Every project that comes into our studio is a custom job. There are no templates, no pre-made solutions, no quick answers. And when you work with us, you always get the "A" team. We have no junior designers. Your project will receive full attention from an experienced, top-notch designer and project manager.

Getting started on a project together

Once we decide to work together, we will meet or teleconference to review and understand the business objectives and parameters involved in your project. We will ask you for budget restrictions and timelines, and determine how we will allocate the various responsibilities for each project. We will work with you to define your business objectives, primary message, and the target audience. After reviewing any background data, we will develop a detailed scope of work outlining our recommended course of action, the costs involved, and a tentative production schedule. Like all service organizations, our cost estimates are based on how much time we think that we will need to spend on your project to make it successful. Our charges for design projects typically range from a couple thousand dollars up to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the project size and complexity. We will not begin work on your project until the cost estimates have been reviewed and mutually agreed upon in writing. Unless the project scope changes, we always work within our estimates.

The design process

Despite popular misconceptions, good creative work does not often come in a “flash of inspiration.” Typically it comes from multiple iterations and lots of trial and error. For this reason, we will ask for up to two weeks to present design directions. We will look to you for information and assistance with product specifications, service descriptions and marketing objectives, while we will handle the conceptual and creative approaches. We will need to know what corporate standards are already in place, what logos must be incorporated, and other organizational restrictions on your communication materials. We will brainstorm, sketch, develop and present two or three creative design directions for your review and approval. The objective of this phase is to arrive at an approved design concept prior to implementation, and to respond to your questions and feedback.

Implementation

During the implementation phase, we place final copy, coordinate photo shoots or custom illustrations, and finalize electronic file formats. We will also competitively bid print jobs to the most appropriate vendors, and provide you with our recommendations. We will show you final proofs for your signed approval before sending for output (or before posting your web site).

Delivery

Once approved, we will produce all of the necessary electronic files and specification documents for our agreed-upon vendor. We will also review bluelines, we may attend press checks, and we always review the final printed piece.

For web projects, we will post final files to the web server, test the site and validate code. We will also provide any agreed-upon usage documentation and training.

See a list of our services and samples of our work.