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Sandstorm Design

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The worst career decision I've ever made - Contract Developer Sandstorm Design Employee Review

1.0
Dec 12, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The non-management people there are great. Just a great group of young, smart, talented folks. The technical managers there are some of the best of the best that I've worked with.

Cons

This agency is behind the time. The lack of concrete processes were alarming. The lack of vision, point of view or best practice on how to approach responsive websites (as an example) is also alarming. Sandstorm Design was unlike anything I've ever experienced at a digital agency. When you have a PM state to you just push out the development work regardless of the quality, that is a huge red flag. Seriously, what digital agency worth their salt does that? What another commenter stated about the CEO Sandy is true, in terms of the backhanded criticism. She is loud, rude, arrogant, confusing at times, disingenuous, very condescending, and unwilling to admit when she is wrong. The way she screams at her employees is unfair and not appreciated. It was sad to watch people sit there and just take her wrath and not defend themselves, especially when she was the one in the wrong. She withholds important information received from the client from the team working to solve the clients problems, only to throw the information in their face after they present something to her that misses the mark. That would never happen though if Sandy would reveal the information that she was privy to to her team before the fact instead of after. Do yourself a favor and don't bother working at this place. You'll end up being overworked, stressed out, confused as hell, and miserable. It will do nothing for your career and due to the poor quality of the work that gets produced, you wouldn't bother putting it on your portfolio site anyway. Word to the wise. Stay away from this place.

Explore other reviews about Sandstorm Design

5.0
Mar 12, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I absolutely loved my time at Sandstorm! Starting at the top with Sandy, the friendliness, support, and collaborative spirit of the people there were top-notch. The impressive design team did a LOT with a typically minimal budget coming up with wonderful layouts and strong brand voices. The engineering team was smart and nimble.

Cons

To compete with larger agencies with bigger footprints in the industry, new business was typically won through competitively reduced budgets and aggressive timelines. These smaller budgets would lead to hamstrung project scopes, timelines, and limited employee compensation.

5.0
Jan 25, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

In my time at Sandstorm, I learned so much from the projects, team members and leadership. Sandstorm has a very genuine dedication to inclusivity and good, solid work. There are many long-tenured employees who are extremely welcoming and kind. For a small agency, it's extremely organized and processes are well-established and smooth. A great place to learn the ins-and-outs of agency work and really get your hands dirty on large scale projects without office bureaucracy/hierarchy getting in the way. The focus is truly on the work. Sandy is a great leader and a great human. The passion radiates from her. Great work-life balance. I may have worked late like once? Overall, 10/10 would recommend to a friend. Unfortunately our paths crossed at a time that didn't push me the way I wanted in my career but I could very easily see myself as a boomerang in the future.

Cons

Smaller budgets can feel constraining, especially when it means tight hours (not necessarily tight turnarounds but limited time allotted to work on projects) so sometimes it means diligently tracking hours which can be creatively limiting

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