Pretty. Powerful.
Pretty. Powerful.
It’s seemingly just two simple words, but they truly capture our values, history and aesthetic. We harness the power of consistent creativity and 20 years of industry experience to break through cookie-cutter design, create fresh and relevant websites and memorable, visceral graphic design.
Whether your brand is due for a refresh or you’re starting from scratch with a great concept and need a visual identity to back it up, Varga Girl Design is your one-stop-shop for the entire creative process, without the big agency price or lengthy timelines.
We call that “Pretty. Powerful.“
Remarkable Logo Design & Branding
With more than 20 years of professional design experience, we deliver consistent creative excellence in logo design and branding. We operate in all business verticals, in all styles of design.
View some of our recent logo examples at https://www.vargagirldesign.com/#branding-design.
A Deep Understanding of Graphic Design
It’s a rare bird that not only intimately understands the printing process but also has an exceptional eye for design. Our hand-crafted brochures, infographics, annual reports and other social media marketing materials create a memorable brand experience.
Pharmaceutical
In addition to following existing graphic guidelines, we produce original designs for the highly regulated Pharma industries in Canada and the U.S.
Take your pick: Squarespace, Wix or WordPress Web Design
Whether you are looking for a WIX, WordPress or Squarespace site, we create engaging websites built on careful user experience strategy. All our sites also consider user behaviour and are optimized for mobile and all of today’s common devices.
Your website will be stable, responsive, mobile-reactive, and offer a wide range of user-friendly features. We also offer maintenance plans to keep your website up-to-date and accurate.
View some of our recent websites at https://www.vargagirldesign.com/#websites
Focus
Portfolio
Erica Ehm, Sifto Salt, SAGE, Gotstyle, Elizabeth Fry Society, Southdown Institute, Juniper Life Insurance, Mainstay Housing, Norvic Shipping, The Tub Guys, Waterview Dental, VitalHealth, The Vintage Conservatory, The Commonwell, 55Design, Argive Financial, IncreativeCo, Volterra Media, Luminate Communications, Nellie's, Jessie's, LOFT, KDB, Jacqueline Foley, Pointman News Creation, Wunsupona
Volterra Video Facebook Videos
Varga Girl Design created 2 stunning 15-second videos for Volterra Media. Highly graphical, with quick, fun animation, these videos get straight to the point–hire Volterra to take care of your social media.
Jacqueline Foley Complete Branding & Website
Standing out as an executive coach is not easy. But Varga Girl Design was up for the challenge. Jacqueline Foley is extremely polished and professional but is also creative and empathetic. We wanted her branding to exhibit these qualities. Like a modern gallery, but with more warmth–Jacqueline's logo is buttoned-down whilst surrounded by dramatic colours and patterns. Large white blocks keep things from getting out of hand, but the layout never stales. The dramatic backgrounds are used with great success in all of Jacqueline's marketing, social and print collateral.
Nellie's Annual Report
Create a compelling and concise Annual report, whilst elevating the existing branding without straying too far from current styles.
Wildlands Donation Letter
Working with Luminate Communications for the copy and strategy, Varga Girl Design created a dramatic and compelling letter to be sent out to potential donors. The campaign was a huge success and the client saw a 30% increase in donations.
Project with Erica Ehm
Canadian icon Erica Ehm came to Varga Girl Design to create a website that showcased her many accomplishments. In limited time and on a tight budget we delivered this fun and informative site.
Nancy Lerner // Logo and Web Design
Nancy Lerner needed a new logo and website to grab attention and market her services helping parents make critical decisions about their children’s education (during a national shutdown.) Although she had a topline concept of what she needed, she sought a design partner that could hit the ground running and take the reigns of the project.
Varga Girl Design (VGD) created a new, warm and friendly logo with a pallet of soft colours to viscerally convey growth and nurturing. VGD then optimized the new logo and branding to work in online environments. This template allowed the client to simply 'fill in the blanks.' The result is a stunning website that is effective, professional and almost immediately led to a new client.
Finally, we provided all the branded assets for Nancy to create digital and print designs on an ongoing basis.
Relative Growth // Complete Branding
Relative Growth is all about your child’s future prosperity … so we created a brand built to last.
The Challenge
When you simultaneously invest in real estate and insurance solutions, you enjoy the benefits of tax-advantaged savings in the here-and-now while cultivating future wealth to ensure your child’s financial success.
Individually, each product is a purposeful commitment to your child’s financial future. Together, they represent a lasting gift that opens up a world of unlimited possibilities for your children. We needed a name and tagline that conveyed this somewhat complex idea and a logo that drove it home.
The Solution
Insurance is complicated (and generally a dry topic) we needed to create a name that clarified what we are talking about and a tag that promised to deliver on what we promised.
The Name
We are particularly proud of this one. The name ‘Relative Growth’ is intended as a double entendre that conveys the idea of financially assisting your family while also ensuring your own continued success. The tagline further reinforces the idea in just 4 words: Your Present. Their Future.
The Branding
A bold, modern yet timeless design, this logo combines a clean design aesthetic with contrasting tonality to create an instantly memorable brand visual.
The Shore Thing // Complete Branding
The Shore Thing has a lot of fun with what they do …and so did we (coming up with their branding.)
The Challenge
After a small mom & pop shellfish company expands and begins exporting to upscale Toronto restaurants, the old name and logo are no longer sophisticated enough to compete with trendy Toronto competition.
The Solution
We enjoyed this one a lot! We came up with a dozen names and tags, picked our top 8, and gave the difficult job of choosing just one to the client.
The Name and Tagline
The Shore Thing. Carefully Curated Crustaceans and Mollusks. Need we say more?
The Branding
Sophisticated and modern, this logo references a retro style through the choice of typography and colour palette. The octopus is the natural predator of crustaceans, and its use in the logo art references the brand’s slogan as the ‘curator’ of crustaceans.
Argive Financial // Branding/Name/Website
Breaking from his previous personal insurance house, Zach Greenberg was looking to hang up his own shingle. Already known as a dedicated broker and just plain lovely guy, the branding needed to reflect this. But we also wanted to appeal those looking to protect their wealth.
When looking for a new name, it’s not enough to find something catchy or poignant. It needs to be available, and there needs to be a domain that is suitable and available. Not as easy as you might think.
The Name
Hoplites carried a large concave shield called an aspis (often referred to as a hoplon). The revolutionary part of the shield was the grip. Known as an Argive grip, it placed the handle at the edge of the shield, and was supported by a leather fastening (for the forearm) at the centre. These two points of contact eliminated the possibility of the shield swaying to the side after being struck, and as a result soldiers rarely lost their shields. Cool, right?
Just to drive the point home further we came up with a kick-ass tagline: Futures Forged.
The Branding
Expanding on the idea of the shield - we created a circular logo with a fantastic “A” expanding out in circles. The blue is cool and friendly, and the clean minimalist design perfectly encapsulated Zach’s classic less-is-more style.
Juniper // Branding and Art Directing / Overseei
When our client approached us with their 'moonshot' campaign to revolutionize the life insurance industry by making the process as simple as possible, we were excited to accept the challenge.
Targetting millennials who were new or expecting parents, we began by developing the branding. After careful research, we presented several options for the name and tag, landing on Juniper almost immediately. We then created the Juniper logo–elegant in its simplicity, it is friendly and comforting to smooth over the legendary stress of insurance applications.
What followed were scores of designs for presentations, digital ads, social media, trade show materials, and other collateral. Being experts in print and digital - this was an exciting, active opportunity to fully leverage VGD's years of design and printing experience.
Simultaneously, we worked with Toronto’s Intersect agency to art direct/oversee the Juniper online interface. Over the course of several months, we worked to develop the user-friendly and accessible interface, reviewing the design at every stage and providing critical input for the client.
Our product discovery, design, and input successfully launched Juniper across Canada in January 2018.
Talk Therapy // Branding and web design
After a glowing referral from another VGD client, Lori Dennis contacted Varga Girl Design with one objective: help guide and create new branding and a website for her private practice. Although she came to the project having been burned by other designers that offered no input or ideas, she was willing to give us her business based on the strong recommendation.
Varga Girl Design became the information-architect of this project. First, we created a new warm and friendly logo. Then we went on to organize info and guide the writing process. We created a website that anticipated what the user might need to know and how they would react to the visuals and text – making the client’s experience as smooth as possible.
Finally, we created a business card and letterhead and created digital assets for all future design projects.
In the end, the client’s experience was collaborative, creative, and gave them everything they needed to have a professional presence online and off.
SAGE Intacct Campaign // Digital Asset Design
Sometimes design is less about the creative process and more about following strict corporate guidelines. It isn't as sexy, but it's a critical skillset for working with larger corporations.
When SAGE reached out to for digital asset creation for an upcoming event, Varga Girl was keen to help out.
The deadline was tight. Right off the bat we were thrown into reviewing guidelines, finding and downloading digital assets from a massive online library, learning file naming protocols and matching preferred code formatting. VGD moved quickly to create compelling designs and exceed expectations all within the clients’ tightly controlled branding guidelines.
Qi Knows Best // Complete Branding &Web Design
After resisting expanding her profile for years, Julie Amar felt it was time to take the plunge and start to market her most significant asset – herself. What she needed was a full brand: logo, website and extensive brand collateral to break into a broader online market where she could spread the wisdom and insights of Chinese Medicine to the masses.
The first step was to come up with a name – something modern, memorable and cheeky. Like Julie herself, it needed to portray the status and swagger of years of education and experience in a glamourous and petite package. We decided that Julie's personal style (a lot of white space, ultra-clean, with bold hits of gold and designer pieces) would be the perfect place to start. Inspired by the boldness and bombastic nature of her favourite hip hop art, 'Qi Knows Best' is one bold statement in a striking logo.
When a PR opportunity presented itself, we delivered the new name and logo (with a striking avatar) along with the new website in record time, (less than two weeks).
Over the next year, we created the graphics to roll out with an aggressive social media campaign with Red Dot Digital, and worked in step with Pointman News Creation to push out several Public Relations campaigns, including the highly successful Season Greeting cards that gave you permission to say ‘no’ to the holidays with playful lines like “Cheers for the New Year. I’ll be in bed by 10.”
Project with Southdown Institute
The Challenge
In 2013, after working together at another company for several years, I was hired by Southdown Insitute’s newest Communications Manager. In anticipation of moving into their beautiful new, building, they wanted a new design for the marketing material–as fresh and new as their custom building, and a new designer to go with it. The logo wasn’t changing, and the new material had to elevate the existing logo design.
The Solution
The one constant at the new location was the stained glass window. Brought in from their previous location, it was a focal feature. I wanted the stationery to have a design element that spoke to this. The stained glass window inspired the overlapping colours, and this motif inspired every piece that we created.
The stationery's rounded/square corners are a nod to the existing logo that also contains 1 straight and 3 rounded corners. This was a great way to add a modern, unexpected element to the pieces.
Project with Pointman News Creation
No agency is more creative. No agency is more effective. Such an exceptional agency requires a lot of creative collateral and the work is on-going. Luckily, Varga Girl Design is all in.
The Challenge
Pointman Public Relations had been successfully earning media coverage for their clients for over a decade, but they felt the “Public Relations” in the name wasn’t really the best descriptor for them anymore. For many, ‘public relations’ is a confusing term that doesn’t really show the distinction between the typical cookie-cutter PR firm, and Pointman. As they say themselves, ‘This is not your mama’s PR firm.’
The Solution
Varga Girl suggested rebranding as Pointman News Creation as a way of more clearly illustrating the distinction. And with a new logo, comes new collateral… colourful, bold and cheeky. Much like Pointman itself.
Rosé in the City // Complete Branding for event
Varga Girl is no one-trick-pony! We have the of skill sets required for the design and creation of collateral for print AND digital. We understand web design isn't just about the graphics on the site, but also the overall look of the webpage, the user experience, usability and accessibility. We also have decades of experience in print design and understand the printing process like few designers do.
This came in handy when in the Summer of 2019, Powerplant Events approached Varga Girl to design the branding and all the collateral for the event of the season in Toronto – Yorkville Village's Rosé in the City. This exclusive event included a live DJ alongside rosé tastings from around the world, with specially curated food pairings. The design had to match the extravagance of the event.
We got to work right away. We created a stunning logo, an invite, web/social assets, brochures, a drink passport, wine markers, raffle tickets, a 6ft bar decal and even directional signage for the event.
The end result was an extremely happy client ... and many tipsy Torontonians.
Canon camera add
While working as a hired gun, I was commissioned to create 3 ads for Canon for the Glibe and Mail.
Ongoing Pharma collateral
I was a regular hired gun for agencies. I created a lot of marketing materials for pharma, including Bayer.
WunsUponA Branding
Varga Girl Design was hired to create new branding for these health and wellness coaches. Appealing to both corporate and private clients, the new branding had to be warm and friendly, but also stand out in a sea of sameness and clichés in the industry. The result is a colourful, vibrant logo and brand that delivers on all accounts.
Sales Motivation Posters
Working as a hired gun, I created a series of posters to motivate the ADP sale team.
Reviews
the project
Web Design for Engineering & Manufacturing Firm
"Varga Girl listened to our comments, was open to our feedback, and did their best to incorporate our wants and needs."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the co-founder of C2P Inc., a turnkey design/engineering and manufacturing firm based in Mississauga, Ontario.
For what projects/services did your company hire Varga Girl Design?
We needed a website refresh/redesign quickly for a multitude of reasons. Rachel at Varga Girl Design was recommended by a mutual business acquaintance.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We talked on the phone and I felt very quickly that Rachel understood exactly what I was looking for and how she could help us.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
After a number of discussions, Rachel quickly embarked on revising our website. She was able to complete the project to meet our timeline and we went live with the new site soon after.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
The project only involved myself and Rachel. The decision and review process moved quickly and she was able to get our site back on line without too much interruption. This was key as C2P had a pending plan to launch an email marketing campaign by the end of the same month.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The feedback on the new site was very positive and I was pleased that the site worked equally well on desktop, tablet and smartphone devices.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Rachel was easily available at all times of the day which allowed for quick decisions and reviews, thereby allowing for a sucessful and expeditious completion of the project.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Varga Girl listened to our comments, was open to our feedback, and did their best to incorporate our wants and needs.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Can't think of any at this time.
the project
Branding for Health Coaching Company
“Varga Girl Design truly cares about their clients being happy with their work.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the partner of my wife’s organization, Bemore Health Coaching.
What challenge were you trying to address with Varga Girl Design?
We needed help with a rebrand.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Varga Girl Design rebranded our company, which included creating a new name and logo for us. First, we had a meeting with them and told them what we were looking for. Then, they came back with some great name options. We iterated on the name 4–5 times until we chose one.
After the naming process, Varga Girl Design went into the logo design process. We also iterated on the logo design, asking for small changes until we were satisfied with it. Additionally, they created a lot of things we didn’t ask for. For example, we just asked for recommendations on how to create images and content in line with our new brand, and they designed and delivered various assets.
What is the team composition?
We only worked with Rachel (Owner).
How did you come to work with Varga Girl Design?
I reached out to different people I found on Google, including Varga Girl Design, and we ended up choosing them because Rachel’s work really spoke to my wife. Their site had some stories about the different brands they’ve created, and my wife liked how much thought they put into their work. We felt that we would get a very custom brand.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around $5,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from January–March 2022. Still, we will probably keep working together on other projects.
We were very happy with the designs that Varga Girl Design created, as well as with the amount of time they spent going back and forth with us so that we were satisfied with the final product. Our contract said that we would have two revisions, but they still let us iterate 3–4 times.
How did Varga Girl Design perform from a project management standpoint?
Varga Girl Design’s performance was excellent in all project management areas, including their communication and ability to stick to timelines and budgets. We communicated via email, Zoom meetings, and phone calls.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Varga Girl Design truly cares about their clients being happy with their work. Rachel genuinely took the time to understand what we were looking for and worked with us around the different changes we requested so that we were happy with the result.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
In our case, it would have been better if we didn’t come into the partnership with so many concrete ideas about what we wanted. It would have been helpful if we had let Rachel guide the creative discussion from the start.
the project
Branding & Web Design for Consulting Business
“Rachel delivers on-brand custom designs and website projects that stand out in a sea of sameness."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am an Executive Brand Coach who provides private and group coaching programs for female executives and high achievers who are looking to build their personal brands, accelerate their career growth and position themselves for what’s next. I also offer corporate workshops designed to help with the retention and advancement of valued female talent.
For what projects/services did your company hire Varga Girl Design?
I hired Varga Girl design to help me develop the visual branding and a new website for my business.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
I was referred to Varga Girl Design by someone I trust and I hired Rachel because I felt that she would be a good partner for my needs. I was looking for help in capturing my brand visually and digitally and I wanted a website that would be the opposite of cookie cutter. I felt, from our initial conversations, that she would deliver something unique and on brand - and she did.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
The stages of our project were not necessarily linear. It took me some time to get clear about my key messages and positioning and Rachel was very patient and helpful in guiding me along the way. She asked good questions and really listened to what I was trying to achieve. She really took eth time to get a sense of my style and approach and she showed me several design concepts to see what resonated with me.
And then she would fine-tune them based on my feedback. Once we agreed on the overarching design, she laid out my new website and worked with me on a series of edits to finalize the site. She also walked me through how to make edits and manage some of the pages myself. She made it easy.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
I worked directly with Rachel, the main designer.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The initial feedback has been excellent. Specifically, I have been told that the website is clear, compelling, unique, and easy to navigate. It has been key in establishing my credibility as an executive coach. I am already getting leads from the website.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Rachel was easy to work with — she was always responsive and patient with me, especially when I delayed the site a few times over the 6 months that we worked together.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
As a former Chief Marketing Officer, I have worked with many designers throughout my career but few really understand how to go beyond a logo and some brand colours in order to create a real visual system that you can apply to all your marketing activities. Rachel gets this.
She took the time to really understand my brand and then she created a look and feel that is visually unique and that can be applied across all my channels. Rachel delivers on-brand custom designs and website projects that stand out in a sea of sameness. She has helped me to stand out in a crowded marketplace and position my new business at the right level with the right audiences.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
No
the project
Annual Report Design for Communication Agency
"There was no negative feedback. Everything was accomplished exactly as requested."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the owner of a Luminate Communications, a communications agency that specializes in writing the impactful content that non-profit organizations need to raise more money.
For what projects/services did your company hire Varga Girl Design?
Many of our clients request design services to complete the projects that we write. I hired Varga Girl Design to design a non-profit annual report.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
I've worked with Varga Girl Design in in the past, but in reverse, where they have hired us to provide copywriting services for websites that they designs. I've always been very impressed with their work so hiring them when my clients needed design work was an easy decision.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
We provided Varga Girl Design with a complete design brief that outlined the specs, but also the feelings we wanted the report to capture. And we provided them with the final copy to read through in order to fully understand the organization's mission. She came back with four cover concepts, all of which were gorgeous and truly elevated my client's brand.
From there, the client chose one of the designs and Rachel completed the remaining pages of the report. She was open to all edit suggestions and was very quick to send a revised proof every time an edit was requested. The final product was bright and airy -- the perfect feeling we wanted to capture.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We worked with just Rachel at Varga Girl Design.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Our client was thrilled with the final results, stating the report was 'airy and modern'. It will go a long way in helping them attract donors in the coming year.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Varga Girl Design was easy to work with and always responsive to my questions or requests.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The process was smooth and seamless. Rachel has a good eye for design and you can tell she has been doing graphic design for a very long time. She showed great skills and truly elevated my client's annual report well beyond their expectations.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
No. There was no negative feedback. Everything was accomplished exactly as requested.
the project
Squarespace Web Dev & Design for Solo Consultancy
"I could tell through the main deliverable that Varga Girl Design took their time to understand my needs."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the sole owner and founder of a growth marketing and consulting firm.
What challenge were you trying to address with Varga Girl Design?
I needed a straightforward website that could promote my brand image and message to my clientele.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We kicked off our engagement with a discovery phase, wherein I laid out my objectives and design preferences to Varga Girl Design’s team. Rachel (Founder) decided on building the platform via Squarespace to fit my requirements, and she also helped me secure a domain name.
There were available templates to work around with on Squarespace, and Varga Girl Design altered those according to my needs and brand guidelines. Rachel then designed my website from the ground up and made its backend customizable, so I could apply changes on my own.
What is the team composition?
I worked closely with Rachel throughout the project.
How did you come to work with Varga Girl Design?
Varga Girl Design was strongly recommended to me by an acquaintance. I looked up their previous work and found that they had the skill set needed to meet my needs, even though they hadn’t worked with a client in the same industry as mine before.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project ran from June–August 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I received more organic leads upon launching my website, but what mattered more to me was how Varga Girl Design successfully promoted my online presence through their design efforts. Prior to our engagement, I only relied on referrals to keep my business afloat, but their team optimized my brand by giving me a digital platform that mirrored my marketing vision.
Additionally, Rachel did a great job in incorporating my branding and personality into the platform — even my colleagues and friends in the marketing space noticed how my identity shone through the website. Overall, I could tell through the main deliverable that Varga Girl Design took their time to understand my needs.
How did Varga Girl Design perform from a project management standpoint?
We communicated via Slack, Zoom, and email. Varga Girl Design was a responsive and patient partner to work with — we had a seamless workflow because they accommodated my needs and gave me enough time to go over their work.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Varga Girl Design achieved the perfect balance between lively and sophisticated design work — this spoke volumes about their craft and ability to deliver their client’s exact needs.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I honestly thought they did a wonderful job — I didn’t encounter any areas that needed improvement.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be clear in communicating your goals, and they’ll take it from there.
the project
Brand Guidelines & Graphic Design for Creative Agency
“Varga Girl did all tasks on time, and everything was approved and finalized quickly.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the co-founder of In Creative Company, a collaborative agency that works with purpose-driven businesses. We provide creative services such as graphic design, illustrations, and web design. Our team offers plenty of services, but we always work with companies that have a purpose-driven mission.
What challenge were you trying to address with Varga Girl Design?
We worked with Varga Girl and Rachel (Owner) on a graphic design project. We had a multifaceted project that needed branding, copywriting, and social media management services. Rachel provided the graphic design element of that project.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Varga Girl created brand guidelines for a collection of social media posts. They created templates that included hex codes, typography, and other elements that were unique and specific for the target brand.
What is the team composition?
We mainly worked with Rachel, who was the sole provider of the graphic design element of the project.
How did you come to work with Varga Girl Design?
I met Rachel through our business network. She joined our creative community, where we got to know her. Since I knew her graphic design style, I knew that she’d be the right fit for this project.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around $900.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started and finished this project in August 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Everything was organized and the deliverables were given on the correct timeline. Varga Girl did all tasks on time, and everything was approved and finalized quickly. There were minimal revisions — the overall process was smooth and seamless.
How did Varga Girl Design perform from a project management standpoint?
Rachel met all expectations, and the engagement was easy and seamless. As a result, this project was fun, and we experienced no hang-ups while working with Varga Girl.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Rachel had a good eye for design, and we could tell that she’d been a professional graphic designer for a while. As a result, her skill level was high, and she followed directions well. These were the boxes that we needed to check to say that it was a successful project, and she did all of them.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, there wasn't any negative feedback. Everything was accomplished well.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Rachel has a lot of clients and projects, so contact her as soon as possible so she can schedule you right away in her calendar. Once you’re a client, she’ll make you a priority to get the work done. However, remember that like all other designers, she has limited availability; she doesn’t work 24/7, and she shouldn’t. Given that, make sure to contact her in a swift manner to ensure she has time for your project.
As a graphic designer with her skill level, she’s definitely worth the money you’ll spend. In addition, remember that she’s not the type of graphic designer that wants to work on rushed projects. With that in mind, give her a reasonable amount of time and a fair budget.
the project
Logo Design & Tagline Creation for Living Spaces Company
“I recommend Varga Girl Design greatly.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and VP of sales and marketing for a company that is just being built. Our goal is to sell living spaces, but we will start by selling modular motorcycle garages. We will make our designs in France, but we will produce and assemble them in Canada.
What challenge were you trying to address with Varga Girl Design?
Varga Girl Design helped me with the logo and tagline of my company.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Varga Girl Design designed our logo and provided us ideas for our tagline to chose from, which was awesome. The process was very simple. Two days after we engaged, I was talking to them, explaining our mission and what we were looking for.
The first phase was done within two weeks, during which Varga Girl Design provided us with the first drafts of logos and taglines. We discussed their input, and I eliminated some options, kept others, and gave my feedback.
Rachel (Owner) did another batch of logos, and we fine-tuned the idea. On the third iteration, we decided on a logo. The whole process took about a month.
What is the team composition?
I just worked with Rachel.
How did you come to work with Varga Girl Design?
I found Varga Girl Design through an article about Rachel published by the CEO of another digital agency, so I wanted to work with her. I also saw that Clutch had awarded them, which was something that I took into consideration.
I looked at Varga Girl Design’s work on their website, and I liked what they did, so I reached out to them. Within 24 hours, I had an appointment booked with Rachel. It was a very fast and easy process.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent less than $5,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from May–June 2021. I have other projects, so I’ll be working with Rachel again.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The feedback on our logo and tagline is very good — my partners and I love it. Everybody is happy with the logo because it’s original and creative, and it reflects our values. It is what we really wanted. However, I don’t have any statistics showing their impact because my website is not active yet.
How did Varga Girl Design perform from a project management standpoint?
Rachel was very organized, and the digital tools that she used were very helpful, easy to use, and straightforward. We had a seamless experience, which we really liked.
Varga Girl Design was always on time, and if Rachel wasn’t satisfied with her job, she didn’t present it to us. Additionally, she’s very good and fun to work with.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Varga Girl Design’s human interaction was impressive. The relationship that we built with Rachel was amazing, and she even introduced me to potential customers. She knew what entrepreneurship meant, and she remembered what she went through.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I recommend Varga Girl Design greatly. Be open to the creative process and take it on the fun side. Let Rachel guide your imagination — it’s going to be amazing.
the project
Squarespace Dev for Dental Website
"Professionalism, honesty, integrity are the first three words that come to mind with Varga Girl Design."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the owner of five dental practices in Toronto, Canada.
For what projects/services did your company hire Varga Girl Design, and what were your goals?
We have gone through several iterations for our website over the years. We have hired big time firms and have spent thousands of dollars in the development of our websites, and each time our results were much less than we had anticipated.
A few years back, I got in touch with Varga Girl Design and Rachel. My life has truly changed after this meeting. I no longer have to worry about the little details of web design, because I know I have hired a true professional. I am not worried about being over charged for the initial product, because i know I am dealing with an honest company, and also not worried about being overcharged with every little edit.
We set out to make our website to be quick, user friendly for patients, but also user friendly for our team. We wanted to add features/ forms to allow patients to book appointments, incorporate a chat feature and google review links. Varga girl designs did this for all our website in such a cohesive manner. I really couldn't be happier.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
Our first introduction to Varga Girl design was through Pointman advertising. We had hired Pointman advertising for some advertisement work for our office. Patrick at the time was brutally honest with us and told us that our website was not up to snuff. This was after we had spent over 20,000 dollars on an upgrade of all our sites. The site was slow and every little change we had to make on our site took days and cost us more money.
Patrick made the introduction to Varga girl design, and the rest we can say is history... We met at our office, she had researched our company so had already been familiar of the limitations of our website, asked a few pointed questions, and then presented us with some solutions.
She was just so honest and upfront with us with what needed to be done, and what the costs were, why the changes needed to take place. She even gave us names of other web developers who would edit our current sites instead of a compelte overhaul. Our websites were on WordPress platform at the time and one of the options was to continue to use WordPress, or switch to Sqaurespace. We reviewed quotes and honestly it wasn't a difficult decision to go with Varga Girl designs and put our trust into the hands of Rachel.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
Our websites in WordPress would continually breakdown. We had issues with implementing changes to it. We tried adding features and this would lead to errors or complete shut down of the site. We had a "book an appointment" feature that was quite rudimentary at the time, and it simply would cause issues and would not work. We also had a clinic selector at the top of the website, that would frequently stop working and cause the website to malfunction. We make about 20% of our appointments online, and having the website down for a couple of days to a week was costing us money.
Varga Girl design suggested a solution that saved us money, and in the long run made it easier to make edits to the website. She introduced us to Squarespace and the functionality of it. If you look at our sites now they have a chat feature, a make an appointment feature, and active blog, and meet the doctors page among other pages, and it all runs smoothly, quickly and there has not been up to this point, even a second where the website was not responding properly.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
My only point of contact was Rachel Ott at Varga Girl Designs. If I had a question or a request regarding the site, I e-mailed Rachel and in about 1-2 minutes (and I am not exaggerating at the response time), I would get an e-mail back with an updated site with corrections. I have never had customer service like this. It is so refreshing dealing with someone who is so in tune with her clients and offers such excellent service.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
Our make the appointment page is seeing over 200% increase in patients following through with appointments. In less than 2 weeks I think the project paid for itself. We would have so many issues with making appointments on line, and now with the integration and adding the links and have them all functioning properly has provided us with so much relief. I no longer have to do spot checks of the website, and I no longer get messages from staff saying the website is off line. We also have a chat feature added, that has made it easier for customers to reach us during office hours.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Rachel will update us at least once a week with updates, she would ask us questions, and make sure we were on time with what information we had to give her. She presented the project a few weeks ahead of schedule. She asked us if all looked good and then preformed any edits in a very timely manner. She finished the project ahead of schedule.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Professionalism, honesty, integrity are the first three words that come to mind with Varga Girl Design and Rachel. I have been a small business owner for over 20 years, and Varga Girl Design is one of the few companies that have gone above and beyond to produce an excellent product, in a timely manner with NO cost over runs. At this point I would never chose another company to touch my websites again!
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Don't tell her this but Rachel simply doesn't charge enough for what she does. I had quotes of over 3 times the price for the same work. My results are about 10 times better than even what I had anticipated. I would not ask her to change anything...
the project
Graphics & Web Design for Music & Dance Therapy Charity
"They were very creative but understood the business perspective as well."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I was a board member of a justice foundation for music and dance therapy.
What challenge were you trying to address with Varga Girl Design?
We relied on them for all things design, graphics, and website development.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They were responsible for our logo, website, social media posts, and collateral for special fundraising events. Starting with the logo, we found that they needed to have just as much diplomatic acumen as creative abilities because everyone on our side had an opinion on the direction for our design work. They helped us with research on what graphics would work best to represent and educate people about our organization. The goal was for them to create something that effectively balanced professionalism and humility.
The final site they designed and developed raised awareness about the charity as well as upcoming events, media releases, achievements, and information on the board of directors.
The charity has since disbanded, but their graphics were used for about 10 years on our website, social media postings, and email communication. In addition to the design of the website, they helped us register the site name, provided hosting, manage SEO, and do periodic site updates. They later taught us how to make our own updates to the site as well.
After the charity disbanded, I continued to use their services for two of my own websites.
What is the team composition?
There were 1–3 people working on the project at any given time. We had one main point of contact, though.
How did you come to work with Varga Girl Design?
They’re very socially engaged and care about their community. At the time, they already knew our organization’s story and volunteered their work at a discounted rate.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent under $50,000 on the project.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from around 2001–2011. Our relationship with them only ended after the charity disbanded.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
During one of our fundraisers, we asked attendees how they heard about the event. Some people said word of mouth, but most people heard about it through social media. They had seen the creative designs they made and shared on social media.
How did Varga Girl Design perform from a project management standpoint?
They were perfect, clearly communicating milestones and a road map of how to get there. When deadlines were coming up, they chased us to keep everything on track. We tracked their progress using a project plan and calendar they created to manage deadlines.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They understand the personal and creative sides of our business. That’s a rare mix. They were very creative but understood the business perspective as well. We were very impressed with their communication and integrity. I always felt like I was being charged fairly. They’re good people.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Nothing comes to mind. If we ran into any issues, we worked it out.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Know what success looks like for your business. If you can communicate that, they can help you reach your goals.
the project
Web Dev & Branding for Online Music Lessons Business
"Varga Girl Design is willing to provide advice about things beyond the normal scope of their work."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I recently started my own business teaching music lessons online.
What challenge were you trying to address with Varga Girl Design?
I needed a way to grow my business and recruit more students.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Varga Girl Design designed my Squarespace website and created my entire branding scheme, which included the visual design for not only my website but also my social media presence. Rachel (Owner) created all of the graphics featured on my website. As I started a YouTube channel, she also provided several folders with graphics for it, including templates for thumbnails. She also created a banner image for my Facebook page.
Rachel has helped in a number of ways beyond web design and branding. She gave me the idea to start a Google Ad campaign and coached me on how to build my business.
What is the team composition?
I only work with Rachel.
How did you come to work with Varga Girl Design?
Rachel was one of my students. That made her a great fit for the project because she could approach it from the view of a potential client.
How much have you invested with them?
I’ve spent at least $5,000 on Varga Girl Design’s services.
What is the status of this engagement?
Varga Girl Design started designing the website in June 2020, and our partnership’s ongoing because I’m adding more pieces to the platform.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
In the last month, I gained three new students. I recently started a Google Ads campaign, which contributed to that gain. However, it was important that I had a solid website before I started the ad campaign. After people visited the site, people were interested enough to contact me.
How did Varga Girl Design perform from a project management standpoint?
We communicate through email. During the design process, Rachel sent materials to me for review. She was flexible, producing a couple of different revisions of the initial designs. Once she understood my aesthetic, I didn’t send many revisions.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Varga Girl Design is willing to provide advice about things beyond the normal scope of their work.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I honestly don’t have any complaints.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It’s important that you have a solid idea for the aesthetic you want to create.
The final site design was mobile and tablet-friendly and was positively received by the client. Collaborative and reliable, Varga Girl Design's timely responses and accessibility allowed for a productive and efficient process. Their excellent listening skills and receptiveness to feedback stood out.