The Process
Free Consultation
Our first step is to book a call to talk about your brand. I’d like to meet you in person so I prefer Skype, Zoom or even Facebook Messenger video, but the phone is just fine too. I’ll have a few questions for you and you can ask me anything! Once we’ve had the call, I will send you a proposal based on our conversation.
Before our consultation, I’m going to send you a questionnaire that will help me prepare for our call.
At the bottom of this page, you can book a date and time to get started!
Proposal, Contract + Deposit
Once we’ve had our call and you have decided you want to move forward, I will prepare the Proposal, outlining everything we discussed and I will offer my suggestions. You can give me your feedback and once we’ve solidified the plan I will prepare the contract.
Before we begin working together, we will both sign my development and design contract. This customized contract will ensure that we are both fully protected and will help us avoid any confusion.
I can assure you that if I agree to work with you, you will get 100% from me, 100% of the time we work together. Your payment shows that you are serious and committed to seeing this project through to the end.
Along with the contract, to secure your spot in my schedule, you’ll need to pay the 50% deposit before the project start date. A deposit is required on all projects. The remaining 50% is due when the project is complete, but before the files are handed over.
* Note. If any project is less than $1,000 USD, the total amount will be due before work commences.
** Note. For projects more than $5,000 USD, payment plans may be available so please don’t hesitate to ask.
Communication & Project Management
I will add you to my project management system, Asana. You’ll have your own private log-in, and this where we will continue to communicate, keep track of tasks, and share files and feedback. Don’t worry if you are not familiar with Asana, I will walk you through the set-up and use.
Deep Dive & Creating Your Story
Before I can start designing I really need to get to know you and your business.
Your Story: Authentic branding begins with figuring out what makes you (or your business) unique. Owning your story : What gave you the inspiration to create your business? – What led you to this point?
- Why did you get started?
- Who are you passionate about helping and why?
- What motivates you every day?
Clarify the Foundation of Your Business – We will define the basics of your business and what specific values you provide. We will identify the true principals that guide your business. This is an integral part of creating your mission and your message. We will define the tone of your messaging. – What words and vocabulary will be the most authentic?
- Establishing the Tone of your Words
- Visual Style
- Concept Board Designs
Time to Create
Once we know what we are saying (your message) and who you are saying it to (your ideal client) then we can start to develop your visual brand.
– Colours
– Fonts
– Textures
– Graphic Elements
– Photographs
– Email Marketing Opt-In PDF
It will be time to decide the look, feel and style of your logo, your social media, and your website, and most importantly, keep it consistent.
We will discuss design and what works with the messages you want to send to your visitors and potential clients.
Coming Together
This is where you are going to see things really start to come together.
1. Mood Board : Like your own private Pinterest page, we will use the colours we’ve chosen, the fonts we like… textures, graphics and photos from your Mood Board to keep us on track and inspire us with the visual design.
2. Logo : Through the process of creativity and elimination, I will design the right logo for you. Whether it’s a simple word-mark logo or a logo with a graphic symbol, you receive files you can use anywhere.
3. Brandboard : Your brand Board will have your logo (and it’s variations), your specific colours, your fonts, any graphic that was created for you specifically, etc.
Website Design
If your package includes a website, then it is time to get started. While I have been busy designing your visuals, you will have been working on your copy (text).
I design all WordPress websites on one of my development domains. First I’ll create a mockup of your landing page or home page. This will let us focus on the structure and layout before we get into adding in all of the content and branding. After you’ve approved the layout, I will start adding the elements we created, and copy. There will be option boxes, contact forms, links to different pages to develop… and so on. You will need to keep in mind that there will only be 2 opportunities to make changes. * additional changes can be discussed.
Final Steps
Now that we’ve got all our elements together, it’s time to launch. Once the final payment is received, all your finalized brand files will be transferred to you via Dropbox and if we’ve developed a new website, I’ll transfer your new site to your domain and you’ll be ready to share it with the world.
Branding starts from the inside-out.
The most common mistake people make when they are starting out is
focusing on finding a logo designer and then a website.
There is so much more to your brand than just ‘what it looks like’.
You need to know Your ‘Why’ and your ideal client‘s ‘What’ before you can start.
I work with clients to help them dig deep and discover why they’ve decided create their business, what really drives their passion and I help them fine-tune in order to discover who their ‘Ideal Client’ is.
Once we’ve created that ideal customer Avatar, developed a memorable brand story and once the foundation is built, we set to work on making the visual aspect worthy, make it as functional as it is attractive.