Zgraya Digital

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Ozerianko Bags, a brand of hand-made bags and accessories.

For what projects/services did your company hire Zgraya Digital?

Rebranding for online communication channels (social networks) and printed production like mail cards, certificates, custom packaging, etc.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to change the visual style of communication in social networks and come up with a new print design of packaging and inserts.

How did you select Zgraya Digital?

One of my friends had worked with them before and recommended the company. During the project discussion, I was impressed by their approach to working with clients and branding cases.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We did a full brand redesign. Modernized the logotype, designed its 3D version, changed fonts, developed a new visual communication style for social networks. Also, the team created a brand-new design of mail cards, custom packaging, certificates, inserts, and so on.

They also created digital illustrations of my products for social networks and branded stickers. My main request was to create a concept of new branded boxes. Because of COVID-19, we mostly do mail deliveries and it was important for me that customers made great initial contact with the brand.

We solved it by designing custom boxes with branded stickers. And my request was not to grow the cost of new packaging by far.

What was the team composition?

They had three people working on my project. A project manager who oversaw the process from beginning to end. A designer who created the illustrations, packaging design, mail cards, etc. And an art director who helped with branding.

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

Now we have branding colors and visual components which allows us to keep all communication in one recognizable visual style. It makes us look special compared to the brands with ordinary visuals.

Our customers started to upload unboxing stories on Instagram which works as a great motivator for the team and great native advertising for the brand. The brand itself looks refreshed and more mature now with a clear style and personality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. My questions and suggestions were addressed the same day I wrote to them. The communication was also great, we used Zoom for meetings and they emailed me with follows ups.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their approach and skill. Everyone was very professional and we had a lot of discussion meetings. They paid huge attention to my brand, my customers, and how people reacted to my brand and I was very pleased to hear their suggestions.

For the time we worked together it seemed they’d become a part of my internal team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'm very satisfied with the work they did. They were always on point, the team was very professional, and reacted to my feedback extremely fast. I'm happy with the results and get a ton of positive reviews from customers. Excellent job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I founded, and am currently President of, a real estate agent referral program designed to assist military members and their families relocate around the country through their numerous moves during their military career. I also have a "sister" site to serve civilian customers with their real estate needs.

For what projects/services did your company hire zgraya digital?

The main challenge was having a custom database integrated with the websites to track and maintain customer information to ensure they were getting the service they need.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a database customized to my business needs, and to create a useful interface for my clients.

How did you select zgraya digital?

I did an extensive amount of research and viewed presentations by several organizations specializing in this work.

Describe the project in detail.

The project began with what my vision was for the end product and then we went through step by step.

The developers consistently kept me updated trough Zoom meetings every week or two and that allowed me to ensure the project was both on-track and designed to meet my needs.

What was the team composition?

My team was just myself. The development team was extensive with experts located throughout Europe.

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

It is still early in the implementation, but the product appears to fulfill my needs and should be a great help in growing my company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very good...their team is responsive to my inquiries and always works to provide the solution I was looking for.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They kept me informed throughout the project and there were very few "surprises".

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communication can always be improved, but that stands true with any company. It is especially critical with an extensive project where one of the parties (me) is not an expert in the digital field.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of RazomUA, a nonprofit organization. We had a very bad situation in Ukraine with COVID-19 and needing safety equipment for doctors and medical persons like masks. We were coordinating all over Ukraine with over 600 volunteers.

What challenge were you trying to address with zgraya digital?

We needed a website developed to communicate with our volunteers all over Ukraine. The platform would also track hospital needs during COVID-19.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our website. The final site showed hospitals on a map along with the specific needs of each healthcare location. Volunteers were gathering funds from people and buying a lot of stuff all over the world. It was hard to choose the clinic or the hospital that you’re helping. We arranged three priority levels for very difficult situations, normal situations, and good situations.

They did the design, the mechanics, and the development. We gave the entire project to them. The map is interactive, and we can request or add information easily. The bulk of their work was complete within a week, but they continue working with us to provide quick changes as the severity of the virus intensifies.

What is the team composition?

I communicated with three people. There was a bigger team behind them. We had a few meetings with the people who were making the design and with the people doing the development.

How did you come to work with zgraya digital?

I heard they were very professional and have a lot of success cases. After a first conversation, we had a website very quickly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started collaborating together in March 2020, and the work is ongoing.

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

The website works perfectly for us. It’s very reachable and informative for people and easy to update on our end. Users find it fresh and navigable. Our volunteers can more easily monitor needs in their regions. 

The website was made very quickly. It’s very professional and looks beautiful. They did more than I was expecting. The fact they did it so quickly may have saved a lot of lives.

How did zgraya digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is amazing. It was above my expectation. They totally caught my requirements and understood what I was looking for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by how they understood what I expected and how quickly they delivered. The platform is beautiful and easy to use. It’s more than I expected.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t find a single thing that could be improved. It’s been a perfect collaboration.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them your idea, and they will meet the expectations. Give them freedom enough to make something perfect for you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product and design at BlitzApp, which is an e-sports and analytics platform. I’m essentially building an AI for coaching players on how to improve in major competitive e-sports games.

What challenge were you trying to address with zgraya digital?

Initially, we wanted an announcement site as we planned to open a facility for our e-sports team. I later needed help with development and rebranding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

zgraya digital initially worked on the concept, initial designs, and the implementation of our microsite working in WebGL. Their team made a responsive website for announcing the facility.

For the second project, their team first pitched a couple of concepts for my brand strategy. From there, we moved onto logo styles that worked with the concept. Then, we created wireframes and conceptual designs to apply the brand. They then implemented the approved design, polished the UI, and wrote copy.

For the development, they essentially attached a couple of developers to my development team. Their team did frontend development in React to push out mobile optimization. They helped to create our log in design and marketing-based landing pages.

What is the team composition?

We consistently worked with two developers and a project manager. They were able to add or remove developers according to my team’s needs. At the beginning of the project, there was a team of about three designers.

How did you come to work with zgraya digital?

I found them online via design websites. I initially worked with them on my company’s website.

How much have you invested with them?

The first project cost about $25,000 and the second project cost about $50,000 plus the supporting development work.

What is the status of this engagement?

I initially worked together between August–November 2019. On the second project, we worked together between February–August 2020.

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

They put a lot of effort into building a personal relationship with our team. We felt that we could rely on them for any of our needs.

Their team helped me to rebrand a platform that has over 5 million daily active users. They designed a website for a $50 million e-sports facility, and our influencers who’re associated with the facility have a footprint of about 30 million a month. Those are nice numbers, and I trusted them with the design and development of those projects.

How did zgraya digital perform from a project management standpoint?

The beginning and end of the project were orderly. There was a drop off in the middle because they restructured. When given the room, they coordinated well. Their team was flexible, adding and removing people as my development team needed; that was great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Valentin (CEO) stood out in his ability to pitch clients. I spoke with a lot of agencies and the time, and their team put together the best presentation and fostered the best conversation. They accommodated my team’s needs. Their team invested in an interpersonal relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

About two months ago, their company when through a split. There was a lot of turnover, and their communication suffered. Previously, their team responded to our changes and helped us to implement projects. When communication suffered, I felt that I couldn’t hand them more projects. Now, they have everything back in order.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be absolutely transparent about how you feel. If you’re unhappy, they’ll do their best to fix the situation.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company was recently acquired by 8x8. I manage the digital marketing campaigns for the CPaaS business in Asia.

For what projects/services did your company hire zgraya digital?

Our company was recently acquired by 8x8 and the website needed a full revamp to the 8x8 style and feel. We hired zgraya digital to handle our design and development for the new website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to make sure the new website had a clear customer journey, was aesthetic, fulfilled the 8x8 style guidelines, and increased conversion rate.

How did you select zgraya digital?

My team searched for designers and developers both locally and globally. We met with a few agencies but selected zgraya digital because of their design skills, competency in answering all our questions regarding development and overall professionalism.

Describe the project in detail.

The scope had changed mid-way, as we were no longer just revamping our site, but aligning it with our new company's style guidelines. As such, zgraya digital had to redo the design of our website. zgraya digital was very flexible, and guided us along this process. After that, we spent a few weeks in the development stage, and launched our website in June.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a project manager (that changed mid-way), and we also worked quite closely with the Head of Development. The Head of Development also liaised with our in-house Engineering team.

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

Although the project was extended and the scope changed midway, Zgraya was very professional and helped us navigate through the new scope, making our experience as seamless as possible. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the team. They are very knowledgeable in their field, did up a beautiful design and built a user-friendly back-end.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Altogether very good, we spoke mainly through slack and they are very responsive and prompt in providing us updates.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed by their innovative design and the way they merged elements of our old company into the 8x8 style.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall satisfied with their work. One unfortunate thing was the change in project manager mid-way, but that couldn't be helped, and they made the transition as easy as possible.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of a startup company called Encredibox. The organization is a web-based, e-commerce, digital product platform.  

What challenge were you trying to address with zgraya digital?

I had an idea for this company, but I didn’t have the technical expertise to bring my vision to life. I needed a partner that could help make my idea a reality and fill in those technical gaps.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the platform for me. They designed the website based on what I described, then did the backend development. They consulted along the way in doing so.

What is the team composition?

The team was broken into two phases—design and development. In each phase, I had a single point of contact, the project manager who ensured the workflow was going accordingly. During the design phase, there were about four people on the team. During the development phase, there were about 4–5 people as well.

How did you come to work with zgraya digital?

I did a search online and looked at references and reviews at a few companies. I chose them because their sample websites were much better than the others I’ve seen. They have a great ability to combine technical look and feel with sharp imagery. They were also competitive on pricing. During the proposal process, they were the only team that brought a mockup that showed how my vision would translate.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s in the $30,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted May­–September 2020.

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

They delivered within the timeframe in which they said they would. The deliverable matched the vision. It exceeded my expectations. I also felt comfortable taking over the deliverable. I initially had a lot of concern taking over that, but they did a great job of teaching me along the way and providing me with resources to make that transition easier.

How did zgraya digital perform from a project management standpoint?

All the communication was seamless. Even though we were in different time zones, that was not an issue. What I liked best about that team was that they managed me as much as I was managing the project. They made sure that I stayed on task as well, so it was a great partnership.

Meetings went smoothly. We had video conference calls and email was great. They respond within 24 hours.

Project management was very well done. At the beginning of the project, they laid out all major milestones with timelines attached to them. They also included expectations for each portion of the project.  We met pretty often and on a regular basis to get the project going. They were flexible with their time as well. Overall, they were on top of everything. They never missed a milestone or deadline.

The way the project was managed allowed all of us to step up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to anticipate the extra needs required to make the product extraordinary truly stood out. I’m not really a technical person, but they were able to plan ahead to deliver on my vision. They really brought the best out of the project. Between their work quality and project management style, they were great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, my experience has been great with them. Nothing disappointed me. They did everything they said they were going to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Really think about your vision and lay it out upfront. Even if you think something isn’t possible, they’re great at finding workarounds.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Cognuse Inc.

What challenge were you trying to address with zgraya digital?

We needed someone to do the UX/UI for our native iOS and Android app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the UX/UI user flows and the design of the UI itself. They created wireframes and thought through the navigation of the user interface. Then they gave some feedback on different features and on what would work best.

It was a total of 160-200 hours of development work. We gave them the existing version of the app that had very little design. They did the whole thing from login, core features, profile pages, help, and settings.

What is the team composition?

There are four people that worked on the project.

How did you come to work with zgraya digital?

We looked at a couple of options and were considering someone locally or within our team. We contacted them through LinkedIn and reviewed their portfolio. We started our discussions just before COVID-19 hit and then there was a delay for a few months because we needed more funding. They were patient and we established some trust before we started working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €6,000 (approximately $7,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–August 2020.

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

They did a good job. They understood the target group. It wasn’t too fancy or flashy because the color scheme and design needed to be soft Miami colors. There were 3–4 people from our side reviewing it and providing feedback. Everybody is happy with the end result.

How did zgraya digital perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly update calls. They were able to hand it over to our native development team that then developed the apps. It was quite seamless. They were on time with no major delays. The development team didn’t have any complaints or hiccups. They stayed within budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered just as well as an in-house resource.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, our core team was happy with the result. They delivered on everything we agreed upon.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They were pretty flexible. I’d encourage others to not just take everything from the initial proposal. There’s always room for negotiations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and the CEO of OSOM finance. We’re fintech-focused on the crypto space. We offer a variety of cryptocurrency-related services, from custody to exchange and portfolio management. We’re growing that into a bigger tool, which will allow personal finance management across all asset classes. We’re based in Estonia and are active globally, although mainly in Europe.

What challenge were you trying to address with zgraya digital?

When we started going to market, we were struggling with creating a solid landing page that would allow us to convert users quickly. We iterated through several versions of the landing page, and it would always come back with poor conversion metrics. We were looking to optimize the conversion funnel of our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

zgraya digital created the whole design concept of the web page, including its UX flow and customer journey. Aside from making the page pretty, they helped us think through the sequence in which we should show messages, and how it should all be structured and built out. It was website design, but with a heavy focus on UX.

We did our own development, so zgraya digital just helped us put the concept together.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people, including an art director, an account manager, and 1–2 designers.

How did you come to work with zgraya digital?

It was a referral from someone we knew in Ukraine. We’d also met zgraya at a conference, and the combination of the referral and us meeting them in person helped. Their portfolio was really diverse, and we liked it. They were also competitive in terms of price.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €10,000–€15,000 (approximately $11,800–$17,800 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with zgraya between December 2019–February 2020.

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

They helped us reorder messages in order to make our value proposition stand out. We had general information, but we didn’t get to the unique selling position (USP) until a few pages down. zgraya helped us reconsider the whole buildup, leading with the USP in a strong way. That’s where they made a strong impact early on in the process.

We had a creative director on our side who was very detail-oriented and tended to focus on small things. zgraya was able to manage our creative director in a good way, helping channel his energy into something proactive. They brought into perspective whether what we were doing would serve our purpose. During every call we had with them, they didn't go back to whether it would be pretty or not — which is all subjective — but to whether it would achieve our goals or not.

zgraya’s focus on the broader business is something I want to highlight. The agencies we’d come across were artsier and more focused on aesthetics, while zgraya focused on how their work would contribute to the bottom line of the business. That was refreshing, and it really stood out to us.

How did zgraya digital perform from a project management standpoint?

We really liked them, and we found them to be quite different from our previous providers. zgraya's approach was to lock things in step by step, whereas the previous providers we used would create a very big concept and ask us to sign off on the whole thing. zgraya moved element by element, which gave us a lot less to digest at once and allowed us to focus on the details, so that we could really think through every item. They guided us on our thinking, making sure that it all came together into something very pretty at the end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very focused on the business purpose. While their work is creative and situated in the art domain, it’s clear that zgraya came in not to make art for the sake of art but to help us achieve our business goals. That echoed with everyone in our company that took part in the project, and everyone was impressed with their approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This could be seen as a good thing, but I think that they were sometimes too firm in their suggestions. This was minor and not something that would’ve made us reconsider working with them had we known about it beforehand. In hindsight, I can understand why they did it this way. They have the experience to build up a website so that it converts, but it felt like they were inflexible in their approach. I think that it was more to do with the mode of the presentation. 

When they have a debate with a client, they can be a bit too firm at times, and they could highlight the business value better. To us, that became obvious only after it was implemented. zgraya could’ve held our hand a bit more when they were suggesting their ideas. Knowing that now, I don’t think we would’ve made a different decision. We’re extremely happy with the work zgraya has done, and we’d work with them again if we had to do it all over again.  

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

My advice is to really trust zgraya. They have the client’s best interests at hand. This is easier said than done when working with a provider, but the value delivered by zgraya is fantastic.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of Saker Technologies, LLC. 

For what projects/services did your company hire zgraya digital?

Web design for a large healthcare management company that operates across the United States providing services for different vectors within the healthcare space.

What were your goals for this project?

The complete redesign of an existing, very dated website.

How did you select zgraya digital?

We have a long-established successful relationship.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we established the scope and goals of the project, they immediately took charge to fully understand the requirements. After a few initial discussions we received the wireframe designs as well as a visual concept.

As usual, they quickly understood the needs and provided a very appropriate and appealing design. They will probably nail the visual concept on their first try, so don't be surprised by this.

After moving forward, the team further built out all of the required design elements to our full satisfaction. The speed and agility at which they operate provides us with a great deal of confidence to deliver outstanding products when working with our clients.

What was the team composition?

A primary point of contact for business and legal requirements, an excellent project manager, multiple highly skilled designers with various expertise, and a talented copywriter.

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

Their impressive design work has allowed us to establish and maintain many beneficial business relationships as well as many prospective clients. We constantly receive positive feedback on the design and flow of the website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. As soon as work was performed we were updated with the latest materials. Discussions were followed by rapid modifications and improvements to the design which provided for a very quick design cycle. Communication in design is very challenging, but this is where they stand apart from other design teams. We are very satisfied with the workflow and communication of the team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Excellent communication and work very quickly with an emphasis on the quality of design.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, the team goes above and beyond to ensure our satisfaction.

Please describe your company and your position there.

At Captural, we make it easy and fun for our customers to let their memories shine in a unique way. For this, we created a mobile app to craft photo books in a fast and easy way. I am the CEO of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire zgraya digital?

We want to make our app as outstanding and unique as it can be compared to the competition. For this, we were looking for the best designers to craft the app from scratch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to make the app unique and beautiful so that it provides the best experience to our users and stands out from the competition.

How did you select zgraya digital?

We were looking for design agencies online and had three top candidates. We then selected zgraya because they made the best impression based on their professional approach and their portfolio.

Describe the project in detail.

We needed to design the app from scratch for both UX and UI. We developed a functional prototype for the agency to understand the scope and the core functionalities. Then in multiple brainstorming sessions, we refined the UX and UI until we ended up with the design of the entire app.

What was the team composition?

Our main contact was always the project manager who coordinated everything for us. On the designer side, it changed according to the skills needed.

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

After 6 months, we launched the app in public beta and got very good feedback for the design and the simplicity of usage.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated via Slack almost daily and had weekly sync calls and more if needed. This proved to be very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were very impressed by how professional they are. Their designs are also great and practical.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Improvement could be that they come up on their own with more out-of-the-box ideas. But, overall, we are very happy with the quality of the work and the speed.