STEPS IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS

1

Initial Consultation

An introductory free meeting (in person or over the phone) to learn whether or not we would like to work together. The meeting time will not exceed one hour.
2

Proposal

Once a project is established, I will agree upon a rate for its creation and completion. If the project scope can be easily estimated, this will be a fixed price. If the scope cannot, because of the nature of the project, this will be an estimate. I will generally send the price proposal within 1 week or less of the initial consultation. I will then send you:

  Projected cost
Estimated Timeline
Summary of project goals
A Contract to establish mutual agreement
3

Timeline

I will set a timeline initially based upon my availability and your desired deadline. I will place your project in my next available time slot on my work calendar. Sometimes, you might need the project sooner than my next available slot. In these instances, you can purchase a "Rush Job", in which I will squeeze your project into my nights/weekends for an hourly fee of $130/hr. You will know exactly when I plan to work on your project and can expect each proposed draft at the end of the set day.
4

Revisions

After sending you a draft, I will place your project into the calendar for revision. The scope on revisions will vary greatly, depending on our collective schedules. I prefer that revision time does not exceed 4 weeks, so we can continue momentum on our projects. It is your job to get the revisions and edits to me by the the scheduled revision time slot that I send to you. If you miss this time slot, then your revisions will get placed in my next available time slot. If you need them sooner, you can always purchase a "Rush Job" at $130/hr.
5

Final Files Sent

Upon completion of our revisions, the goal is for you to have a design that you are very happy with and proud to show to prospective clients and customers! I will send you a variety of relevant file types to use for your future projects and/or to send to printers. All designs and illustrations legally belong to you and I will also send you editable files upon request.

Other Things to Consider in our Work Together

Little Jobs & Quick Fixes
I reserve a half hour each morning for small revisions and jobs. If you have a quick fix or little project (under 2 hours of work) that you'd like done, I can fit it into these time slots for no extra charge. I charge a minimum fee of $30 for small jobs.

Further Consultations  
Generally, there will be more specifics to hammer out after the proposal has been set. If needed, further consultations and meetings will be included in the proposal price estimate. There may be a need for subsequent meetings which will be billed at a rate of $95/hr.

Project Extensions  
Your happiness with the final product is of the utmost importance to me! I strongly encourage working creatively together until we can fine-tune the imagery into something you are happy with, and hopefully LOVE. Sometimes this takes longer than we expected for various reasons. In this case, we can agree upon a new plan of completion to cover the extra work, re-evaluate the scope of the project and continue from there, with full communication, which I wholeheartedly encourage throughout the entire process!

Proof-Reading  
It is the client’s responsibility to look over the final drafts and proof-read the design. I look over the text at each revision, but I don’t catch everything. We will need at least 2 sets of eyes to look over the work to make sure it says exactly what the client wants and that everything is spelled correctly.   

Fees

The first consultation is free. I prefer that it does not exceed 1 hour. I estimate each project based on a rate of $95/hr. I offer a discounted price of $85/hr to clients who can supply me with at least 2 hours of work per week regularly. Once a project is established, I will send you a price proposal.

I also offer various payment options that can help you to afford to bring your full project to fruition:

  • Payment plans
  • Simplifying the project in some form to cut back on my amount of working time

Payment Plans

Payment plan options:
  • Milestone Payment Plan: Payments made 3-6 times throughout the year. We will choose the times & amount together based on your marketing budget.
  • Completion Payment: 1 Payment upon delivery of final product plus 1/3 of the projected cost paid as a non-refundable deposit (at beginning of project) that will be credited to the final amount due.
  • Monthly Payment Plan: Payments made each month on a set date, that reflect the estimated cost or flat fee agreed upon. We will choose the amount that works best for your business. 
  • Start-up Payment Plan: At the start of the project, the client pays a non-refundable deposit that will be credited toward the final bill. They then choose a start date to begin their subsequent payments. The start-up might foresee their business making more consistent income in the future months, rather than at the start of the project. This payment plan is to accommodate small businesses who need a more flexible payment schedule. The client may then choose to pay monthly, quarterly, or in full.