The Design Process
A working partnership
A successful and lasting relationship in business must be based on trust and teamwork. Acting as your design team we will make the values and goals of your business our own - working alongside your decision makers to ensure that your marketing objectives are not just achieved but surpassed.
Specialist Involvement
Employing us and allowing us to take joint ownership of your brand will give you the facilities, experience and skills of an 'in-house' design and marketing department without the expense of employing permanent members of staff.
Trusted Partners
Long lived business relationships are always based upon honesty and understanding. At the commencement of a project we will learn all we can about you and then strive to make your business values, goals and aspirations our own. In return we ask that you trust our skill and experience and give us the space to do what we do best - be creative. Our best work is generally produced when we're given the opportunity to produce fresh, exciting and well targeted design rather than adopting a 'design by committee', watered down approach.
Of course we expect honest feedback along with constructive criticism and will always work alongside you to produce the best creative solution that we can.
Regular Contact and Updates
Communication is key. As well as regular updates from us you will also have access to our online time sheets and messaging board where you can see how your project
is progressing and where design time has been allocated. We will flag any project decisions which need to be made and will log our progress in real time. We will also insist on a contact with financial authority and request email approval before proceeding with work that does not form part of the original brief.
The project cycle
Discovery
This stage is all about learning, setting objectives and then planning a strategy and schedule to make sure that those objectives are met. We will talk with you about your current situation, your brand's positioning and your competitors before advising how we can work with the project budget to maximize the return on your investment.
Design
Having gathered all the information and with a clear understanding of what we want to acheive, we design and develop visual concepts and prototypes and with your feedback and interaction we go on to formulate the best working solution.
Development
Next we build the components to be used within the solution, creating the files, populating with content, imagery and data as required, adding functionality if required and then testing the interaction of the various elements for smooth operation and standards compliance.
Delivery
Having tested thoroughly and upon getting the green light from you, we deploy your solution in the marketplace.
If needed we can then follow on with a period of analysis and evaluation to ascertain the results prior to ongoing development and evolution.
Pricing projects - 4 ways
The best return on your design investment will be realised if we know what your budget is in advance. By trusting us with your budget, we can plan the project structure and design time to give you the best value for money within the project's financial restraints. We keep time sheets even for flat rate jobs and you will be given access to an online report that can be updated daily, allowing you to track our progress in relation to the list of objectives we have provided.
1. On a per project basis
We quote by spec and estimate a ceiling price for the project. We keep timesheets which you can view online and if a project is close to going over the ceiling price we let you know in advance.
2. An hourly rate
For some projects, usually the larger ones where it's difficult to tell exactly how long things are going to take take, we work solely by timesheet. We agree on an hourly rate and payment schedule (weekly, fortnightly, monthly) we'll send you access to your online timesheet and send project updates as often as you require them.
3. A block of time plus timesheets
At times you may want to start a project by commissioning us for the first 20 hours upfront and then continue to work based on timesheets. This is a great way to start a project if you haven't worked with us before, or if you have a website that needs a tidy up. The set hours will give you an idea of what we can do. If you're happy with the results, we could possibly discuss another block of 10 hours for example, or work off timesheet from there. You will be able to login to a client area letting you know exactly what has been done in relation to the time taken.
4. By retainer
We often charge clients a small, set retainer per month, when they are ready for a project, we use the funds accumulated in the retainer. Clients on retainer are charged a lower hourly rate and we give these jobs priority should there be a tight deadline. Retainers are particularly effective for small businesses with a tight budget. Set up an automatic payment and think of it as your branding fund that you can use throughout the year, eliminating surprises and improving control over expenditure.
