Welcome, you’re all booked!
You just made the BEST decision for your brand.
I know you may be feeling nervous about that decision. I want to assure you that you have nothing to feel nervous about. I only take on projects that I’m passionate about with clients I believe in. Together, we’ll design a beautiful brand fit for you and your customers.
This page is intended to welcome you into my process and set clear expectations for us both to follow on our new journey together.
Go through this page and if you have any questions at all, just shoot me a message!
Moodboard Sample
Here’s what I need from you to get the project started:
CREATE A PINTEREST BOARD
On Pinterest, create and fill a public board with inspiration for your project. If you get stuck, feel free to pin from my Pinterest boards.
Send me the link to your board when you’re done so I can see it! (You can delete the board once your project is complete).
If Pinterest isn’t your thing, don’t worry. You can search Google for images that resonate with the way you want your project to feel and simply upload them to the ‘Pinterest’ task inside the Client Portal. Watch the video below in the “Project Management” section of this page to see how to do this.
COMPLETE YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE
Please check your Client Portal for a link to your questionnaire. This gives me great insight into your audience, goals, likes/dislikes, and overall strategy.
BOOK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY CALL
Use this link to book your brand strategy session where we’ll take a more in-depth look at your project to establish a clear direction on how to move forward to phase 1.
Be sure to book this call the week of your project start date. The calendar opens 30 days in advance, so if your project starts more than a month from now, you will have to wait.
Communication & Timelines
My office hours:
Monday - Friday, 9AM - 5PM EST
Communication hours:
Monday - Friday, 10AM - 6PM
Meeting Days:
I’m free to take calls on Mondays and Thursdays.
When presenting concepts or going through revisions, we may jump on a Zoom call to go through the presentation and questions live – I’ve found that this really helps the project to progress faster!
Debut Capital logosuite
My Process
I take a “one-concept” approach meaning I present you with your entire brand identity all at once. You’ll receive a deck with your brand strategy, moodboard, color palette, primary logo, sub logos, brand marks, type system, icons, patterns and business card design. I’ll explain my rationale behind the branding, which is informed by our initial brand strategy session as well as the inspiration, goals, and audience for the project. This process takes between 4-6 weeks to complete from start to finish.
Why, you wonder?
The reason for the one-concept approach is that branding is more than just a logo. It’s the look and feel, voice, and tone, and overall messaging of who you are, all of which is made up of all the components of your brand. It’s important to see your brand in context so you can visualize how it will look and be perceived out in the world. You’ll still have the opportunity to make two revisions following your first proof, but I aim to nail it on the first shot!
Project Management Training
Now you’re booked in my schedule, we’ll stop using email to have our conversation and we’ll start using my project management tool, Dubsado.
A project management tool is a secure space online where we have conversations, share files, set reminders, and create to-do lists.
Whereas files often get lost when I’m managing projects through email, nothing gets lost or forgotten in Dubsado. It’s the simplest way to keep your project organized and make sure it goes as smoothly as possible!
Don’t worry – you won’t need to pay for this tool and it’s not hard to use. Watch the video below to see a 2-minute tutorial on how to use it!
Feedback Guidelines
At different stages throughout the project, you will be asked to provide feedback on design concepts, colors, fonts, etc. Providing feedback can be hard, but it’s important to make it constructive to ensure the project can move forward smoothly.
I really appreciate simple and straightforward feedback. It helps me clearly understand your thoughts and make the right changes to your designs.
KEEP YOUR IDEAL CLIENT IN MIND
This project is of course very close to your heart but it’s important to always keep your target audience top of mind and not get caught up in personal preferences. Therefore, instead of sharing what you like/dislike personally, try to view it from your Ideal Client’s eyes and think about how would they react to the design. Remember, at the end of the day, this project is all about them!
BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE
Vague or contradicting feedback can create confusion and set us back, therefore try to be as specific as possible when providing feedback. Focus on one element at a time and try to explain why you like/dislike something and provide a suggestion on how I could improve it. For example, instead of saying “I don’t like this color”, try “I don’t think this color will appeal to our audience because […]. Perhaps we could try a warmer color?”
ASK QUESTIONS & TRUST MY EXPERTISE
My design process is very intentional and I always ensure that each element is built with purpose. So while I will do my best to walk you through my thought-process, don’t hesitate to ask questions if you’re unsure about something. This also helps show that you value my opinion and trust my expertise – at the end of the day, there’s a reason why you chose me as your Partner for this project, right?
Here are a few tips on providing awesome feedback:
Try and use bullet points to break up your feedback.
Read over your feedback to make sure it’s clear and check that you’ve answered any questions I may have asked.
Use the feedback form I send you rather than sending feedback via email so we can streamline the process.
If you have team members that would like to add their feedback, I kindly ask that you gather the feedback into one message. This stops everyone from getting confused and keeps the project organized.
To help keep your project on track to finish on time, please provide all feedback within 2 business days of hearing from me.
I really appreciate your effort to provide files and feedback on time and to communicate within the times and days outlined above. Timeliness from both of us will help us get your project done on (or even before!) the deadline so you can move on to the next exciting task on your to-do list and I can cheer you on.
Payment Policy
A non-refundable 30% deposit is due to book your spot in my schedule.
35% is due the day before we start your project.
35% is due when the project is complete but before I hand over your final files.
If your first 35% payment is late, I can put your project on hold. We can restart the project at a later date but a Rescheduling Fee will be charged.
All invoices are payable within 30 days of receipt. A 1 ½% monthly service charge is payable on all overdue balances. The grant of any license or right of copyright is conditioned on receipt of full payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will you send me the fonts you used?
In short, no. I own the licenses to the font files I use in your project. However, if you’d like to purchase these fonts, just let me know and I can get that sorted for you!
Will you send me the editable design files?
These files are not included in the project. But if you do want them, let me know and I’ll create a separate invoice for the cost of these files.
Do I own the files once paid for?
As stated above, you don’t own the actual artwork files unless agreed upon in the contract. However, all branding and designs belong to you once the project is complete and paid for.
What kind of files will I receive?
You will receive EPS (Vector), JPEG, PNG, and PDF files for all logos in your both print primary brand colors as well as black and white.
What’s next?
After you’ve completed everything in the Homework section of this page, we’re all set to begin your project on your start date.
Click here to set up an optional call where you can ask any last-minute questions you may have before your project starts.
I look forward to working with you!
Sophia Yeshi