What does custom designed mean, really? It means that your website is designed just for you. It's not pressed out of a cookie cutter, it's not a recoloured version of someone else's, it's not made of recycled junk. It's new, it's fresh and it's YOU. Custom Design includes: extensive client consultation all necessary graphics, layouts & navigation systems necessary copywriting interactive elements* implementation of client supplied 3rd party software/ecommerce meta tags search engine submission promotional support * some elements may require third party script/software Things that keep costs down: the more FINAL copy you send us the faster we can go the more electronic images your can provide us with the less it will cost you the clearer idea of what you want, the faster and cheaper your site will be you are the boss, so ultimately, you decide what stays and what goes - ask questions first, so we don't build things you don't need web design is NOT an overnight process. It's like fine wine... it takes time... haste makes waste Something that really helps cut costs is drawing a map of your site - as you see it - relative pages, what should be logically linked to what, images that you want to use.

Custom Designed Websites

"...BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WANT YET!"

Fear not! We'll help you! Extensive consultation and brainstorming is included in our custom work. We work WITH YOU to get a site that suits your market, your product/service, your style and your needs.

FIRST, we talk. Getting the initial ballpark doesn't cost you anything, nor obligate you to hire us.

Until we get started we won't know EXACTLY what you want, and we have found that clients who aren't really sure what they want are often unaware of what's possible, especially if this is their first website. Often, when you first think about it, you don't think of everything.

How do we get to a ballpark? Experience. How big will the ballpark be? That depends.

Typical, you think, of a designer... the estimate depends... What it depends on is YOU.
READ THIS ARTICLE to learn why it depends.

So - once the ballpark has been approved and a deposit secured (we charge 35% up front) we get down to brass tacks... and the real fun begins!

One thing we'll guarantee you... you WILL get more than your money's worth. How can we guarantee that? By having a work ethic that dictates value added service. We won't nickle and dime you to death. We'll always go above and beyond. And we don't charge YOU for our mistakes. We're human... mistakes or misinterpretations happen. But we won't charge you to fix them if it was our error.

 

Before anything goes on screen - we will ask you LOTS OF QUESTIONS.

This process can take a couple days or a couple weeks - depending on your answers. We also ask that you send us ALL the printed material you currently use so we can keep your current image in mind. It also helps us get to know you better, and become familiar with your product/service so we can write copy as we go.

THEN we get started planning. We pull out the Post-it Notes®, clear off a chunk of wall and start playing with structure. While we do that, we take all the files from our conversations with you and generate design ideas. Once we get some that we're happy with, we'll send you drafts to look at... and we're off to the races!

Generally, we expect to product 3-4 design concepts for you to consider. Sometimes we can get it one go, but usually even that goes through a number of subtle revisions before the site is "final". Sometimes... it takes a lot more. That's the nature of design. We don't apologize for it. Design is evolutionary - you start with an idea and see where it goes. If you have a clear idea where you want to end up, it helps reduce the in-between time - sometimes, though, even if you have a crystal clear plan, a waft of inspiration can take us in a completely different - and better - direction. You have to remain open to the possibilities that the perfect design is out there... however, that is not a guarantee that we'll deliver it.

We don't try to fool ourselves - so we won't try to fool you - we are not the be all and end all... maybe we won't click. But one thing we will do is try everything in our power to make it happen.

When we've hit THE design, then things start to take shape. Pages & images get built, a structure gets defined, a navigation system is developed and content starts to get poured into the framework.

Depending on the scope of your site - and our current workload - this part could take days, weeks or months. We do everything we can to balance our workload to meet schedules, so we do like to set deadlines for things.  Sometimes client emergencies come up, however, and things must get shifted. All we ask is that you have confidence that when YOUR emergencies come up, we'll do the same for you.