Engaging a designer who works on a creative project with you could be a bit gruelling, especially for those who have never hired one. Who does what? What is the timing? How does the work itself work? Some projects have a good start but then they end up in a muddle because of lack of client-designer communication or for little preparation by either parties, so hiring a graphic designer sometimes could be a bit struggling. The client-designer process is a collaboration, a journey travelled together, and now I’m going to show you how.

Hiring a graphic designer

Initial contact

You contact me by phone or email, talking about your project and asking for some information about the cost and the timing. Typically, the initial email is a bit vague and does not allow me to make a perfect estimate. If the answer given is satisfactory for you, we can go to the next step: the meeting.

The brief

During our first meeting, all the aspects and possible complexities of your project emerge. Sometimes you already have a precise idea of your project, sometimes you don’t. Generally, I ask enough questions to understand what type of business you have and what you would like to achieve. The more precise and articulate, the easier it is for me to understand what you really need. For example, if you open a brand new shop and ask me for a website, I would recommend to create some printed leaflets instead: they’re much cheaper and more useful for you. A website could be a next step.

Quotation

Each project is different, and there are many factors to consider when pricing, so I’ll give you a cost based only on your specific requirements. As for website fees, this is a popular post I wrote about: How much does a website cost?

Contract

I will send you my quote by email, dividing every single entry and breaking down each cost. I like being crystal clear with my clients because that is what I would like to see when I ask for a quotation of something I have no knowledge about; besides it makes it clear how your money will be spent. Sometimes fees are negotiable, or it’s possible to tailor the amount of work I will be producing to fit your budget. Once we are in agreement on the work and the fee, I will send you a contract that outlines what we have discussed. If the project is quite large, at this point I could ask for a small initial deposit, usually 30% of the total fee.

Initial Stage Design

Depending on the project, this could include initial pencil sketches (have a look at this article I wrote about designing a new logo). At this stage, it’s very important the study of your competitors, what they offer, how they present themselves and their products. If you already have a logo or a brand identity, I’ll stick to it as much as I can.

Feedback

I will send you the design by email. At this stage you have plenty of time for suggestions, comments, and feedback. If you’re happy with the project so far, I’ll crack on with the next step.

Final Design / Development Stage

After taking your comments and feedback, I will continue to the final design stage. In case we are working on your website, I’ll start developing and coding the project. Once this step is completed, there will still be room for your feedback, editing and comments.

Sign Off and Invoice

We are at the final stage now, and your project will finally see the light in the short term. I still expect some small changes, but I would expect these to be minor amendments only at this stage. Final approval from you. Once you’re happy with everything, I’ll output and supply all the relevant artwork. At this stage I’ll request payment for my work. Once you’re happy for me to do so, I would like to share my projects on my portfolio, Instagram and LinkedIn.    

For further information call or email me:
(09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday)

t: 07961 44 65 39 
e: hello@igortrovato.co.uk