Thank you for choosing Walkingstick Design for your current project. I understand that working with a business like mine may spark a few questions. I want to answer some of them to help you feel more secure in your decision to work with me.
My goal as your designer is to get a larger audience to pay attention to who you are and to the amazing things you’re doing every day.
Through trial and error, I’ve found that visually communicating your message starts off on the right foot by answering 3 questions:
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Why are you doing what you are doing?
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What do you want to say?
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Who would you like to say it to?
Once we focus on getting this information screwed into wood, I use a number of research methods to help transform your project from an idea on paper to an effective message.
I’ve discovered that effective creative work is birthed from an abundance of information, targeted research and focused conceptual thinking.
I want you to be excited and proud to send your message out into the world! Your success is mine as well.
I’ll collect your input and project parameters during our initial meeting. If additional information is needed, I’ll call, email or schedule another informational meeting.
I’ll walk with you through every step of our project. That way, there’s no unwanted surprises when we start wrapping up the project.
TIME: How long will it take?
My work experience has led me to a method of working and scheduling projects that has proven itself invaluable. I call it reverse planning.
We record the date you wish to launch and work backward from that date to mark out the rest of our milestone dates for the project. Some projects may require more or less time depending on their complexity.
To avoid costly confusion, it is important that all communication with me come from the project manager. The final proof will need to be routed to the appropriate decision maker for fact and detail checking only, reserving stylistic and subjective decisions to the project manager.
During the course of our project, I keep the project manger informed of our progress. Activities that will affect the schedule or budget are identified in writing. Our goal is to keep the project moving forward quickly, smoothly and cost effectively to make sure I produce the best possible solution.
Depending on the scope and scale of the project, a good rule of thumb for a project to work best is 6 weeks. This allows ample planning, designing, proofing and printing time to get the best possible project in your hands.
MONEY: How much will it cost?
I bill a flat rate per project and an hourly revision rate after the last round of proofs has been used.
The estimated cost is based on the entire scope and scale of the total project. I require a minimum project fee. If your project falls below my minimum, no hard feelings, but I’ll not be able to help you reach your business goal. Both my minimum project flat fee and hourly revision rate are commensurate with the regional statistics published by the AIGA and the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines.
The estimated project fee is based on similar projects that I’ve done in the past. Doing this gives me solid data to back up my estimates and is a good predictor on how to budget for the project. Once our estimate has been signed I invoice the first 50% of the project before work begins.
This 50% payment solidifies the project agreement and acts as a “walk away” fee for the project. I define the “walk away” fee as a half of a project’s estimated time paid to Walkingstick Design if you choose not to use a commissioned work. This fee includes two types of payment: a cancellation fee and rejection fee.
If you decide that you do not want the design at any point during the design process, the 50% deposit remains with Walkingstick Design for the time and effort already put into the project. The final 50% of the estimate is invoiced at the completion of our project.
All invoices I send are delivered to you via email, payable online and are due on receipt.