SimplePlan Media

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and director of a climate change nonprofit based in New Zealand. We help people lower their carbon emissions.

What challenge were you trying to address with SimplePlan Media?

We hired SimplePlan Media to do our website and a web app that allowed our users to track their carbon savings. At the moment, they’re working on maintenance and engine optimization as well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first key deliverable was the website. SimplePlan Media (SimplePlan) developed it from scratch using Laravel. They also did the design concepts for it — the layout, color scheme, and a few handwritten illustrations. We gave them our requirements and a draft licence for the website itself, but they came up with the platform and the whole UX and UI.

The second deliverable was the web platform. It’s a dashboard that shows users their emission savings, the low-carbon projects that they support, and their path towards zero emissions. It displays the donations we’ve made to these low-carbon projects and assigns them to a user in the platform.

Those have been the big two deliverables from them, and then we have maintenance on an ongoing basis. If we notice anything we want to change, they just jump in and make those changes.

Recently, we’ve just started a transition with some of the hours we had in maintenance and updates to SEO. At the moment, they’re just working on keyword assessments; we gave them a preliminary list and they’re now narrowing it down and providing some categories and subcategories. Eventually, they’ll help us to optimize the website with tags, Google Ads, keywords, blogs, and more.

What is the team composition?

We have different people working on different tasks. Yogesh (Managing Director) is our main point of contact; he deals with high-level issues.

We’ve always had a main contact, but when we were working on the website, there would also be other people in the meeting for the web design part. Once we got into the building phase, we transitioned to a different person. We’ve had maintenance staff, and now with the SEO, we’ve got another person, so it kind of varies. All in all, there have been probably up to 6–7 people in our team.

How did you come to work with SimplePlan Media?

I think I originally saw them on an online platform. They had some projects listed, and I reached out to them to see whether they could give me a quote by email. I signed them online, and that was pretty much the process.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial website package was $20,000 for the web platform and app. Since then, we were on retainer for $500 a month, and that ended in November. In total, we’ve spent about $25,000–$26,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around September 2020, and we’re still with them.

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

I’ve referred them multiple times to other people, and we’ve just been really happy with their support. Right now, we don't have metrics on the stuff that they’re working on, but we haven’t had any major issues with the website — just a few bugs here and there.

Furthermore, we’ve had really nice feedback from other people. Our co-founder runs a development agency, and he was really impressed with what they did for us, especially considering the price and the high-standard of the design. We’ve also had positive feedback from our users around the looks and experience of the website.

How did SimplePlan Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. There were some delays last year, but they were really transparent about it. A lot of the time it was more on our part because we were changing our minds and not having stuff ready for them.

Also, they’re very responsive. We’ve got a Slack channel and a shared Notion board, which is similar to a Trello board. If we have a query, we just put it into the board and they move it through within a week. We use it now for tasks, and it’s working really well for the SEO stuff we’re doing.

Leading up to the launch of the website, we were having weekly calls with the team. Since we’re in New Zealand and they’re in India, we weren’t able to respond to them until the next day due to the time difference, so we found that the best way to deal with it and answer their questions right away was through calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The website they designed for us is so pretty. They really know how to create a beautiful design and UX.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. We’ve worked together really easily. Maybe at the beginning we had some difficulties, but now that we’ve been working with them for a while and we’ve figured it out, I don’t think there could be any other ways for us to work together.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give SimplePlan the opportunity to design something that they think is good. When we originally came into it, we had ideas around what we wanted, and it took a lot of iterations before we got to the final design. In the end, I think we just needed to hand over the reins a little bit and let them come up with a concept for us. Same thing with the original wireframe.

Therefore, I think giving them a little flexibility might be good, because they can really surprise you with what they come up with.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cofounder of Soko, an upcoming women's intimate apparel brand launching in Southeast Asia.

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media?

Create a visual brand identity and full website design & development

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our brand to stand out from the traditional incumbents in the industry - to be approachable but still provide plenty of impact and energy. This needed to be felt throughout the visual brand identity and the website.

How did you select SimplePlan Media?

We discovered them through clutch. We had a call with them and were sold on their professionalism and creativity. We loved some of their previous portfolio work and knew they would be capable of the delivering the design aesthetic we were looking for.

Describe the project in detail.

After we shared the story of who we are and what we hoped to do, the team spent some time getting to know us both as individuals and as a brand. After listening to all of our ideas for the brand, they began to guide us through a discovery process that helped us determine what we really wanted for the brand.

We went through multiple steps in order to create the visual identity design - where the team provided us with plenty of different directions (the design mood boards were incredibly helpful!) to help us arrive at the end result. We then spent time wireframing, designing/creating wirescapes, and finally building the entire e-commerce website.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of 4-5 individuals, including multiple members of the creative and client teams. Nothing was lost in communication and we were extremely happy with how everyone worked together.

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

The entire process really exceeded our expectations. We came in having a ton of ideas but struggling to determine the exact final direction. SimplePlan provided amazing guidance to help us get there.

They were incredibly flexible with all of the deliverables we needed and with our timeline. More importantly, they absolutely delivered. We have had great feedback on our branding and website so far from our target audience. More importantly, there is a lot of excitement built up for our launch - surpassing our expectations.

Designing such a unique identity has really helped us stand out from our competitors. SimplePlan made this experience easy for us - from start to finish. We have already recommended them to others.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They kept us continually updated on what they've accomplished and what the next steps are. The team is highly responsive to every question and phone call. They were extremely flexible with any issues that arose from our side and were quick to address all of our pivots.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We found that their commitment to understanding our team and our market really exceeded our expectations and this helped them deliver some great results. They truly do care about the success of our brand and business.

And while I hate to use such a cliche phrase as "they went above and beyond, SimplePlan truly did. They provided guidance and delivered a few extra deliverables that were not within the scope of the projects. They did it purely because they were invested in our success.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, they did a great job for us.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Shiftery is the next generation of integrated sourcing and supply chain management services. We help our clients to see more of their supply chain and mitigate emissions, shifting to traceability & sustainability. I am the co-founder & CEO of Shiftery.

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media?

Website design & development, which started with the color and design development and ranged to the actual programming of the wordpress theme.

What were your goals for this project?

Our business is mostly online and hence a solid first impression of the website is cruicial. We have been asking for a sleek, modern and approachable website. At the same time we need to be able to change content on the website regularly as we are still in the early stages of business development. Hence, a customized theme based on worpress ist the best option for us.

How did you select this vendor?

We contacted a wide range of developers, from cheap to expensive, small and big. A long-term relationship is what we have been looking for, to have a trusted partner. We decided on simpleplanmedia because they offer a wide variety of services including graphic design. Further, they gave us a very approachable and commited impression. Finally their structured approach and track record convinced us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Website design & development, which started with the color and design development and ranged to the actual programming of the wordpress theme. All illustrations on our website are unique or at least customized. Further, it includes animations.

What was the team composition?

The team involved sales and key account management/project management in direct contact with us mostly. During the creative design phase, we have been in contact with the design department as well. In the backend both, the design and the coding team were involved in the project.

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

The impact on our business can not be validated yet as the website is live for less than a month. We got compliments form our current clients and hope for great reactions and traffic in the future to support our visibility and business growth.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project setup was structured, using Skype, google docs and email communication. Very direct/approachable and responsive communication. There have been no issues with the language barrier.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I mostly value the good communication. They're very attentive to our needs and comments. Making smaller changes even though the project was finished already.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The project duration was longer than assumed in the beginning. This is also due us being a start-up and not having been 100% clear on what we need in the beginning ourselves. Additionally, the corona pandemic made life more difficult for everyone of us.

Please provide us with a brief description of your company.

I am the owner of Delight Unisex Salon. Delight Unisex Salon started in 1952 as “Delight Barber Shop” in New Delhi, India. We have been in business for over 55 years and have gone through many changes since to adapt to changing times. Today, we are a “Unisex Salon” and cater to over 100 happy customers every week.

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address? What was the goal of the partnership?

Over the years, it has become apparent to us that we’d need to overhaul our brand and give ourselves a modern look, one that would cater to not only the older generation but the youth as well. We also wanted to extend our footprint beyond a set three-mile radius so that more people could learn about us. 

Partnering with SimplePlan Media for this project seemed like an obvious choice as the agency was pretty much operated by the kind of customers we were trying to reach (i.e., the youth).

What was the scope of the project, and can you describe the specific services that were provided?

Initially, we started with rediscovering and redesigning our brand, which comprised of a new logo, flex prints, new business cards, brochures, menu cards, tone-of-voice, and so on. They also consulted us on the interior design of our salon. Soon, we extended that partnership to include digital marketing services, as well. 

These days, we’re in talks for getting a website developed of our own, and SimplePlan Media is more than willing to help us out with that.

What was the team composition?

I’m not sure of their manpower, but they take care of everything brand-wise.

How did you come to work with SimplePlan Media?

We started our work with SimplePlan Media because they were pretty local, and we had been in talks with them the longest. We did reach out to a few other agencies for our work, but they did not take us very seriously. SimplePlan Media, however, was very eager and passionate about the work and did not waste our time.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent approximately $5,000–$10,000 on this project as of now.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work started in June 2018, and it’s still ongoing.

What were the results of the project? Are there any success stories or metrics you can share?

We have seen an increase in customer footfall and appointment schedules. We are sure that this has been possible because of the work done by SimplePlan Media. Their marketing team suggested that we start a survey to learn more details and understand the impact of their work, which we are very thankful for. We’ve found that new customers discovered our salon through SimplePlan Media’s marketing. 

Furthermore, everyone who comes in and looks at our business card and branding almost always gives positive feedback. Sometimes they also ask us who did them, and, of course, we are happy to recommend SimplePlan Media.

How did SimplePlan Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They have never missed a deadline or meeting with us. Sometimes they have even worked overnight to ensure delivery, which is commendable.

When working with this company is there anything that sets them apart compared to other partners you may have worked with?

Their work quality is their unique selling proposition (USP). I was totally blown away with the amazing response we’ve received on our overall brand.

Do you have any constructive criticism? Is there any area that they could improve?

Sometimes their responses can be difficult to understand, mainly due to technical jargon. However, that’s understandable. It’d be great if they could make their process a little more comprehensible, but I understand that as local business owners we always ask about money.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the executive director of a nonprofit organization in India. We work to support underprivileged children to reach their full potential—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media?

Building a nonprofit organization is all about how well your potential audience can connect with your cause. For us, we wanted our audience to understand our company and how we do things better than our competitors. SimplePlan Media helped to make our overall brand look much more professional to attract potential partners and donors.

What were your goals for this project?

Making our cause easy to understand for everyone was our major goal.

How did you select this vendor?

We accumulated a list of recommended vendors from other startup founders. We started the screening process, which went on for a month or so, but we were not able to find the perfect fit. Eventually, we came to learn about SimplePlan Media from a personal connection, and, after talking to them, we made our decision. 

Our brand is not like other general brands; it needs proper care and attention to make our end users trust and believe in us. SimplePlan Media was the right choice because they believed in our vision. They gave us suggestions that only people who are heavily involved in the cause can give.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The scope of the project covered a lot of elements to increase our brand recall and to help our audience understand us easily. This involved coming up with a completely refreshed brand look and identity (e.g., designing print materials, annual reports, brochures, flexes, business cards, posters, banners, t-shirts).

They also designed a new website to better explain our company to our audience, revamping the copy’s tone and voice to ensure better bounce and conversion rates. The team then formed a social media strategy and provided additional consultation. The branding project took about three months, but we still communicate on an ongoing basis for any ad hoc print material design.

What was the team composition?

Manpower-wise, they’ve allocated conceptualizers, copywriters, designers, developers, marketing experts, and strategy experts.

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

Everyone keeps talking about how amazing our print material looks, and the sheer amount of signups we get from our website has been great.

In addition to having everything completed to our satisfaction, we’re truly amazed by the overall feedback for our assets. We have already won several awards for our website—including an international one—and our target audience and partners simply love the new branding.

As for metrics, the sheer amount of signups we’ve gotten from our site has been great. We’ve seen at least a 500% increase in overall site traffic along with a 125% hike in the site’s conversion rate. It’s also helped us win several social sector projects. Now, everyone who comes to our site wants to know more about us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They have a competent management team. Their senior manager communicates with us daily or as needed. Our goal was clear, and he knew how to achieve what we wanted quickly.

It’s been an absolute joy working with SimplePlan Media. No one understood our brand as they did. On top of that, general agencies and big organizations can’t even come close to our design, which SimplePlan Media developed from scratch. They even showed us the hand-drawn illustrations of our site.

It’s clear that they’re a team of young professionals who know what they’re doing and are always in control of the process. Even when we thought we knew our potential audience, they would come back to us with more insights. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

If I had to give a critique, they could be a little more accommodating in terms of making changes and listening to our feedback. I do feel that it is necessary for agencies to push back, though, because most of the time, clients don’t know what they want. I understand their perspective, and they were right.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

SimplePlan Media promised that we’d win several awards for our website if we listened to them and that our audience and partners would call to praise our brand. And they delivered on all of this! We will continue to work with them for years to come.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a brain-healthy superfood coffee eCommerce company.

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media?

We built our website on Squarespace two years ago and because of our growth, we needed to migrate our website to Shopify ASAP.

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

Simple Plan came highly recommended. We chose them because their communication was second to none. They also offered the most reasonable and fair prices. Their portfolio showed us great work done in the past. Their team was highly experienced and attentive.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After an initial discovery meeting, they created a simple 4 Sprint process with approvals. They executed the plan fast, researched apps, problem solved my customized needs. They were also very thorough in creating how-to videos for me to understand how to do things myself.

They were great with my feedback and very thorough with testing and making sure that I was satisfied and understood. They reply fast, work fast and are great at offering multiple solutions. They went over and beyond the scope of the project and over delivered.

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

I had access to a team of four at all times.

• The owner
• the project lead
• designer/developer
• account manager

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

They work on time. The site is live. They created me user guides and videos to understand how to work my website myself. They are still available to me to contact with questions

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We only worked on email. We only met 3x. No Slack. They're very detailed oriented. They never miss a request and answer every question.

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

Overall, I couldn't beat what they delivered for their price. I'm very grateful for them working with me. They are very creative and can do so much more. They really care. Their customer service is incredible, warm and friendly. And their English was perfect.

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

The project went smoothly. Any delays were on my side. On a personal preference, I could have used more in-person meetings to clarify things but, in the end, email did the job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Paddy Compare is an insurance lead generator in Ireland. I am a Director.

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media?

Our existing brand and website was developed 10 years ago and was outdated. I hired SimplePlan to rebrand and design the frontend of the website. We undertook backend development internally.

How did you select SimplePlan Media and what were the deciding factors?

We chose SimplePlan because of their detailed project brief, and existing portfolio.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After an initial brand questionnaire and inception meeting to agree milestones, SimplePlan developed the branding. They built a story around the new brand and at each stage of the process proposed a number of options for us to choose from. They then developed the preferred option through the next steps. They left the decision making to us but provided opinions when asked. They genuinely offered unlimited revisions and we we never felt rushed.

This process continued through wireframes, stylescapes and frontend development.

How many resources from the SimplePlan Media team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Approx 4 client-facing staff with additional team members behind the scenes. Transitioning between team members was seamless.

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

Backend development is ongoing and so the site is not yet live, however the code is extremely clean, and bespoke, and the overall brand and design very clean and professional, just as required. The site has been designed with all devices in mind, not designed for one, with others as an afterthought as is often the case with responsive design.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Daily updates with files shared using Figma and Dropbox. Original source files provided for all content generated. Expected to require regular calls to talk about the next steps but we found this wasn't necessary due to clear email communication.

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

The attention to detail was impressive. The team has positively responded to all comments, and they've work endlessly to ensure the end product is functional.

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

No. The project took longer than intended but at an early stage I emphasised that quality was more important than speed. The cost remained as agreed with the exception of additional work I requested during the project, which was also delivered to the agreed price.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Education provider for medical students. Company director

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media, and what were your goals?

SimplePlan Media was engaged to create a user platform and learning experience based on our goals. The end product had to be clear, user-friendly, with the quick ability to authorise and remove users and have a multi-layer access requirement.

The platform also involved an exam, with numerous question formats requiring different UI, a formula for the scoring, and a simple back-end for our company to review user involvement,

How did you select SimplePlan Media and what were the deciding factors?

We have used them on a previous project and know how exceptional their level of service is.

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

We set out a plan to commence with, set a timeline, project goals, and payment milestones. They kept us informed of progress, allowed soft-testing, and understood our needs exactly.

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

3.

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

User ability to log in without errors or bugs, ability to complete a test online and access online learning content. All stages were achieved with soft-testing and we were delighted.

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

Frequent email feedback, skype updates, and soft-testing availability.

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

They understand the client's needs swiftly and set out a clear and affordable plan to meet the outcome. They respond very quickly and can adapt to new requirements.

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

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are on a mission to help qualified and driven candidates across the globe to land their dream job. I am the founder, director, and chief career consultant.

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media?

Branding, Web Design, and Web Dev. These include logo, brand bible, UX, UI, and dev.

What were your goals for this project?

To establish a brand, design a website, develop a website. We are an early start-up and were starting from scratch in all these areas.

How did you select this vendor?

They reached out to me through LinkedIn, where I advertised the project. They were excellent throughout the selection process, so we decided to hire them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They started by gathering requirements. Then, they worked on the UX and the branding (logo). In the next milestone, they tackled UI and finalised branding. Lastly, they developed the website.

What was the team composition?

The client-facing team was as below: Delivery director - company owner Creative director Business consultant Analyst

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

We are delighted with the brand and the website SimplePlan has developed for us. The end products are fully aligned to our mission, vision, and values, and optimised for our target group.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Simple but effective project management. Exactly what was needed considering the project scope, which was relatively small, as we are an early start-up.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had an excellent attitude and are also skilled enough to deliver strong quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really. Comms and project management could be slightly improved sometimes, but this is a very minor issues that I would not consider given the excellent work they delivered.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a home care scheduling software startup. We provide front and back office solutions for home care agencies to efficiently operate their business.

For what projects/services did your company hire SimplePlan Media?

Our company website was a general landing page. We needed SimplePlan to put a more robust design together that matched our product and company culture.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a website that was robust but easy to navigate through.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected this vendor through a past customer. We like their website and asked who helped them with it and they mentioned simple plan.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we decided to move forward with this simpleplan, we had multiple discovery calls to ensure we were on the same page. We also recieved weekly updates as to how things were going, and they were always open to jump on a call if things got confusing.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a team of 4 throughout the entire project.

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

We have seen an increase in sign ups on our website, and we believe that this is due to how well everything has been laid out in regards to our product compared to our older landing page.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our communication was generally through gmail and zoom and we had no issues with this.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed by their willingness to adjust the plan when it was needed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.