Underbelly

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was an associate pastor. I oversaw all of our graphic and communication needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were in need of rebranding. Our logo was dated and needed a fresh new look

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After looking at several different companies for our branding needs, Underbelly demonstrated a strong ability to combine quality design with excellent communication.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Underbelly met with me individually to discuss the scope of the project. After talking through our desires and style preferences, Undeberlly began working on our logo and branding guide. We had clear communication throughout the whole process and were provided with several strong design comps to choose from. After selecting our final choice, our final graphics package was delivered digitally. We were very pleased with the whole process.

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

I had one brand specialist that worked with me from start to finish. Having one point of contact ensured that communication was clear and that I always knew what to expect. Communication was always clear and timely.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team at Underbelly helped us narrow in on a style and design that best met our needs and delivered a strong logo package that really embodied everything we had hoped for.

As a result of our new branding, we felt confident in moving forward with our new app, graphics package, and website redesign that helped us appeal to the younger families in our surrounding neighborhood. We were grateful to have a logo and branding that reflected who we were as an organization.

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

After discussing the project we met to talk through our preferences and style choices. The process was clear, simple, and straightforward which concluded with a design that we were very pleased with.

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

Underbelly took the time to understand us and what we were trying to accomplish. This commitment to entering into our context enabled them to produce a quality design that was clean, attractive, and a strong representation of our company.

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

None... there really was nothing that could have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of design at BigEye, a data observability company. We offer a software product for data engineers to monitor the health of their data at scale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Underbelly?

Initially, we needed help with marketing collateral for product launches.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve used Underbelly on several projects. Initially, we put together a brief with what we wanted to do. We had three product launches in the next three months, so we worked with them to do a mock-up scale prioritization, which helped us work with our tight timeline. We produced the new features, got feedback, edited the design, and created collateral simultaneously. Their deliverables came down to the mock-ups we used in LinkedIn assets and posts and Twitter posts. Some included motion, and we embedded them on our website.

Afterward, we did a YouTube series to lead people in the data engineering space to talk shop and have looser conversations. We had a blank canvas and more breathing room for the timeline of this project. We started with a brief on our end; we didn’t want a high production quality because we wanted to reach the practitioners and not make it feel like it was meant for somebody with a higher rank. Overall, we wanted to create a sense of authenticity and technical depth for those conversations.

We did a storyboard and wrote a script, and they gave us feedback on the structure of 5–10 minute interviews. One of our goals for the project was to develop a style guide and format to make each video feel the same. We wanted to have tasteful transitions so it wasn’t just a static couple chatting on Zoom for an hour. We had an introduction piece with motion and a checklist to ensure the participants had a good quality camera, lighting, and best practices with the microphone. We sometimes sent equipment out to people to ensure the quality would be good. Underbelly was involved in everything regarding the videos, including editing and several rounds of feedback. Over time, we’ve started to do these videos with less effort.

Our newest project is about web design. They’ll help us redesign our learning center, which includes resources, a blog, a video series, and various content. They’ll also improve how we use the CMS; we want to make it more self-serving for our go-to marketing. Additionally, we’ll rearchitect those pages and do some SEO work.

What is the team composition?

For the video series, we worked with at least four people: a creative director, a videographer, an editor, and a project manager.  For other projects, we’ve worked with a lead designer and two other designers. Also, we have an account manager to ensure we’re all aligned and satisfied with the work. 

How did you come to work with Underbelly?

I met Anthony (Founder) eight years ago at a private design event; I already trusted the people invited to the event. Still, after meeting him, becoming familiar with Underbelly’s work, and tracking their progress for several years, we put them on a list of people we wanted to engage with. They were obviously great people, but they were also good advisors. At the end of the day, they seemed like a delight to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $300,000–$400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking with them in September 2021 and formally kicked off in October 2021. We’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

First, more pipeline was created from last year’s Q4 product launches than ever in our history. Our YouTube channel has gone from zero to one, and it’s thanks to the positioning and our sales team sharing their high-quality content. We have six videos on the channel right now, and we’ve had new customers coming to us because they’ve seen them. The videos have influenced them, so customers now come to talk about us their data reliability needs.

On the other hand, the product design work they did will launch in October. We’ve had two milestones with them, and we’ll have four in total. Underbelly has nailed the first two milestones — the designer they brought in has been able to transfer their knowledge to our new teammates. Moreover, we’ve taken their work and won a few deals by showing the correct alpha version without completing the last two milestones. All in all, we’ve nailed the core functionality, which is a must-have for many potential customers.

How did Underbelly perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve never missed a deadline. We started using Asana, which was great for getting updates. As we got into the product and more collaborators on the work, we asked them if they’d be comfortable using Linear, our internal project management tool. They gave it a go, and it’s been excellent. We’ve created an account for the designer, treating her as part of our team. We’re together full-time, so she uses our documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency and honesty are outstanding — it’s amazing how they build trust. We can tell they’re authentic in their approach. When they tell good or bad news, they’re straightforward either way.

Also, the management and communication around the project are exceptional. We know the agenda for the meeting and what decisions we must take, and they recap action items and send them as emails. Overall, they’re professionals — of all the agencies we’ve worked with, they’re in the top 1%.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. We’re very happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared. Create the brief, get your budget together, and do your RACI char before you talk to them. You should have your things aligned so you can show up on their level. Many companies don’t have their act together, so they only waste money on the communication or approval process.

However, if you’re ready to go fast, Underbelly can go fast with you. If you still need to align something, they’ll be patient and remind you that you’re on the clock. Other agencies don’t care because they’re getting paid, so they’ll milk you for all your worth.