How I work
How I work
So you would like to know how I work?
First, we need to establish the following:
- What is your purpose for this project?
- Who is the audience?
- What should the tone of voice be?
- What is your budget?
- Have you got deadlines?
- Would there be any third parties & stakeholders involved?
My extensive briefing document will ask about your business, your marketing strategy and your brand needs.
I want to find out as much as possible about your other marketing materials early to help avoid misunderstandings and revisions.
The costs
I have years of experience in a media agency and know approximately how much a project will cost as I have rigorously kept hours for all my projects. Often I agree to a fixed price, sometimes I work under 'T&M' (Times and Materials) at an hourly rate. I also charge 10% for project management unless you are a charity.
I will create a quote and once you accept this, I will issue a 50% commissioning invoice. We then have a final invoice after sign-off and delivery of artwork. Please note that I am VAT registered.
How long will it take
I can fit in a single illustration within a week. My schedule is busy but I can always shift things around.
- A long, intricate illustration takes 4-5 hrs
- A short illustration/ icon takes 0.5 - 1 hr
- A set of 10 clever metaphorical icons takes 6 hrs
Some of my clients have retainers, a fixed amount of hours/ months so that they have access to my schedule.
The first creative phase will be an online ideas mood board with sketches, images, colours, type and ideas you brought to me. I LOVE this phase!
Ideas and mood board
This stage is important as you may not know where your brand or story is going. This is personal; we may need a little bit of time. You may also be working with other brand designers.
A moodboard is a visual tool that helps define direction, style and vision. From the digital mood board, we will choose a direction and work the artwork towards the final product. I will always show the artwork in situ, for example on a website, in a poster.
We will define the proportions and size.
I create assets on layers so you can easily use these separately on other marketing materials. Remember though, design is an integrated process and it matters what surroundings you set your illustrations in as this may change the overall message.
The images are vector and will have a transparent background. You can blow them up to the size of an elephant!
We can make changes easily, as I can create versions and change the order of image layers.
Change of direction
If you have a change of heart, we create a change control (if we had arranged a fixed price), but only if the direction takes us somewhere completely different. I will have allocated a certain amount of hours to the project; by the time we arrive at 3/4 of the hours, I will ask you how you would like to use the remainder of the hours.
Testing
We must ensure you have a little time to live with your new illustrations.
Project management and timeline, comms
I have a work schedule which helps manage the project to ensure we meet the deliverables, the budget and the timelines.
Please supply all resources such as logos, colour palettes and images.
We can communicate via email or use a project management tool like freedcamp or Slack.
Useful to know?
I can advise on audience, engagement, marketing, online presence, branding and storytelling.
I work closely with my collab hub eg designers.
Licences: I have the right to ask for a license if you want to use your illustrations on merchandise and in publishing. Most of the time I can keep things simple.
Sign off
The sign-off brings a project to an end and identifies the next steps. If there are any significant changes after the sing-off, we will simply create a change control.
Delivery
I will create a folder of assets and final artwork, RGB for the web and CMYK for print as requested by your printers or designers. These are always available here at no extra charge, via wetransfer or on a Google Drive.
Our work relationship
I thrive in adding value to your business. I have an office in Brighton, and you are always welcome for a coffee here.
I know that illustrations can be a luxury item, but they can tell your brand story in a personal way, bring content to life and add a pinch of humour to your presentation.
I may ask you for a testimonial and possibly even permission to create a case study on my website, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Looking forward to starting a new project.
