Step 1: Initial Contact

When a client contacts me with a creative request, we will discuss the general scope of the project, and I will put together a proposal with pricing and timing estimates based on those parameters. Once a final scope and deliverables have been agreed upon, the pricing is set and the schedule is finalized.

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Step 2: Design Contract

The client receives a design contract that outlines the scope and deliverables, along with the cost and final schedule. Depending on the payment setup, a deposit may be required (1/3 of the total project cost). For those types of projects, the other two payments will be invoiced based on the deliverable dates (one at creative approval, one at the delivery of final files).

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Step 3: Creative Development

Normally, the creative development stage will result in a number of initial designs (comps) that represent different creative directions. The client will review these initial creative designs and approve one of them to move forward with.

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Step 4: Revisions & Approval

Once a creative direction has been selected, those designs will be revised and refined based on feedback from the client. The number of revisions (often referred to as "rounds") will be established by the project schedule. At the end of the revisions cycle, the client will give final approval—and the design(s) will be locked and move into production.

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Step 5: Production & Implementation

Depending on the project, the production and implementation will produce different results. For print projects, production would require setting up the files to be handed off to a printer. In the case of a website project, the working HTML site would be produced—or in the case of a database-driven site, I would make sure the visual design is applied and integrated with the dynamic backend.