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It's always easier to begin any business venture if you know the process beforehand. This document describes how a typical design project works from start to finish:
The Life of a Design Project updated 2.16.07
The client first reaches Angled End and describes their project via the quote form, e-mail address or phone number (415 699 1425). The more detail the client sends, the more accurate and timely my estimate will be. Final costs are subject to change, but I will obtain authorization before beginning any work requiring additional money. For an example of a project estimate, click here > After a plan of action has been decided upon, I send the client a contract outlining the project terms. The contract also stipulates legal restrictions that protect the interests of both parties. A signed copy must be returned to me before work can commence, as well as a check for 1/3 of the project total.
The first step in the design process is usually a meeting with the client. It's helpful if I can get a feel for the history and mission of the organization before discussing the project goals in detail. Only after I feel I have a real handle for what the client needs will I begin actually putting designs together. The next step is the creation of comprehensive designs ("comps"), mock-ups of the final product that show different visual directions that the project can go in. If the client doesn't like any of the initial comps they can request an additional design that uses traits of one or more of the original set. Once the client is satisfied with a general design direction they must pay the second 1/3 of the project total in order to continue. For a set of comprehensive designs, click here >
I will then tweak various aspects of the project based on client feedback and my own continued design investigation. What happens next depends on the project type: Print: The cover is the only aspect of print jobs included in the above-mentioned comprehensive designs. For single-page print jobs, most of the work is finished by this point - only pre-press preparation is needed to send the final files to the press. For multi-page jobs the remaining work is made as content comes in from the client. In this case, design and approval for each page are completed in succession. Once all page designs are finalized and approved, I will complete any remaining pre-press work and send the job to press. Websites and Multimedia: Final design approval on the home page (web design) or primary interface (media design) is needed before production can commence, since changes requested after production has begun are much harder to implement. The continued production of multimedia projects varies depending on the project. Final production of website design is followed by publishing and then (if requested) submission to search engines. Logos: Following the comprehensive stage in logo design are:
Once the project is completed and sent to its final destination, an invoice for the final 1/3 of the project total (plus any previously-approved additions) is sent to the client. More often than not, this is followed by the happy client requesting another design project!
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