Kona Made

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of an eCommerce company that sells American-made adhesive tapes & protective films.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

As our business has expanded, we have begun to sell to diverse audiences on various sales channels. We hired Kona Made to create a cohesive brand look while effectively reaching two disparate audiences.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with this vendor previously and knew the quality work that they executed.

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

To start they scheduled a call to learn about our company and project objectives. Then they followed up with pricing, timing, and scope. They had us fill out a branding questionnaire to inform the project. We then went through a few rounds of draft branding guidelines that we provided feedback on via their project management system. Once we landed on a branding that met our objectives, they created an entire brand package for us. This included a new logo, icons, marketing materials, and packaging.

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

We worked directly with Christine, the owner and creative lead, as well as a writer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of the project, our products have a cohesive brand that appeals to all of our audiences. This gives us a refreshed look and feel without losing the integrity of our previous branding that longstanding customers are accustomed to.

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

We used Asana to communicate and keep track of deliverables and timelines. The team was very responsive and had appropriate turn around times which they met or exceeded.

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

Their organization and comprehensiveness of their execution were very impressive.

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

None that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Dearly, a new baby, children's, and maternity retail brick-and-click store that offers hand-selected essentials for little ones ages 0-5. We focus on bringing the very best products and brands - high-quality, sustainable, beautiful - together and marrying that with a truly special and highly-personalized shopping experience both in-store and online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I started this business as the mother of two while also working part-time, and knew that I wanted to bring in a strong partner to help design and develop a website that would differentiate our brand in a crowded marketplace. With this kind of business, a beautiful and modern website is essential - so I wanted to find a patner who understood the vision of what we were going for.

I hired Kona Made to design and develop a modern Shopify ecommerce website that would reflect Dearly's brand, values, and create a smooth and joyful shopping experience.

SOLUTION

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

I was looking to work with a team that was female-founded and worked with female founders. I did research online and found a few options. I spoke to a few other development agencies and Kona Made stood out immediately because of their diligent communication and grasp of Dearly's mission. I also felt very comfortable working with Christine from the start.

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

Christine began this project with a one-on-one conversation and follow up with a detailed proposal of our engagement. It walked through a thorough accounting of the deliverables, timeline, expectations, feedback process, and more. Following the proposal and signing of the contract, we began Phase 1 of the project. I completed an in-depth website questionnaire which was to guide the design and vision of the site.

Christine also set up the entire project in Notion - so every step, every detail was noted and there were helpful reminders for anything I needed to complete. Next, Christine and her team worked through the site architecture. Christine also brought on an incredible SEO team - Propellic - and they were valuable partners from the start in ensuring our site was built with SEO in mind from the ground up.

Following the site architecture and SEO groundwork, we worked together to select a Shopify Theme and then she began work on a full site mock and prototype. We collaborated on the mock using Adobe XD which was very efficient for sharing feedback and commenting on specific areas of the design. We quickly came to a consensus on the design of the site - there was honestly very little back and forth which was nice.

Simultaneously, she began setting up the Shopify Theme and bringing in a copywriter to provide content for key areas of the site. We also met with Propellic frequently during this time for competitive and keyword research, SEO opportunities, and more. Their work was efficient, fast, and extremely well done - it really helped to make the site robust and SEO-driven. When this work was completed, I began product load with Christine's guidance on best practices for doing so. She was also extremely helpful for some of the little things that popped up along the way.

For example, at one point we decided on a feature that required some custom development and she brought in a wonderful and very fast specialist to complete the work. Throughout the second phase of the project, we held biweekly meetings, emailed frequently, and worked in Shopify to build out an extremely compelling and well-thought-out site. Christine performed a very thorough QA, speed test, and really did her due diligence prior to site launch.

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

I worked with Christine who is the Owner and Creative Lead of Kona Made. Additionally, I worked with copywriter Kat, custom developer Cameron, and the team at Propellic - Project Managers Lissie and Teri, SEO Analyst Emily, and their founder Brennen.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Christine and Kona Made delivered a site that my customers can trust. As a new brand - that's crucial. Even though the website hasn't even been live for a month, we've had a good amount of sales, and our even ranking fairly well for a couple of keywords! I've received nothing but fantastic feedback on the site from customers, colleagues, and vendors.

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

Christine and the team were extremely communicative - we mainly leveraged email and she was always very quick to reply which I appreciated. We also used Notion to communicate specifics around the site which was helpful for keeping everything in one place. We met on Zoom each week as well. Christine and her team worked hard to adhere to timelines and meet deadlines.

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

Christine is a good, kind person, very professional, and easy to work with. I really appreciated the caliber of people she brought into the project. Even though her proposal came in slightly higher than other companies, I wanted to work with Christine because I felt she truly understood (and made a great effort to understand) the vision of the company.

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

Nothing that I can think of at the moment!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Marketing Manager at a B2B digital transformation services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kona Made?

We are a newer company and had just started to build out our marketing team. Our original website lacked forward-thinking branding and was difficult to update without coding knowledge. We were seeking a fresh look-and-feel that could stand next to competitors with an easy-to-update interface so that our internal marketing team could be self sufficient.

SOLUTION

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

We were seeking a web savvy designer who could create something modern and fresh, while standing out from other competitors. Being in a tech heavy industry, we did not want something cliché or overdone with the same old stock photos. We were intrigued by Kona Made because Christine brought a different point of view and background than your standard consultative branding.

We felt her previous clients would help apply something unique while still maintaining a polished visual design.

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

We worked closely with Christine to explain our company and the brand we wanted to communicate. We also supplied a number of competitors to show the kind of legacy companies we were up against, and shared feedback from a branding agency who was helping us in crafting our brand messaging. Christine then drafted a simple wireframe based on our collaborative site navigation.

Our team supplied the copy of each page, and Christine worked to build the site pages with unique look-and-feel and visual branding that included an updated color palette, font selection and photography style. Once created and approved, Christine managed turning on the new site, and held a session to train us on how to update it moving forward.

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

We worked exclusively with the owner, Christine. She was a very positive, kind and easy person to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our webpage is built on a modern platform that allows our team to quickly make updates or create brand new pages. Our website has delivered consistent traffic and with zero security or online issues.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Christine was a pleasure to engage with. She was and continues to be a great resource. She responds quickly to emails or calls, and offers a lot of flexibility for our global team as needed.

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

I appreciated Christine's collaborative nature. She really wanted to work to deliver something different in the industry, to stand out and be bold while still maintaining a professional, simply brand.

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

We were very pleased with the outcome of our website and its ability to take us forward as we grow. I might suggest the opportunity to build greater functionality in needed web development/coding that goes beyond what is available in widgets, but it was not something we required in our engagement either.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and Executive Chef of Fibonacci Food. We are a boutique upscale catering and personalized chef service. We are also starting to produce ready made foods for retail sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kona Made?

Kona Made was hire to develop our entire Branding Strategy and design an whole new website.

SOLUTION

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

I was looking for a designer that could bring our company to life in a very specific Austin way. I was referred to Kona Made by a mutual friend and instantly knew this was who I wanted to work with. I have another project coming up in the next year and I will definitely use Kona Made.

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

I was sent a project brief with very specific and detailed questions. While working on the branding strategy, Christine brought 2 well developed ideas and once I chose the direction. She quickly made the edits I requested and turned over all branding assets. She then went to work on the web design. The project would have gone more quickly, but my business had a big restructure. Kona Made quickly went to work on the changes and was EXTREMELY helpful through a difficult change of direction. The website went live 2/10. It is beautiful, and is already converting.

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

I personally worked with Christine Goodrich, owner and lead designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have already started to receive catering leads from the website. Customers are more responsive when researching my company with this very professional new face of my business.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project was very organized and the communication through Asana was straight forward. They never missed a deadline.

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

I was really surprised that some one could take the brief that I submitted and put this gorgeous branding together. I wasn't even really sure what I wanted, but I am so incredibly pleased with all of it. One of the most impressive and helpful parts were the Loom videos sent to me to show me exactly how to make changes and edits on my own. They were personalized and demonstrated with my own material, so I am able to look at them when I have questions. Super helpful for a non-tech savvy client

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

I can't think of anything....as I mentioned, I will definitely use them again for future projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a nutritional supplement company using an e-commerce business model.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kona Made?

We hired Kona Made to do a complete rebrand of our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our firm needed a complete brand makeover, so Kona Made developed a new logo, packaging, and labeling for us. We already had a color scheme, and that didn’t change. However, they changed our overall brand strategy. They didn’t do any printed materials. 

At present, Christine (Owner & Creative Lead) continues to offer her firsthand knowledge on what will best work for our brand. She’s also in charge of any new products we release every few months or so. The main parts of the rebranding engagement have been completed, but there’s always work to be done in terms of packaging. 

What is the team composition?

Apart from Christine, we also work with Logan (Senior Designer). I mainly work with Christine, but Logan has also worked on our logo, color schemes, and font. Christine handles the packaging side of things. 

How did you come to work with Kona Made?

I found Kona Made through Clutch. In my hiring process, I signed five companies for a specific project. I reached out to all of them to get a feel of who’d be the best fit for us. Right off the bat, we knew that we wanted to work with Christine and Kona Made. Simply put, we used Clutch to narrow our choices down, and Christine sealed the deal.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $25,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been getting excellent feedback from our customers — that speaks for itself. Our site’s conversion rate has also increased. 

How did Kona Made perform from a project management standpoint?

Kona Made’s project management is excellent. Christine adheres to all of our deadlines, and the team’s communication is great. In fact, they’re ahead of schedule many times. I have no complaints about their work; Christine does a great job. To communicate, we use emails, Zoom, and Asana.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They care about our project and want to make it succeed; they’re willing to keep making revisions until everything is perfect. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. It’s rare for me to say that, but Christine has been excellent right from the beginning. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared. A lot of time, people go into projects thinking that everything is going to be done for them. However, a creative agency can only do as well as you guide them. It’s your company, so you should know it better than everybody else. As a result, be ready to give them as much information as possible to get the best results.