Looking for local marketing and website building firm recommendations

[schurchill39]

I am looking for some recommendations on local firms that help with graphic design, marketing material and website creation. I am also willing to consider an individual if they have a bit of a portfolio and a track record of a quick turn around. We already have a logo that we like, but need some help with graphic design for a website and some marketing material. Also looking to create a style guide for reports and a template for power point presentations.

Preference to anyone with experience with clients in the oil and gas industry. We've already got a website but its pretty plain Jane and need to spruce our whole image up.

If you've got any experience (good or bad) with local firms or people let me know so I know who to reach out to or who to avoid.

(Thought about posting this in careers but I am moreso looking for recommendations than to hiring an individual. Mods, feel free to move if you disagree)

[ExtraSlow]

What's your definition of a quick turn around?
Critical mass does that kind of work. Cam probably would have good insights.

[schurchill39]

Well I'd like to have a chat with people and see what they think is realistic. What I mean is that if a firm says they can do what we want in a month, but a freelancer is saying 3 months then thats no good. But if a free lancer says "Hey I can do that in a month and a half because I'm only one guy" then we'd be willing to look at that. Ultimately with a firm we know there is more accountability for deadlines but if someone has a proven track record I am absolutely willing to look at them.

[CompletelyNumb]

What's your deadline? What's the budget for that?

I know many of the agencies here in Calgary through my web development work.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I went down this road but it was for a personal venture, so you may be looking for something else. Recommendations were basically to do it myself because it was so easy - I used WIX and I am very happy with it. Anyone can make a professional looking website with their tools in very little time. I used fiverr for logo, business cards, etc. and they do all kinds of templates (letterhead, powerpoint, web design, etc.) - just find someone with tons of good reviews and reverse image search anything they send.

If this is for a big O&G company that probably isn't what you want to do, but if it's for a smaller venture it could save you tons of money for the same result.

[schurchill39]

I think it justifies some capital investment for sure as its not a small venture but its also not a big O&G company. We've gone down the "self built" avenue with some fivver stuff but it all just turned meh. It works, but its not eye popping and doesn't really stand out from our peers. We want more than just a website built, we are looking for some graphic design, stylization etc. Design pamphlets and brochures for our hand outs, and folders for when we hand over documentation. So again, just looking for recommendations on who I should talk to locally that does good quality work.

As far as a budget goes I'm not 100% sure but we know quality comes with a price so I'm not looking for cheap. From these recommendations I am looking to engage some of these firms to see what our "big picture idea" would cost or if we want to just look at certain elements. I don't even know where to start so setting a budget and expected time line is a little hard as I am not familiar with the business or what goes into it. I could say 8k and 2 months but that is a complete shot in the dark and I think is unfair without knowing more about the work that goes into what we want.

[spikerS]

Touch base with @A790 . While his area is more of SEO and the like, he has contacts for all of this and is pretty knowledgeable in this area.

[A790]

Unless you need a custom designed website, use a good looking template. A graphic design for a website could easily be $1.5k - $3k depending on the scope of the project.

What makes a website look awesome are the photos used. Everything else is just filler for the photos. If you don't need a custom design, don't pay for one.

RE: building out a site, I've done some work with @CompletelyNumb before and found him to be professional and on top of his stuff. He's also reasonably priced. I have other designers/developers available here in Calgary as well, but why not give a beyonder the first crack at it eh?

Alternatively, if you want to work with an agency, you're very likely looking at a minimum rate of around $10k for the site. That's agency rate, where you're paying hourly's north of $100. For some businesses, agency is the way to go. But if you're worried about maximizing cost/value, agencies aren't going to be it.

[schurchill39]

Its not just the website we are looking for, if anything I am sure with a little help on graphics we can take care of that internally if it came down to it as I know most people/agencies will only design from scratch which is fine.

I guess a better way to put what I am looking for is recommendations for someone or an agency specializing in branding. So that includes but is not limited to a website. Things like what colour palate should we use for graphics, design and layout of brochures or hand outs, designing a flashy custom presentation and report template. Right now we are just like our peers, plain, and we want to change that.

EDIT: Maybe a mod can help me out and change the thread title to "Looking for recommendations for a local firm specializing in branding". That might help with clarity

[A790]

Well, you could connect with us at POD. We have an in-house team that works with businesses to build or expand on their brand. But, as I alluded to above, we're an agency and that comes with agency rates.

Another option would be to connect with freelancers. Upwork isn't a bad place to do that. But don't cheap out- get someone good, with a strong portfolio and history of consistent workflow.

If you curate examples of what you need made and the kind of polish you're looking for, you'll greatly simplify the search and make it easier to get the outcomes you want.

[CompletelyNumb]

Appreciate the nod, but even my work load is full til spring.

I was going to suggest he go after an agency that specializes in offline branding and print design, since that seems to be what he needs to most of. Do a proper discovery period and create some solid brand guidelines, use those to create the print collateral he wants. Then either do up a simple site with those recs, or look for a template that can be customized.

Based on your posts above, I'd say go with the agency to get it done right up front. It will require far less oversight on your part, but you will need to be involved during the discovery process. If they are cost prohibitive in the long run, you can always find a freelancer to create more materials in the future based of their brand guidelines.

[you&me]

Strut Creative has a solid portfolio of branding (& re-branding) they done for various O&G companies. For what you're looking for, industry familiarity should count for a lot.

[R-Audi]

Locally I liked Fresh Focus Media..

[ercchry]

Had a meal with the owner of blackwater creative, they do a lot of restaurant work. But I like their model. Monthly retainer vs large up front cost. Also like the design work at the restaurants he works with

[schurchill39]

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Well, you could connect with us at POD. We have an in-house team that works with businesses to build or expand on their brand. But, as I alluded to above, we're an agency and that comes with agency rates.

Agency rates are fine, that's why I was looking for a agency to begin with. I am aware that the scope of capital that would go into a project like this could potentially be 8-20k + in work depending on what we end up doing. Obviously lower is better but at the end of the day lower doesn't mean best value. Your posts seem to be trying to either deter me from an agency or not give any credence to the fact that I understand this isn't just a couple hundred dollars. I'm not sure if you're meaning to come across like you've got a chip on your shoulder but that's how its appearing which is disappointing because I figured you'd have the most insight into something like this.

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Appreciate the nod, but even my work load is full til spring.

I was going to suggest he go after an agency that specializes in offline branding and print design, since that seems to be what he needs to most of. Do a proper discovery period and create some solid brand guidelines, use those to create the print collateral he wants. Then either do up a simple site with those recs, or look for a template that can be customized.

Based on your posts above, I'd say go with the agency to get it done right up front. It will require far less oversight on your part, but you will need to be involved during the discovery process. If they are cost prohibitive in the long run, you can always find a freelancer to create more materials in the future based of their brand guidelines.

I have a buddy working with Switchback Creative right now and he really likes them but said the discovery process was a bit of a drag. That being said, he blames it on the old guys he works with being too vague or constantly ditching meetings. They are one of the companies I've reached out to to start a conversation to see if they would be a good fit.

Looking through Strut Creatives website it looks like they have a ton of good work too. Same with Fresh Focus Media, and Blackwater creative.

Thanks beyond. Between those three and the couple of PM's I've got I have a good enough list to start talking to people to get a better idea of my scope of work then from there narrow down who we want to work with. Much appreciated!

[A790]

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Agency rates are fine, that's why I was looking for a agency to begin with. I am aware that the scope of capital that would go into a project like this could potentially be 8-20k + in work depending on what we end up doing. Obviously lower is better but at the end of the day lower doesn't mean best value. Your posts seem to be trying to either deter me from an agency or not give any credence to the fact that I understand this isn't just a couple hundred dollars. I'm not sure if you're meaning to come across like you've got a chip on your shoulder but that's how its appearing which is disappointing because I figured you'd have the most insight into something like this.

There's a reason I'm heavily suggesting working with a talented freelancer. It's, by far, the best value in terms of end result vs. cash invested. Agency rates are typically north of $100/hr (POD is $150/hr, and comparable agencies are also in that similar range) and that can be a hard pill to swallow, especially if its the first major project of this type for your company. This is especially the case if your primary focus is on branding, where a talented freelance creative director or senior graphics designer would be an excellent choice and quite literally half or one third the cost (and likely more agile as well).

I advise that prior to working with an agency that you find a talented creative director. Someone local and talented that works for $50 or $75/hr vs. $100+. A freelancer typically doesn't involve side disciplines, such as project management, which add perceived bloat to agency bills. If a freelancer only has a few projects on the go at a time, they don't need to bring in a project manager... so why pay for that?

Also, and I mean this respectfully: you're putting words and sentiment in my mouth. In my experience, when someone asks something like "I need X with a proven track record and a quick turnaround", that rules the agency experience right out. Agencies spend a good amount of time getting to know their client and needs, and that process can take several weeks on its own. I'm not trying to deter you from anything you didn't ask- nothing in your post suggests that the best fit for you is an agency.

Cheers

[ExtraSlow]

Initial posts also seemed to rule out agencies to me as well.

Hey, for design, branding, style guides and things there is a local freelancer I can reccomend. Teak Sato of Teakspedition.

[CompletelyNumb]

Get it figured out?

[spikerS]

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I'm not sure if you're meaning to come across like you've got a chip on your shoulder but that's how its appearing which is disappointing because I figured you'd have the most insight into something like this.

You are not the first person to think this, but it isn't the case.

A790 in real life matches his posting behavior here pretty much exactly. He tells the truth plain, and doesn't sugar coat it and to hell with your feelings. Simply, he doesn't have the time to play a stupid song and dance as he sees it. He strives to be as efficient as possible, and that can rub a lot of people the wrong way.

Personally, I find it really refreshing. He and I can go back and forth and get more accomplished and communicate more in 10 minutes than 95% of the population can in 2 hours. My problem is, I have a hard time keeping up. LOL

[ExtraSlow]

Hey @schurchill39 what did you do, and how did it go?