."
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Product Development for Company Incubator
Mobile App Development
$10,000 to $49,999
May - Nov. 2017
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
“They were able to go from concept to prototype in five days, which speaks for itself.”
Jan 9, 2018
Founder, Block + Tackle and Post-Office Co-Working
Michele Grant
Consulting
Atlanta, Georgia
1-10 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Sharpen (formerly J+E) helped refine a business model through target marketing and user research, and then built a high-fidelity prototype of a web-based application. They also created a packet for internal developers.
The prototype successfully secured additional funding, and the resulting end product has garnered hundreds of users. Sharpen (formerly J+E) was dedicated and transparent in regards to progress both during and after development. Their meticulous attention to detail and brand awareness were also notable.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder of Block & Tackle.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with MaxMedia?
We wanted to prototype an application we were developing, which is the core of our business model for our co-working space. I’d worked with other development companies on app design and builds before, and my biggest complaint was the speed at which it took to get them to market.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
MaxMedia did work for us on a new company that we started called Post-Office Cowork. They helped us refine our business model through user research, as well as through our app’s UX and design.
They have a product called Unicorn Rescue that brings a product from concept to prototype in five days, which intrigued me. We started with user research on the first day, and they worked with us to figure out a target market and then gather a sample of relevant people. They interviewed them about how and where they work, as well as what they were looking for in a co-working space. They delivered a summarized user research analysis at the end of that first day. They organized all of those comments into clusters of similar user needs.
On the second day, we started addressing user needs from a functionality perspective within the app. The next day, they created a high-fidelity design. They sat in front of a screen and designed our app based on all of the user scenarios we’d created in addition to the originally defined functionality. By the next day, we were testing and making live changes to our prototype.
Our board and investors provided feedback and revisions after we showed them our prototype. We were able to engage with MaxMedia again to bring in a second phase of the app’s design. They translated all of that design into a packet for our development team, and then consulted with them to ensure that the design and functionality specs were respected. They were engaged throughout the entire development process.
The app was built for web, but we wanted to make everything scale across mobile and desktop without requiring multiple builds. The app was actually designed for desktop and mobile, but our developer then decided to go in the native app direction, so they ended up becoming iOS and Android apps. After we paid for all of that, we moved back to having it as a desktop app. They used a lot of different tools, including Zeplin and Sketch, which were all really effective.
What is the team composition?
We worked with six people from their team, including a copywriter they’d brought in for us.
How did you come to work with MaxMedia?
I knew JD [Design Director, MaxMedia] when he was at another company. He worked with another company for a while, and we tried to do work with them there, but the principles of that company weren’t great. I checked out his website at that time and saw they were doing Unicorn Rescue, and it happened to coincide with our development cycle.
How much have you invested in them?
We spent $37,000 with them.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working with them in May 2017, and the work was completed in November 2017.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They were able to go from concept to prototype in five days, which speaks for itself. The fact that we were able to use the prototype to secure another round of funding is pretty impressive. We have hundreds of users. When I look at the time we saved, that product is the most valuable and also probably the hardest to quantify the value of.
How did MaxMedia perform from a project management standpoint?
I was highly satisfied. They were on site for five days, and we worked directly with them from 8AM until 5PM. After they left, we could see in Slack that they were still talking about the project and working on it all evening. I really appreciated the visibility of everything. There was nothing hidden from us. We didn’t have to have complex client meetings where they presented formal deliverables. Everything was continuously open and transparent, which was refreshing.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their ability to understand their clients is impressive. I felt like they were reading my mind at times. I also really appreciated JD’s meticulous attention to detail during the design and development processes. Their passion made us better. I also really appreciated their humor because it made for a nice working environment.
They also trained the copywriter to write with our brand’s voice in mind, which I didn’t think was possible.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They’re great. It’s tough to search for their stuff sometimes because of the plus sign in their name.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Lean into their process. It’s unique and different, and probably not what a corporate buyer is expecting from an agency. On the first day, I felt frustrated because we were rehashing territory that I thought we’d covered already. I’d been thinking about those questions for two years. However, relaxing into the process validated all of my ideas.
I learned new things, and I got other people’s perspective on things that I’d thought about so much that I couldn’t even see my own blind spots. This is really tough, and although I didn’t enjoy the first day, it was worth it.
RATINGS
5.0
"Their work speaks for itself. What they’ve done is gorgeous, and the methodology is even more appealing."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"They did everything professionally. Their analysis was well summarized, and they paid attention to every pixel."
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
"We didn’t miss a single deadline."
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"When I calculate the value and time saved versus a traditional agency’s approach, it really was very cost effective."
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