The Manifest Names Create Ape as one of the Most-Reviewed Global Product Design Agencies

When you’re part of a dynamic design company like CreateApe, sometimes it’s important to sit back and reflect on your success. You can gauge our positive impact on digital products through our glowing Clutch reviews — or we could sum it up with a few shiny badges!

In 2022, we scaled the tallest trees in the industry to earn the Top Company badge in Product Design, UX Strategy, and in the entire state of California! In addition to those accolades, we also earned the prestigious “Top 1,000 Global Companies” badge.

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Our business goals for CreateApe get bigger and bigger every year. And being rewarded so frequently by one of the top B2B platforms is all the validation we need to keep reaching for the highest bananas!

“Receiving these awards is humbling and fuels our passion for continuing to drive success for our clients. We win when they win!” said CEO Alessandro Fard. “As we shift our efforts towards digital product design and development, these awards are an amazing way to get our name out there and celebrate the team’s hard work.”

He added “Being recognized in our home state, as well as being a top global company in our space, is incredibly rewarding. At the end of the day, we are passionate about two things: our clients' success, and creating powerful user experiences.”

We’ve shown major signs of growth and development as a company within the past few years. As we take on more clients and build more products, we’re excited to be in the driver’s seat among top industry players!

Are you just itching to get one of the highest-ranking companies on Clutch to build your digital product? We don’t blame you…Start a project with us today!

We’ve been named one of the best website designers in Irvine, CA by Gatello…one of the largest online business directories in the US! Create Ape is the king of the jungle yet again 🐒 👑

We’re raking in major industry accolades after our record growth as a company in 2021, and we’re only going up from here. Being recognized as one of the top service providers in our field by trusted platforms like Gatello is a huge honor!

Gatello’s review team based their ranking on a rigorous 40-point inspection. Because of CreateApe’s high quality of service and glowing reviews from our clients, we were named among the best website designers in Irvine, CA.

“Our commitment to our clients is paramount to who we are. When they’re successful, we're successful. We don’t pay lip service to partnership, we live and breathe it every day.” Said CreateApe founder and CEO Alessandro Fard.

Being included with some of the best Southern California web designers is a huge accomplishment, and we have no plans to slow down! We’re growing more and more as a company every day and ascending to new heights in the UX/UI design industry.

This banana’s for you, Gatello! 🍌 Thanks for including us among the web design greats.

As CreateApe levels up in the UX/UI industry, we're coming up with new and innovative ways to maximize user satisfaction with your digital products. If you’re curious about what CreateApe can do for your business, hear what our clients have to say or start a project with us.

Want to see our apes in action? Read one of our UX/UI design case studies.

Imposter syndrome: An internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be — a persistent feeling that you have lied or conned your way into your job.

If you’re looking at that definition and thinking: “Hey, that’s me!”, then this blog is for you.

Though it’s not a diagnosable mental illness, it’s incredibly common among professionals (especially in the UX field). It’s not a good feeling. It impairs your confidence, your ability to own your creations, and your willingness to learn and grow.

You went through the interview process, proved your skill set, accepted your offer, and turned in some amazing projects. But no matter how much good work you do, you still can’t help but feel like two kids in a trench coat trying to sneak into an R-rated movie. 

Let us give you some reassurance before we show you how to face your self-doubt:

• You are not alone! Up to 82% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point. Even the best UX designers in the game have experienced feelings of inadequacy before.
• You earned your job. Either through years of hard work or an impressive portfolio, you were chosen for the job for a reason.
• When you get harsh feedback or feel like you’re turning in subpar work, just remember that one bad project does not mean you’re a bad UX/UI designer.
• No one goes into a job knowing everything. Even the top-earning UX designers still run into trouble.

The CreateApe team is full of experienced and accomplished UX professionals with some impressive projects under our belts. But that doesn’t mean we’re safe from doubting our skills.

Here are just a few ways we fend off imposter syndrome at CreateApe. If you ever catch yourself feeling like you don’t deserve your job, keep these tips in mind for a little self-confidence boost.

Tips for Combatting Imposter Syndrome

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Be Transparent

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When you can’t will yourself out of imposter syndrome, talking to someone about it always helps. One of your teammates could have some insight, or just be willing to lend a sympathetic ear.

Speaking your thoughts out loud is a great way to put things in perspective. We have thousands of thoughts a day, and they’re not always rational or organized. Give yourself some grace and realize that everyone gets overwhelmed and needs help.

It also helps you build trust and deepen relationships with your design team. Chances are that someone is willing to offer their experience and support to guide you through project pitfalls and further your UX skills.

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Keep Practicing

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It may be cliche, but everyone starts somewhere. When you have a solid foundation for a skill, the only way to go is up! 

Don’t view your weaknesses as shortcomings. See them as room for improvement. When your imposter syndrome tells you “You don’t know how to do this? You must not be a real UX designer.” reframe your point of view to say “Learning how to do this will make me so much better than I already am.”

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Be Open to Change

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UX is iterative by design. New technologies, new best practices, new things to learn. Don’t beat yourself up too badly if you’re not up on the latest trends. Every designer needs to catch up at some point in their career.

Keep an open mind and welcome change. Follow design publications or even social media profiles to keep an eye out for trends and think about how they can improve your designs. A fresh eye never hurts.

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Take Baby Steps

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When some people feel overwhelmed at work, they find the best way to meet the challenge is to just charge ahead. But, we all don’t work the same way.

You absolutely need to take a breather when you need it. To help yourself feel more organized before taking on your next big task, sit down and think about the specific things you need to do. Write them down if you must. This will help you visualize everything you're responsible for and hopefully make everything seem more manageable.

Professional burnout is no joke. Not only does it affect your performance, but it also has serious physical symptoms that impact your work-life balance. Remember that no one is invincible and that everyone needs to take a step back every now and then.

Understand That You Don’t Know Everything

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Think of the smartest person you know. No matter how knowledgeable they are, chances are that you’re better at something than they are. Elon Musk can build a rocketship, but would you trust him to cook a stunning 5-course meal or sew a dress for a big, fancy gala?

There’s no way for us to be good at everything and no one expects us to be. Trust your skills, but accept that there are always things to learn that will make us better at our jobs. You will never reach that all-knowing status (and that’s okay)!

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Focus on Positives

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Everyone needs a pick-me-up now and then to pull themselves out of a funk. It’s hard to not dwell on the negative when imposter syndrome rears its ugly head. Try to reflect on past successes and remind yourself that there will be plenty more down the line.

Remember that imposter syndrome is just a temporary state of mind. It comes and goes just like the weather. Give yourself a break, focus on your favorite projects, and get excited for the next one coming around the corner.

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Imposter Syndrome is Creeping in, What Should I Do?

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Relax, take a breather, walk outside, get some coffee, and (above all) be kind to yourself.

We take mental health seriously here at CreateApe. Because when we feel good, we put out our best work (and vice versa).

Whether you’re an industry newbie or a senior UX designer with tons of projects under your belt, imposter syndrome can creep up anytime, anywhere. Just remember that you got your job for a reason. No one can pull a random person off the street and have them do what you do.

When you’re feeling underqualified, reassure yourself that everyone feels this way from time to time. Keep these tips in mind, and as the British say: “Keep Calm and Carry On.”

Does CreateApe sound like your kind of place? Think you’d be a great fit for our Jungle? Check out our open jobs and start your UX career today!

Want to brush up on a few UX topics? We have a beginner's guide for how to become a UX designer, a directory of our favorite UX/UI design courses, a comprehensive UX writing guide, and much, MUCH more! Our team is all about sharing our knowledge, so check out those resources and others on the CreateApe blog.

Not to brag, but we’ve been racking up some major industry accolades.

We’ve been named Top Digital Agency by DesignRush and #1 UX Design Agency in Orange County by Clutch this year. And recently, Alessandro Fard (our founder and CEO) was interviewed by Marketing Champions.

Marketing Champions is a web series on DailyAdBrief.com that interviews marketing experts about their strategies and industry insights. In this episode, Alessandro talks about how the user experience is key to a successful marketing campaign.

Watch Alessandro's Marketing Champions episode!

Our UX approach and marketing best practices aren’t uncommon. The basic idea of marketing is promoting your brand to your stakeholders. The best campaigns are empathetic to the target audience and communicate the concepts that speak to them.

This empathy is vital to CreateApe’s UX design process. Design without consideration for the user can completely alter their perception of your brand. We aim to bring our clients and their audience together through user-friendly digital experiences.

It makes sense to use UX best practices in marketing strategies to create user-specific, data-driven solutions to improve a brand’s identity and reach. When we create campaigns that resonate with a specific audience, they are more likely to return to that brand.

It’s not enough to create effective strategies for our clients. We take it a swing further and accompany them through every step of the communication process. We want to make sure their messaging is consistent across all platforms and supports the big picture of the identity we’re trying to build. 

Our approach makes it easy for us to build collaborative, long-term relationships with our clients. “Our clients are our partners. Their success is our success, and we strive to ensure they have it” said Fard.

Website design and marketing aren’t our only talents. As a full-service agency, we provide our clients with site development, branding, and content creation. Check out all of CreateApe's services today!

As we swing into quarter two of 2021, we’ve got some tree-mendous news from the information hut to share with all of you: DesignRush has named CreateApe the top digital agency of 2021! Rock on, team!

DesignRush is a B2B marketplace that connects brands with agencies. It was founded in 2017 and has grown into a global agency network with over 8,800 listed professional agencies from over 60 different countries and consulted by thousands of decision-makers looking to start a project.

CreateApe was ranked one of the top digital agencies for our user experience & user interface (UX/UI) design expertise and consistent ability to provide the highest quality of customer service possible.

We could not be more appreciative of being singled out for this award. We’re going bananas over it since it validates all of the awesome work we’ve designed and developed in quarter one for our clients. Our commitment to them and to our users is the foundation of who we are.

At CreateApe, we tackle every project, no matter the level of complexity, with a sense of purposeful passion because we value our clients’ success as our own. We develop modern, visually appealing products that aren’t just designed to look good but are also functional and intuitive to the user’s experience. However, we would be nothing without happy clients.

We’re always looking to act as a jungle guide to navigate you through the wild. If you need some help but don’t know where to start, drop us a line. We’ll do our best to clear out the brush and guide you down the path toward your digital and print goals.

CreateApe is now featured on Clutch.co and has already received two stellar reviews for outstanding service. Clutch is a Washington DC based research, ratings and reviews firm that covers thousands of business to business firms from over 500 different industries. Each company on Clutch is evaluated on multiple criteria such as; market presence, client base, and industry experience. Clutch’s platform allows firms to compare similar services and choose the one that best compliments their future business plans.

Additionally, CreateApe’s talented team of experts are not only capable of implementing the newest technologies on the market, but also excel at providing the highest customer service possible to all our clients. No matter the level of complexity of the project, CreateApe is eager to develop modern, visually appealing products that not only look good, but are functional and intuitive. In addition to UX and UI design, our team can also help with web development and over all digital services. For any business inquiries or questions, please contact us here.

A recent client of ours has given feedback on a project with us on Clutch.co and rated us a 5- star service. The project was to create a real estate management platform that was easy to use for all parties. The reviewer was incredibly impressed with our turnaround. They said,

“We can give them a skeleton model and they come back with an incredible representation of what we’re seeking.”

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Another reviewer of CreateApe on Clutch’s platform really appreciated our refreshing approach compared to other businesses they’ve worked with. They said,

“What was refreshing about CreateApe is that they took the time to understand the technology we’re using.”

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This reviewer goes on to talk about the results of the web design we created for them. They also said,

“It’s getting positive feedback on the look and feel, a major improvement from the previous site.”

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All this positive feedback on Clutch has already made us a leader on their Orange County UX Designers page. Furthermore, Clutch just announced that on September 5th, they’ll be releasing a press release of the top business service companies in California. Even with two reviews, we’ll be included in this press release because of our hard work and commitment to clients.

We look forward to collecting more Clutch reviews on our profile to rank even higher as a UX and Digital agency. Thank you to our clients for spending the time supporting us and leaving us feedback through Clutch’s platform!