Blog

A margarita with glueglue

Hi guys, this is our new blog. We had many ideas for the first post, but the one that worked best was to introduce ourselves through an interview. So, we had an aperitivo and at the third margarita we were done  😉

In the coming weeks you will know each member of the glueglue™ team.
From Giò, the mountain based developer, to Pino the Spanish illustrator and surfer. Furthermore, we’ll write to you about projects, ideas, applications, web tools, user experience, digital marketing and more to try to share our mindset and spirit of work.

Let’s start the blog with the founders of glueglue™: Matteo, Fabian and Antonia.

 

This year glueglue™ will turn 10 years, can you tell us how you met and how you got the idea to create a web agency?

“We had no real opportunities to succeed but we really wanted to do something we cared about”

Matteo: Me and Fabian met almost by chance. We had a mutual friend, Luca De Sanctis, and right after finishing the university I found myself refusing a job offer and renting a public housing with these 2 crazy guys. We set up 3 desks and started searching for clients.

We had no real opportunities to succeed but we really wanted to do something we cared about, to express the deep passion we felt for our job. Then we met Antonia, who was essential to boost our business and to get the first clients. We wouldn’t be here If we hadn’t been so crazy and irresponsible at the beginning. You know, youth 😉

 

What have you learned in the past year that would shape this company in the years to come?

Fabian: 2016 has been a year of changes and revelations. Being a services company we are getting more and more aware of the fact that we need to focus on our team and our people’s personal strengths. This takes effort because it requires trusting talented people to do their thing without interfering too much. Strong and vertical skills are a real asset any service company should focus on to deliver high quality projects.

 

Your claim is “digital projects for real people”. Can you explain the message you want to spread?

Antonia:  A claim shouldn’t be explained, I think. It should be capable by itself to create emotion, clear one’s position,  be convincing. Besides, a bit of a mystery should remain in order to suggest to ‘open that door’ and discover what there is behind. So playing hide-and-seek I’d say only this: real people, who project their specific way of life every day, need, in this precise moment of Human History, a digital alter ego to be able to surf in the net and speak the right language with other surfers. In this vision, glueglue™ is your personal guardian angel who can fly in this new heaven.

 

Tell us how you’ve approached change.

M: Change is a constant part of our job. We work in an everchanging environment from both a user need and technology offer perspective. What is important for us, it’s our vision and approach that is always based on people’s needs. We also believe the respect and the empathy are two key values to never lose sight of in order to be relevant and effective in our daily work.

This year you started mentoring for FTA – the Accelerator for a fashion-tech startup. What is the difference in regards to the American market?

M: We had the chance to approach it only in part with FTA, but from our previous experience we can say that the American market  is generally very straightforward and pragmatic. I would say ‘no frills’ as they go straight to the point also when they need to tell you that you’re doing something wrong. We try to take the best out of this approach and combine it with our Italian mindset.

 

How has the Italian market changed over these 10 years?

A: From our point of view – but I’m convinced that it could be the opinion of many similar communication agencies – we have realized that the gap between the ones who put a real budget on communication and the ones who don’t has widened. I don’t mean that now there is less communication. On the contrary, we’re witnessing a stunning increase of posts, snaps, videos but you need to ask yourself: how much of this stuff is really effective? Our aim is work alongside the clients who understand to the fullest that communication is a job and appreciate it in the true sense of the word. In short: we work for people who want to leave a mark. Who’s making ground noise is not our ideal client.

“we work for people who want to leave a mark.”

Tell us how do you handle the pressure and multiple deadlines?

F: Gary Vaynerchukwould say, the day has 24 hours, you just need to hustle 🙂  Beyond that, it is all about setting expectations: set realistic deadlines in order to be able to meet them. That’s it!

 

What is your approach to usability?

F: I’d say our approach to usability is all about intuitivity. The easier is to understand an interface, the less explaining will be needed, the faster it will be used, the better the overall User Experience will get. Intuitivity also comes from the “learned” patterns. For example, everybody knows how to use a Hamburger Menu. Besides, the more websites will use this standard, the more people will get used to it. Think of those two simple vertical lines that once had no meaning. Today everybody knows that this symbol means “pause”!

 

What are you really into outside of work?

F: I like to cook, I go biking and golfing – I want to try all different kinds of sports including the ones that involve me on a mental level. That’s the best way for me to switch my mind away from working thoughts and totally relax!

 

What’s your favorite portfolio piece?

A:  I feel every piece of us as a sort of child of myself… so it wouldn’t be polite to prefer one from another. In fact, the right answer is: ‘The next to be done’.

 

In one word, describe yourself

F: Hustle!

 

The weirdest thing a customer asked?

A:  The task of designing a book cover whose title is “Thinking God… or the responsibility of a Design Exhibition about Urns. We accepted both and these experiences about Otherworldly Communication made us confident that we can make it… whatever challenge it is.

 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

M: Doing what we are doing now with a global team made of people with unique skills. To enhance our offer for the companies that love what they do.

We’ll let you work, so to sum up: one word each for your expectations in 2017.

M: MAKE

F: PEOPLE!

A: SOUL

Our replies
to your questions

Apri o chiudi
Why choose glueglue?

We are a digital product agency with more than 10 years of experience and highly specialized skills in both design and development.
Over time, we have consolidated an agile and effective method to work best with all types of clients: from the start-up that needs some kind of support to the multinational corporation that wants to integrate a team with design and executive agility, our most appreciated peculiarity.
We are positioned in a medium-high market segment and are able to offer excellent value for money. Direct supervision by glueglue's founding partners of each project ensures the highest quality of service and finished product. We are on the top list of the best User Experience and digital product agencies on Clutch, the most widely used database of digital consulting agencies in the world.

Apri o chiudi
How does glueglue work and what are the areas of expertise?

We always start with a careful analysis of the customer's needs considering not only the product needs but also the medium and long-term business objectives.
As a first step, we often deal with the visual identity, evaluating the positioning by analyzing the competitor and identifying areas for improvement in terms of branding and image.
Then, we move on to the UX/UI area: we study the user experience of your product or service through a UX Review with 3 dedicated professionals to identify the points which it is necessary to act to improve the usability of the site or app examined.
In the following phase, we design the User Journey Map, i.e. the map of all the paths that the user follows, interacting with the product and the brand . Identifying all the contact points is of strategic importance in order to immerse ourselves in situations of real use and understand where value can really be created for the end user and therefore for the product.
We will then move on to the phase of creating the wireframes, with the sharing of an interactive prototype that will define the functionality and structure of each single page and interaction of the product.
Once the wireframes have been consolidated, we will move on to the design phase of the graphic interface, with attention paid to the smallest details in so as to ensure a positive and truly satisfying user experience.
At this point, our developers come into play for the implementation part. We use the most current technologies such as React, Flutter, Gatsby JS, Symfony, Node.JS and others to create products with high standards of quality and stability, working and pixel perfect.

Apri o chiudi
What distinguishes glueglue from other top design or product agencies?

To offer maximum value, the glueglue team works on a limited number of projects. In this way, our professionals can dedicate an uninterrupted focus to always obtain excellent results.
Each project is managed on the basis of precise deadlines and intermediate meetings with the client. We take care of the unique needs and potential of each product and consequently, each solution created is exclusive and highly customized.
Thanks to the experience of 10+ years in the digital sector, we have developed a successful method to achieve the highest goals in the areas that matter: strategy, design and development.

Apri o chiudi
Can you do web design?

We work on all types of digital products, from iOS and Android apps to webapps and complex platforms.
Furthermore, part of the team specializes in creating marketing websites, i.e. websites totally focused on promoting the product or services.

Apri o chiudi
Do you also do branding or should I look for another agency?

Being a full-service agency, we also offer branding services such as naming and logo design. Among the products we create for our customers, the brand guidelines stand out, i.e. the detailed guidelines document for the corporate image. We are totally comfortable working on existing guidelines or in collaboration with a branding agency.

Apri o chiudi
How much does it cost to entrust you with a digital project?

We like to always be as transparent as possible and we believe that talking openly about the budget is important to understand how to get added value from the partnership for both parties. Given this, since each customer has its own peculiarities and presents different challenges, we do not use a price list, but we invest time to understand the customer's reality well and provide a specific approach and an appropriate price.
Indicatively, the price of user experience and graphical interface design projects can vary in a range between €10,000 and €30,000, depending on various factors such as the client's needs and the complexity of the project.
The cost of the projects in area Branding is positioned between €5,000 and €15,000, always taking into account any possible peculiarities.
As regards the more technical part, the cost for the development of iOS and Android web and mobile apps ranges from €20,000 upwards .
Website development starts from a minimum of €10,000. Our average hourly rate for single consultations is €60 per hour.
If you want to get to know us better, you can schedule 30 minutes free by appointment.

Apri o chiudi
Do you also work with early stage startups, therefore with limited resources?

Of course, we love startups! Over time we have met many enlightened and highly talented entrepreneurs.
We have invested in some startups, preferring work for equity. Our experience has always been positive, contributing to the achievement of various rounds of investments for a total value of over 30 million Euros.

Let's talk about partnership

Book a 30 minute free call!

Book now