Sonder Creative

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a not for profit organization for the marketing and advertising community in Edmonton and area.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sonder Creative, and what were your goals?

We had an old and outdated website that was losing functionality to meet the needs of our members and the board. We need to work with someone who could not only replicate what we had but help us with new solutions to create new functionality but also be consultative with us to look at new opportunities to improve and assist to create some efficiencies for us.

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

We had an rfp process that included an interview process with the companies that responded. Some of the ideas they brought to us in the interview, a local company. Simply, they really brought a comfort level to us that they could help manage us through the process knowing that we are a volunteer board.

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

It was a complete redesign taking into account the rebrand we had just gone through. They worked with our designer and all of the pillars to incorporate into the look. They also worked with us to create some parts of the website that would have better value for our members and allow us to better understand our membership. A critical element was working to create an automation solution to better assist us with our Awards ... a solution that saved time, effort and most importantly ensured information that was provided could be uploaded for our awards show.

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

I know we spoke with at least 4 different people from the Sonder team:

• Jeff C. - Owner / Director
• Sophie M. - Creative Director
• Christin W. - Designer
• Terry B. - Developer

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

We now have a better efficiencies to communicate with our members, stronger renewal mechanism for members, better member experience from a functionality standpoint, ability to better manage job posting and we also now are able to automate the process of loading submission for Awards to the Awards site. All these things were critical to assisting with creating better user experiences and most importantly efficiencies for a volunteer board.

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

Very collaborate and solutions orientated. We were never sold to ... everything was working with us collaboratively with our budget to achieve the key priorities.

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

We always felt we had their best interest at hand. There patience working with a number of people from a volunteer board and how they managed timelines and expectations accordingly. We are looking to continue to work with Sonder to continue to have the website evolve and to develop more offerings and continue to work towards developing other user experiences with the site for members and the advertising community as a whole.

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

Not that I can think of .... we really did have an amazing experience working with the Sonder Creative Team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an interior design firm and retail store. Our store is approaching its 10 year anniversary and we have had a number of iterations of logos and websites in that time. As the retail market continues to focus on online sales we became aware that our look and site needed work.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sonder Creative?

Our logo needed updating to reflect recent changes in our business and our online store (shopify) and websites all needed to be re-worked and linked.

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

We wanted to work with a local firm that focused on independent businesses. It was important to me that their sites showed a breadth of designs, variation in style and function. Additionally we needed a company who could tackle both the website and online store.

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

We had initial conversations about how our business was structured and the look and feel we were hoping to achieve with the rebrand. We also discussed all the elements of our rebrand, from packaging, signage to letterhead.

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

We worked with a team of up to 4 but three individuals closely. We worked with Jeff, the owner and Sophie and senior team member the most.

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

We did a soft launch of our sites to give us the opportunity to work out the bugs. That being said I immediately received positive feedback from customers. The feedback has been that the site feels fresh, new but also still on brand.

I think that is the best kind of feedback when you do a rebrand. You want you customers to recognize the designs as on brand but be excited about the change. The rebrand and new sites have allowed us to clearly identify the different branches of our business.

It directs customers how to interact with us and what to expect from us. What Sonder has done a beautiful job of is connecting all the sites seamlessly, our customers and clients can see our entire business with a few clicks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Sonder is incredibly organized and efficient. I always felt like they valued my time and I appreciated the opportunity to hit pause on the project when we got too busy. Meetings were always scheduled, communication was generally in writing and files stored in dropbox (our preferred storage).

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

One of the things I found impressive about the Sonder team was that they were incredibly well rounded. They were able so support us from a design side creatively but equally so technically. They had the knowledge to support the changes in shopify but also look at the changes from a creative side.

How they looked in relation to our branding. In my past experience with firms this is a unique set of skills. What was also very interesting and new to us is how they taught us to take on our websites internally. They were built in a way that we could make changes on our own.

They encouraged that and gave us the skills to do so through training sessions. That was a unique experience, we have had 4 websites three rebrands and this was the first time that the firm leading the design welcomed our engagement in our own site.

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

I think design is incredibly personal and subjective. I may have wanted the re-design to feel a bit more like our previous brand. They pushed my outside my comfort zone which in the end was probably the right move.

It ensured that the rebrand was in fact new and fresh. As a designer myself I know how it feels to get push back from a client. I know how frustrating it can be. It is fine balance between maintaining the integrity of the design and making your client happy. On balance they achieved that beautifully.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm one of the owners of a smart home business. We install audio, video, and other technical components in new homes and home automation systems. Users can control the temperature, lights, or music in their house with a single app. Everything is all in one system.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

I created a website on my own using a WordPress template. Last year, we needed to do something to have a more professional online presence, and I gave up trying to do it on my own. Then, we wanted to update our logo and get a new website to have a more solid foundation for marketing our business. Overall, we needed Sonder Creative for branding and website development. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

The engagement started with the logo and branding aspects. We didn’t want a cool picture; we wanted something that was meaningful and that matched our brand. We had a session with Sonder where they found out as much as they could about our company and people. Then, they researched our competitors, digging deep into the whole branding process to come up with a logo that matched our business. They did a logo presentation where they showed us what the logo would look like in other materials, such as brochures and business cards. Sonder also gave us a quick view of what our website would look like with the logo. 

Based on our feedback, they created a website from scratch and tied it with the logo they’d created. We gave them a brief outline of what we were looking for on a website, and they ran with it and built the website. We gave feedback on changes here and there, and they took care of the hosting and all background details. They basically handled everything we’d need to get the website online.  

What is the team composition?

We work with Jeff (Owner & Director). Aside from him, three other people have worked on this project. One person is involved in the logo design and branding, while another person is responsible for the design of the website. Then, another person is involved in all the technical aspects of the site. 

How did you come to work with Sonder Creative?

We looked for a local provider in Canada because we wanted to support local businesses. I started researching website designers in Edmonton. I put in the search term “creative,” as in “creative website design,” and they were pulled up as one of our options. We were looking for a vendor that would give us a unique look since we didn’t want to look like our competitors — we wanted to be different from everyone else — and I felt that Sonder Creative had that. 

We ended up calling them and getting a quote on the phone. Based on our initial interactions, emails, and phone calls, we liked the vibe that they had. We also felt that they had similar ethics or priorities to us, and we always looked for that similarity when we did any business collaboration. We also met them in person before the COVID-19 pandemic since we liked personal interactions. We liked who they were as people; they were professional. After that, we decided that we definitely wanted to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

The project has been quoted around $12,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

The website went live a few weeks ago, and we’re definitely getting a lot of hits on it. It’s too soon to tell results since we’re just starting to let customers know about it. As such, I don’t have a lot of metrics at this point. However, we have customers who call or email us to let us know that they love the website and that it’s great. Overall, we’ve received a lot of great feedback from our current client base. 

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve utilized a lot of different methods of communication throughout the engagement. We did Zoom calls at the very beginning of the engagement. We also did that for the branding presentation and the reveal of the website design. When they presented the brand, they did a split-screen presentation where they could point on different things while we were able to see their faces. That was really cool. 

They did the same thing for the presentation of the website’s design. On one part of the screen, they showed the different features of the website, and we went through them together. That was super helpful. At that time, the website was basically a file that wasn’t online where we could interact to get feedback. It was like a PDF file where we could put comments on sections and make changes. It made it easy for us to give feedback on the design.

At present, when we have requests that are not hard to explain, we just use emails. In general, their response time is very quick. Oftentimes, we get a response within the hour. If I have a question, they specifically answer it. If we leave a voicemail, they get back to us quickly. As a result, we’re very happy with them and they're always on top of things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sonder Creative is very personable. Our interactions are for business, but I feel like they care for us. They’re excited to work with us. They’ve been interested in what we do, and they’re excited about the project. We don’t get this very often from other businesses. Sonder invests in every project, and we can tell it’s not fake — they genuinely care about the business and about doing a good job. We can tell that they take pride in their work and their competence. They really stand out in that regard, so we’re thrilled that we’ve chosen them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we were putting together content for the website, someone else helped us with editing and putting parameters on the writing and content. Sonder could probably help us with writing and tell us how we could create our own content for the website. That was one element of their business that could be improved. However, they’ve already improved that because they’ve already added a writer to their team.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do as much research on your own as possible. Think about your business and who you want to be. When we started working with Sonder, they asked a lot of questions about the nature of our business and what we hoped to achieve. The more you research your business and what you’re looking for, the more you can bring out the best in them. They can grab onto the information you give and run with it. 

Other than that, know that Sonder isn’t passive. They take charge, which is what we want. They know what they’re doing, and they can guide you through the process. On top of that, ask a lot of questions and look at their website and past projects, which are awesome. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing coordinator for Parkwood Master Builder. We’re a personalized home builder in Edmonton, Alberta. We specialize in move-up homes, as well as multi-family development projects. We’re a home builder and not a real estate firm, so we still sell our new homes directly to customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

We engaged with them to develop a brand identity and website for our newest multi-family development project, which included townhomes and a condo tower.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the name of the project, and they kicked off a collaborative approach to the web content. Beyond that, however, they’ve done all the branding and web design — all the creative visuals.

They did a discovery session where they got everything they needed about the project including what it was, the audience, our goals, and the tone of voice we wanted based on the prospective-buyer demographic. Then, they came back to us with multiple logo concepts. We picked one we liked, and then they showed us different color schemes. Taking those properties, they created the overall look and feel of the website. They’re also going to develop the website.

What is the team composition?

Jeff (Owner and Director) was our main contact during the proposal phase and now helps with project management. He works hand-in-hand with the creative director, Sophie, and the web designer, Christine. I’ve worked a lot with Jeff and Sophie, and Christine is more of a new face — she’s really lovely.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $13,000 CAD (approximately $10,230 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since September 2020.

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

The website hasn’t launched yet, but our team is blown away by the details and the way Sonder Creative grasps exactly what we’re going for with the brand. We’ve worked with them in the past, and they know that it can be tough to pull out what we’re trying to tell them. They do a great job of bringing our concepts to life exactly as we envision them.

The demographic of this project is more up-scale than that of our single-family homes, so we need the brand to come across as sophisticated, sexy, and appealing. They hit every mark we request.

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

From a communication standpoint, everything has been kept on track. Things have chugged along the way we’ve planned.

They use Figma to share the web design, allowing us to see an interactive view of the landing pages. We can scroll through on our own and make changes right on the platform. It is extremely helpful in them delivering what we needed. One of my colleagues has never worked on design and development, and it is especially rewarding to watch her reaction to the process because she is blown away by how technically advanced it all seems.

I am impressed that they make sure to work on a collaborative platform that keeps everyone on the same page visually. Using Figma really helps in their success.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been very flexible as we’ve adjusted our timelines. There are a lot of moving parts within a multi-family development project — weather, permits, approvals, zoning — and what we appreciate about Sonder is that they’re very willing to adjust to approvals or delays. They put together the brand identity and web design quickly and efficiently, and now we’re at the point where they can take their time developing the site for us.

The most impressive asset that they bring to this project is the brand identity. They hit every mark, and, in my experience working on logo development, website design, and brand identity, it’s very rare to have a whole team look at something and be immediately impressed. Our logo went through a couple of revisions as usual, but once we picked it, and they ran with it, we didn’t have any feedback on the following brand identity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They do their best to make sure that every client feels prioritized, and they’re not afraid to ask about moving things around if it will work for both parties. They very clearly look for avenues to be flexible and accommodating, which can be tricky when you’re managing multiple clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come prepared, have an open mind, and trust their creative eye, talents, and experience. I’ve worked with them in the past and their reputation continues to grow upwards. They’re going to do everything they can to communicate what you’re looking for in a way that both satisfies you and your audience’s desire for usability and functionality.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and operator of LiveTreo, a series of multi-family rental communities and commercial communities.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

I was looking for some branding exercises and web development support. We wanted help communicating with prospective customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did five logos for me and created the WordPress website with 7–8 pages on it. They built a couple of pages dedicated to communities and then some for contacting us and the larger brand. They also ran SEO efforts and implemented it into our site. Their team also did some ad design work for us, including print out and online ads. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Jeff (Special Projects Director) and Sophie (Creative Director).  

How did you come to work with Sonder Creative?

I found them through a referral from a friend who I trusted. I’d tried a number of different agencies and had been unsuccessful in getting the work done that we needed at our quality and standards. So I looked through their website, and we ended up using them.

How much have you invested with them?

Between the work they did and what I have in mind for the future, we’re going to spend somewhere between $15,000–$20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–July 2020.

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

I really enjoyed working with them. They were the first company I’ve come across who did what they promised to do, which is always refreshing. The quality of their work was excellent.

I’d worked with other companies that needed 4–5 iterations and every time it came back it was worse than the previous version. With Sonder, we did one iteration on all of our logos and they were able to represent and articulate everything I wanted. 

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They did everything in the promised timeline and had everything done when they said they would. We mainly communicated through email and video conferences. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their workmanship, creativity, and accountability stood out when working with them. I was happy to work with them and got what I wanted. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone can always improve, but they gave me everything I asked for. If anything, they could have been more proactive in finding out what my intended use was and if they could help me further it, but I have no complaint in that regard. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the artistic and executive director of a music organization in Edmonton, Canada. We are a charity nonprofit operating a semiprofessional chamber choir and vocal ensemble.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

We needed a partner to help us develop a new website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They consulted with us from the beginning to figure out what we wanted from the final product and worked with another company we had brought on to nail down the communication and messaging strategy that we were going for.

We provided them with a lot of planning and marketing materials that we had developed within our organization in preparation for the project, and from there they helped us coalesce those into our visual identity and new logo.

They also worked with us to review the old website’s functionality and decide what we wanted to keep and what we wanted to change, and from there designed and built the new website from the ground up. That included a completely new event content presentation and redesigned web store, and we tweaked and updated things a little bit after that until we had exactly what we wanted.

What is the team composition?

Jeff (Special Projects Director) was my main point of contact, and I worked directly with both him and Sophie (Creative Director). They were the main people I was involved with, but I am aware of at least one other person in their office who works on our project.

How did you come to work with Sonder Creative?

They came to our attention through word-of-mouth recommendation. A member of our board had worked with them in a previous engagement and been very impressed with their work, so we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a total of about $7,500 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around October 2019, and the website redevelopment and visual identity work has wrapped up but we are continuing to host the site with then.

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

Unfortunately, both metrics and anecdotal evidence are hard to assess due to the current circumstances. Overall, they delivered a site that is tremendously more user friendly both for us and for our prospective customers. It is much easier to edit on our end, and from the limited customer feedback that we do have, they’ve reported that it is much easier for them to navigate as well.

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team executed flawlessly both within our projected timeline and budget for the work. Both their communication and ability to pivot when we decided to make a change things at the implementation stage were critical assets to us, and we were extremely impressed by their commitment to explaining things clearly and clarifying the specifics of the work so that we could fully participate in the development process with them.

We primarily used email and phone calls to communicate, and toward the end of the project introduced video conferences as well just to make sure that everything was being communicated properly. It was clear throughout the process that Jeff is a very natural people manager and is very service-oriented as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really uniquely combine artistic and design understanding with the functional and technical skills necessary to implement them. Because of that coupling within their team, they were able to provide a product that was very useful to us and aesthetically pleasing and easy to use for our clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly can’t think of anything in particular that they should have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They provide an extremely polished and professional experience from start to finish, but don’t let that fool you. They are also extremely personable and flexible and are willing to work with you to achieve whatever it is that you need in the end.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Craigmohr Holdings, Ltd., a Canadian investment company that was incorporated in 1989.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

I introduced a client to Sonder Creative and I oversee the project. We were looking at building a website for an offshore company in Ukraine that was focused on North-American clients. The company does physical tours throughout Ukraine and the Czech Republic, and areas of Poland and we hired Sonder Creative to create the website. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sonder Creative developed the client’s website. They made a virtual tour setup and a genealogy feature. The virtual tour was directed to people that wanted to visit certain areas but didn’t have the money, so they created it to allow virtual visits to ancestor’s villages and interviews with ancestors. 

Jeff (Director) and his team were in charge of deciding what technologies to use — I stayed out of micromanaging these aspects. They were simply given certain demands that had to be met. They built the site in a modular fashion, where we could plug things in and take things out. The client is still working with them for making tweaks and handling glitches.

What is the team composition?

There are 3–4 people involved, and Jeff was the point person. There is a copywriter that works alongside him. 

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was in excess of $12,000 CAD (approximately $8,900 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Sonder Creative in January 2020. I’m continuing to coach my client and they still work with Sonder Creative on making changes.  

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

What Sonder Creative was able to do with the genealogy feature was spectacular. It was very helpful to the client during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the virtual tour feature.

The client got a tremendous amount of positive feedback off of Facebook, but the main challenge is getting clicks to the website. The biggest business driver for the client is their owner—his personality and business ethics, and the product he delivers. Over the years, he’s built a long trail of satisfied customers that praise his abilities, and that’s where he gets most of his business.

On the client-side, the copywriting wasn’t the best because of language differences, but Jeff assigned someone who’d worked for a big ad agency to the team. She ran her own business, and she’s probably the best copywriter I’ve come across.

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Sonder Creative is absolutely fantastic with project management. Their response time is quick. When there’s a question, the answer comes back, and they have very good people skills.

When dealing with something like a website, people will have preconceived ideas of what they want it to look like and do, and they won’t care whether they’re possible or not. The web designer will have their own ideas, so there could usually be a butting of heads, but Jeff has really good people skills, and he’s a terrific listener. He has a nice way of explaining when something’s not possible and giving an alternative.

I live in Calgary, and they’re in Edmonton, which is close by. It was convenient for me to interview Jeff from Calgary, but we then collaborated through Zoom. Jeff uses technology for sharing graphics, pictures, and other content. That speeds things along. Some of the initial pictures weren’t what we wanted, but he turned on a dime.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide the total package. They’ve been good from start to finish — the creative aspects Sonder Creative works on is excellent.  When there were areas of potential conflict, those were eliminated. They’re good at accepting what we want and accommodating any changes we want to make. If there was a change that would be difficult or impossible, they’d tell us in a nice way that we couldn’t do it, and propose looking at it another way.

They are excellent as far as timing is concerned, and they keep the budget in line. They weren’t cautious about saying that we were just about to go over the budget.

Our client is in Ukraine, and he wasn’t used to doing business in North America, so he was asking for a lot of changes. The clock was running on the cash, so we could’ve gotten a bill that was 20–25% higher than we expected but Sonder Creative didn’t do that. When we were getting close to the end of the contract cash-wise, they got the client to reassess what he was doing and to realize that some of the changes he was asking for weren’t relevant.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Being a boutique branding company, they’ve delivered exactly what I thought they would. I pointed my client to them because they were feeling smothered at bigger organizations and Sonder Creative delivered 110%.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Most companies operate around what their needs are instead of what the customer wants. Sonder Creative doesn’t approach any relationship in terms of what they need because their primary focus is listening to the customer’s needs. They have a number of packages for different amounts, and it’s up to the client to fit themselves into a category of cost. They’re very open about this, and it makes it simple to deal with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and VP of Pontem Innovations, a data analytics and process automation company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

We needed to redevelop and redesign our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began the engagement by showing Sonder Creative our existing website and marketing material. We shared our desire to update the site, because our service line had changed somewhat since the original build.

We did a lot of work together around who we are as a company and what we stand for, so that the team could understand how to best create a brand that would then be represented through the WordPress website. We really brainstormed and collaborated with the team. Along the way, Sonder Creative even created some custom visuals and icons for us.

When the site was completed, the team launched it themselves. Currently, they remain onboard to provide ongoing maintenance. We’ve also moved our hosting to the team.

What is the team composition?

Jeff (Creative Director) is our main point of contact, but we’ve also worked with Luke (Developer) who handled development. 

How did you come to work with Sonder Creative?

We share a co-working space with Sonder Creative, so we knew of them. They had a great portfolio, and we decided they’d be a great fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2020 and the collaboration is ongoing.

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

We just launched the site, so we don’t have any metrics related to engagement yet. Anecdotally, we receive a lot of positive feedback from our clients and potential clients. There’s been a fantastic increase in the functionality and reliability of the platform.

Sonder Creative has impacted our business tremendously. From changing our brand and giving us a better way to tell the story about our brand and how we give value to our clients, they’ve been a fantastic help. The team really guided us with their insights on how we present case studies and thought leadership, a really valuable part of our business.

Throughout the engagement, they’ve really earned our trust with their skill and quality of service.

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Sonder Creative is extremely responsive to our needs. We communicate via Slack and emails, and can reach out to them at any time of day. The team is very clear on timelines and milestones, and has remained very communicative about changes and updates. Also, we use Google Drive to store images, concepts, and samples that we liked.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of creativity they bring to the project is something I really admired. We appreciated how forthcoming they are with recommendations; they’re engaged with the project and will take a stand if something needs to be done for the betterment of the product. They balanced that with being collaborative very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they should keep doing what they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be completely open and transparent with Sonder Creative about what you want, and they’ll make it happen.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing manager for a cosmetic surgery clinic that specializes in hair transplant surgery.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

We recently decided to try and reach a larger market by building a website called the Alberta Hair Institute. We engaged Sonder Creative to develop that site for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met with the lead designer, Jeff (Creative Director, Sonder Creative) multiple times before we moved forward with the project. He sent over a concept proposal that we countered with our own suggestions. We agreed on a site concept that merged both of our ideas before launching into development.

They created mockups of different design selections. After the designs had been finalized, Jeff made some tweaks to align the site with our brand. They delivered a promotional landing page before the website launch so that we could begin our campaign without waiting.

Once the website was launched, we collaborated with Sonder Creative in creating content, so that we could get the website to where it needed to be. Jeff and his team went above and beyond to teach us how to use the WordPress backend so that we could edit it ourselves. I probably spent four hours with Jeff on the phone going through tutorials for Elementor, which is a page building tool.

They used Sigma to keep us in the loop about design developments. It would send us live screenshots of what they were working on, and we could make notes on errors and improvements.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Jeff (Creative Director, Sonder Creative). I know there were others working on the project.

How did you come to work with Sonder Creative?

Our previous SEO team worked in the same building as Sonder Creative and recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $3000–$6000 for the site.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2019 and the site went live in mid-January of 2020.

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

They delivered a beautiful website. They put our old site to shame with how modern and crisp they managed to make the new platform. We’ve been analyzing our data, and while we don’t have an SEO score yet, it seems that our new site is enjoying a higher user engagement rate. Our bounce rate has decreased, as well.

The team was phenomenal to work with. They were extremely accommodating about guiding me through the technology and teaching me how to manipulate it myself. They set up our site that we can create and publish whatever additional content we need.

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Exceptionally, as they were on time and within budget. Our main contact frequently checked in on us and everything stayed on track. The project felt very intimate, as there were high levels of collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their future-thinking designs in the backend; they created a scalable backend that allows us to plug and play with anything we might need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I might’ve appreciated a tool to track our progress.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give Jeff and his team as much information as you can, and they’ll be able to run with that.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We build personalized homes, focusing on everything from condos to single-family homes. Our company is based in Edmonton, and we’re a family business. I’m a marketing coordinator here.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sonder Creative?

We were developing a brand new website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the site from scratch. The development started with a meeting to discuss our needs. There, they made suggestions to make our site more user-friendly and modern. From that point on, they built our wireframes to give us a preview of what the project would look like.

Then, they built the site out by developing some of the content and gathering imagery. In the end, they had created the WordPress site from start to finish, prioritizing SEO. Since the build of the site, we’ve engaged them further for graphic design work. 

What is the team composition?

I was collaborating with three members of their team. Jeff (Creative Director) was my main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Sonder Creative?

They were referred to us by another partner that we were working with at the time. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we’ve spent about $25,000 CAD (approximately $18,220 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2018, and their engagement with us is ongoing.

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

Anecdotally, we’re very happy with the work that they’ve done for us. We’ve received several positive comments on its ease of use, appealing visuals, and navigability. It works well on desktop and mobile, which was something that we were lacking in the past.   

How did Sonder Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They take care of everything and follow up when needed. It was an enjoyable working experience. To make things fit, they’ve accommodated our budget and come in under what we expected. The team is easy to communicate with over email. We occasionally meet in-person or schedule phone meetings as well.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re able to go above and beyond by coming up with their own innovative ideas for the site. Their understanding of our business has allowed them to adapt our brand into something more modern without detracting from our identity. It doesn’t take much explaining on our end to get the results we’re looking for.    

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’re the first people I’d go to for help with a new project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They the experts when it comes to their industry. Be open to their advice because it’s been very valuable to our success.