This is the part about you.

We’re your guides in a shifting digital world.

About

Decorative Shapes

Collaborative. Thoughtful. Competent.

Our mission is to rewrite how agencies are viewed. As a top Philadelphia web design agency we believe in the power of a good strategy and see your project not as a job that needs to be done, but as a cause we invest in. We get behind your ideas, understand your issues, and provide a level of service that’s unmatched by other agencies. We genuinely love this stuff. Whether you’re looking for web design in Philadelphia, PA, or across the country, we’re where and when you need us.

No BS. No B-teams.

Think It First in action

We Are…

Ready when you are

New clients and projects are an exciting time around here. With us, it’s kick-off and go.

Here to see you succeed

Your satisfaction and measurable success are the most important things to us. We count the wins that matter to you.

Focused specialists

We focus on the things we’re good at and push for perfection. Full-service is for gas stations.

When and where you need us

Our team is 100% remote and always responsive. You’ll hear back from us promptly. It’s part of working with us.

We Are Not…

Big and slow

Other agencies put you in their backlog of clients and projects waiting to start.

Chasing accolades

Other agencies trick you into trust by collecting clients and paying for recognition.

Know-it-alls

Other agencies offer a menu of services as extensive as your local diner. Well-done steak and jello, anyone?

Too busy to respond

Other agencies take days to respond to questions and requests while you’re left wondering what you’re paying for.

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So, what’s guiding us?

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Client experience is #1

At our core, TIF exists to serve clients. What sets us apart is the thoughtfully crafted experience we bring to every client collaboration. We listen. We care. About doing what’s best for our clients and their projects. About making every interaction and experience extraordinary.

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Deliver on our promises

Our clients rely on us to deliver. If Plan A doesn’t work, we quickly adapt and evolve our approach. Trust, integrity, and transparency are central to everything we do and we’re committed to showing up and following through every step of the way.

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Go a little further

We work in a medium that’s always evolving and our field is changing at the speed of light. We care about staying current and are meticulous about the details. We look closely for insights and technology solutions that help our clients push boundaries and overcome their business challenges.

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Strategy first

A look is meaningless without a vision. At the cornerstone of how we think, and woven into our name, is strategy. We take time to understand the problem and develop an approach that maximizes long-term value before just diving in. We Think. It. First.

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Be good to work with

Client problems are absorbed as interesting challenges. We’re critical, yet supportive, collaborative, and optimistic. We’re genuinely nice people and take our work more seriously than we take ourselves.

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Grow together

Partnership is the foundation everything else is built on. Whether we just met or we’ve been working together for years, we want to maintain strong relationships and exceed expectations. It’s what our clients deserve. It’s also good for business. We only measure our success by yours.

We have a passion for building beautiful things that last.
Like relationships.

With clients. With each other. Going strong for 14+ years.

Think It First axe throwing

a 2023 TIF/CLIENT NIGHT OUT with our good buds at Consumer rating inc.

Think It First’s response time has been unmatched by any other vendor.

Director of Marketing, Consumer Products Company

They’re very creative, and their work ethic is strong.

VP, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE

The team has consistently met deadlines and communicated openly regarding our budget.

Marketing Manager, Vital Care Infusion Services

The TIF team is always timely in email responses.

Digital Project Manager, SS Industries

They told our company story in a thoughtful and strategic way.

Assoc. Principal of Commercialization, Digital Consultancy

Their work ethic is fantastic!

Site Administrator, Elm Partners

Think it First is, without a doubt, the best design and development company I’ve worked with in my 20-year career.

CEO, RATINGS AND REVIEW PLATFORM

Think it First did an excellent job and was very professional.

VP, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE

Listen to what they say and follow their lead — they know what they’re doing.

Director, Cofactor Group

We’re proud of Think it First’s work!

Vice President/Digital Director, Global Traveler

Think It First’s response time has been unmatched by any other vendor.

Director of Marketing, Consumer Products Company

Their work ethic is fantastic!

Site Administrator, Elm Partners

They’re very creative, and their work ethic is strong.

VP, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE

Think it First is, without a doubt, the best design and development company I’ve worked with in my 20-year career.

CEO, RATINGS AND REVIEW PLATFORM

The team has consistently met deadlines and communicated openly regarding our budget.

Marketing Manager, Vital Care Infusion Services

Think it First did an excellent job and was very professional.

VP, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE

The TIF team is always timely in email responses.

Digital Project Manager, SS Industries

Listen to what they say and follow their lead — they know what they’re doing.

Director, Cofactor Group

They told our company story in a thoughtful and strategic way.

Assoc. Principal of Commercialization, Digital Consultancy

We’re proud of Think it First’s work!

Vice President/Digital Director, Global Traveler

We’re people. Just like you.

This is our tribe.

Joe Lashinger

Managing Partner

Jamie Trueblood

Jamie Trueblood

Partner / COO

Bradley Emmons

Bradley Emmons

Partner / Creative Director

Emily Higgins

Emily Higgins

Senior Designer

Ellie Malchione

Ellie Malchione

Project Manager

John Kirrane

John Kirrane

Technology Lead

Mike Barbato

Mike Barbato

Web Developer

Jonathan Sample

Jonathan Sample

Web Developer

Travis Finlayson

Travis Finlayson

Technical Project Manager

Jeremy Canela

Jeremy Canela

Web Developer

Dante Silva

Dante Silva

Web Developer

Jessica Murphy

Jessica Murphy

Digital Strategy

Group image of Think It First

Our team is on a mission to build an agency experience unlike any other.

Through honest and thoughtful collaboration, outstanding service, and exceptional work processes, we strive to make things easy and deliver lasting value to partners, clients, and their customers.

The TIF “Rest Easy” Guarantee

Think It First is 100% committed to creating solutions that deliver real results. We’re proud to offer a complete service guarantee. If extra support is needed, we’ll provide it. If an issue arises, we’ll fix it. If you need to change your strategy, we’ll adapt and evolve our approach. If you want out, just say the word. There is no issue greater than our collective brainpower.

We stamp our work with a guarantee so you can rest easy knowing that we’ve got your back.

FAQs

Us, unpacked

What started as a tagline, we adopted as our true identity. At the cornerstone of how we think, and woven into our name, is strategy. We take time to understand the problem and develop an approach that maximizes long-term value before just diving in. We Think. It. First. It’s unique, like us.

Think It First was born in 2010 with the same leadership and majority of the team in place today. Before starting Think It First, Joe, Jamie, and Brad came from agency leadership roles and entrepreneurial endeavors in the digital marketing and design space.

Think It First is a fully remote agency built to collaborate beyond the walls of a traditional studio. From our communication tools to our development infrastructure, we’ve spent more than a decade building an agency that’s purposely designed to engage deeply with distributed teams—including yours. While we maintain an office in the Philadelphia suburbs of Ardmore, PA, we are remote and don’t have plans to go back. This keeps us lean, efficient, and not bound by the typical agency overhead which gets passed down as costs to you.

While other agencies have bloated account management staff that push around meetings and create billable overhead, TIF is built to produce. We purposefully built a team to remove unnecessary layers that your voice must get through. If you have a design issue, you will interface directly with the friendly designers working on your project.

With an average of 10+ years of experience in their thing, our team is experienced. We’ve thrown out the traditional agency model that largely cycles through recent grads and employs armies of interns. That adds up to size, but not necessarily value. We know what we’re doing and that adds immeasurable value to our client partnerships.

Put simply, we are an agile group of digital experts that design and build business tools that run on the internet. Yes, we’re designers. Yes, we’re developers. Yes, we’re strategists. Yes, we’re business people. What makes us unique is that we start with “Why”? Is this new piece of website functionality driven by a business objective? Can this be built within budget with other priorities looming? Woven into our work is a layer of strategy and senior level expertise you don’t find in every agency. The senior folks here are the ones that are actually working on your projects.

Traditional agencies often rely on design interns or outsourced services for web development, while charging high retainers. They use account managers as intermediaries, leading to a lack of transparency in who is actually working on your project.

When you partner with us, you have a direct line of communication to the senior-level experts that are actually doing the work. Our approach is centered on strategy and utilizing business insights to discover and test the best digital solution. We prioritize transparency in our communication and decision-making processes.

We believe you should feel like you’re working with a team that listens to you, has your back, and the best interest of your business in mind. We really REALLY believe in providing great service day after day. This is where most agencies fall down. We think there’s huge potential in fixing the trust issues out there. Many of our clients complain to us about their previous agency experiences. We guarantee your satisfaction, and put it in writing to hold us accountable. We’ve been told working with us is easy – and that’s just awesome.

Real reviews from actual clients.

Read Real Reviews

Our reviews are independently procured by Clutch, a third-party agency review platform that conducts one-to-one interviews with clients on behalf of their agency partners.

It’s all publicly available on clutch.co and we think that’s pretty great.

Top Web Design Company Award
Top Web Developers Award
Top WordPress Developers Award
Top Digital Strategy Company Award

Think it First is, without a doubt, the best design and development company I’ve worked with in my 20-year career. They’re a small, nimble, but effective group of designers.

We’ve primarily measured success by looking at lead generation efforts. Since partnering with them, we’ve seen a 24% increase in leads, with no change in our budget. We’ve attributed our improvement in leads to the new landing pages, website content, and digital marketing efforts from Think it First.

Think it First has improved our bounce rates and conversion rates by 2% and 30%, respectively. They have provided timely responses, as well. They offer full training sessions for the team so members know where and how to update anything.

Think it First has given us the quality of a large company with the size of a boutique firm, which is a good combination for us.

Let's join forces.

Whether we become partners for the long haul or just quick friends, you’ll be happy you took the time to speak with us.

Request a Proposal