Getting started
Everything you need to know about working with us.
Welcome
Hey there!
I’m really looking forward to getting started on this project — and I hope you are, too! My goal for this guide is to give you all the information you need to help you get the most out of this project. This guide will include things on:
- How the design process works
- What you can expect in terms of deliverables and timelines
- Your crucial role in the project
- Some of my most frequently asked questions
So have a read through this guide in your own time, and if there’s anything left unanswered just give me a shout.
—Laura Elizabeth, Creative Director
Here’s what you can expect from us working together
We do things a little bit differently. Instead of just asking for your requirements, going into our cave, and producing a design, we work with you to create something that’s not only beautifully designed, but effective.
- We understand how the web works and what makes customers engage with brands online.
- We take a collaborative approach to projects. Your input is absolutely key to the success of our project and we work around you, taking into account any guidelines you need us to adhere to.
- We design websites assuming that you’re not going to want to keep coming back for extra assets all the time. Each project gets a full style guide which will enable you to make changes to your website on the fly without needing to hire a designer.
We only work with people who are as excited about their projects as we are about web design. You won’t find any cookie-cutter solutions here, just good old fashioned craftsmanship.
Your role in the project
A lot of clients think that they should stay away from the design process. They often don’t want to ‘influence creativity’ but you actually have a much bigger role in the success of a project than you may think. So here are some ways you can get involved with your project.
Be the expert
No matter how good we are as designers, you’ll always know more about your business than us. Of course we undertake extensive research on your company before each project (as by now I’m sure you know), but your experience is much more valuable than most things we can dig up.
So don’t be afraid to give context to everything. Even if you think it’s not relevant. Because the more we know about your business, the better equipped we’ll be to create solutions that are tailor made for you.
Use every opportunity that you can to talk about your business. Unless you’re a designer, your strengths don’t necessarily lie in design. But that’s ok, because you’ve hired the experts, right? Play to your strengths, and we’ll play to ours. Between us, we’ll come up with something that both looks great and works for your business.
Manage your team
It’s also your job to get your team in order and decide who is responsible for what. It’s best to set roles at the very start of the project and clearly state who is responsible for signing things off.
If that person is you, you need to be involved in the whole process. If you’re coming in periodically through the project, you’re going to really struggle to know what’s going on and be able to make informed decisions.
So with that in mind, if you’re super busy, it’s better to give someone else the authority to sign off design work and trust them that they’ll do the job well.
Give feedback in a timely manner
We pride ourselves on producing great quality work in a reasonable timeframe. But we need your help to ensure we meet these deadlines. We have a long pipeline of work at any time and if there are delays in us getting feedback it might mean we need to pause the project until we get another gap.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to be realistic at the start of a project how long you need to provide feedback so we can factor it into the timeline and ensure deadlines are met.
Ask questions
When working with us, feel free to ask as many questions as you like. Questions usually lead to better results than asking for a specific change.
Don’t worry about annoying us — we are absolutely thrilled when we see that you’re taking such a keen interest in the why’s behind their work. We spend a lot of time behind the scenes deliberating over them so we would love the chance to discuss our reasonings with you.
Overall your role in a project is a big one. Sure, you’re hiring us to create a website but without your input and knowledge, the project won’t be half as successful as it can be.
So get stuck in!
Your project deliverables and timeline
WEEK 1
Planning + Strategy
We get down to the nitty gritty of your idea, working out details like the functionality, audience impressions and the look and feel.
Deliverables: A detailed brief summarizing the above and fully mapped out user journeys & interactions.
WEEK 2
Content Writing
Based on the above we will identify areas in which we need content writing completed. This will be your job to either do yourself with our guidance, or hire a copywriter.
Deliverables: You to provide me with finalised content.
WEEK 3
Wireframes + Prototyping
We refine the brief and user journeys as needed and begin creating wireframes detailing all functionality for Phase 1. This will be delivered as a clickable prototype in Invision.
Deliverables: Fully working prototype of wireframes.
WEEK 4-5
Design + Revisions
We take all the content and information and design the key templates. These will be flexible enough to use throughout the website and in the future. We’ll present them to you as mockups and together we will see how they meet your company’s goals. We will revise as needed.
Deliverables: Mock ups of key templates.
WEEK 6
Style Guide
The style guide will be a work in progress throughout the whole project but now is the time to finalise and make sure everything has been included that you will need to develop the website. We often get told this is the most useful part of the whole project 🙂
Deliverables: Full Style Guide in PSD or Sketch format.
WEEK 7
Final Handover
We both review all deliverables again and we will then do a final quality check. All assets will be delivered to you for desktop, mobile, tablet (if needed) in both normal and retina resolution.
Deliverables: All your final files
Accessing your deliverables from your portal
When we started this project, you were assigned a portal for you to view the project status and all your deliverables from.
You can log in there at any time and you’ll see in real time exactly what we’re working on, as we’re working on it. We have a build in the open philosophy and we want you to be able to check in with your project and make comments at any time.
Here’s what the different modules mean:
- This module has been completed — you can view or download your file here.
- This is something that is currently being worked on. Check back whenever you like and see how it’s progressing.
- This is a deliverable that’s coming up, but we haven’t started working on it yet.
This means that as the project progresses, you can see how much we have left to go so you’ll always know where we are at any point.
You can also access all our files from your portal and everything will be stored there for a full year after completion (after which, we’ll send you a backup of the portal that you can keep forever). No more worrying about losing files – everything will be safe and sound exactly when you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of our most frequently asked questions we get. Anything to add? Email us and we’ll answer your burning questions.
Writing content is hard! Can you do it for me?
We know writing content can be a struggle. That’s why we’ve created an in-depth guide and worksheet to help you easily write the most effective content.
We believe the best content comes from you because you know your business and your audience more intricately than we do. However, we’re not asking for Shakespeare. If writing isn’t your strong suit, don’t worry. We go through every piece of content submission and re-write it so it’s compelling and effective. We just need you to get the basics there.
What if I don’t like the design you create?
We’ve battle-tested our process so much over the years that we are confident that you’re going to live the first design we produce for you. All that research we do? That’s all done so we can get a good idea about your likes and dislikes which gets us as close as possible to a perfect design the first time.
We’ve never had a project where we need to redo the design because it’s missed the mark. But that said, if that did happen rest assured that we will do everything we can do get the project back on track and make sure you’re happy with it. There’s absolutely no risk to you.
Can you help us with the development of the website?
Yes, absolutely! We have partnered with some amazing web development firms who will be more than happy to get your website coded to perfection. We’ll even manage the entire process for you so you can be confident that when your website is live, it’s going to be pixel perfect and working like a dream.
We hope you’ve found this guide useful. Is anything missing? If so, email us at (email address) and we’ll get it sorted for you.
