Q: What kinds of things do you design?
A: I mostly design for print, with my specialties being logos, business and personalised stationery. Business stationery includes business cards, letterheads, brochures etc. Personalised stationery includes:Wedding stationery (save the date cards, invitations, place cards, thank you cards etc) and birthday invitations etc. I have also designed promotional material for local theatre productions, community initiatives and music groups.
If you have a project in mind and you're not sure if I can do it, just ask!
Q:Why do I need a logo?
A: A logo is to a business what a reputation is to an individual. Your branding is how people will judge your products or services before they get to know what you have to offer first-hand. The other major advantage of your logo is that once it has been designed and you are happy with it, it can be applied to all your marketing material across social media, advertising and business stationery, thus leaving you with a brand you can be proud of. Having defined branding plays an imperative role in consumer confidence: if you have a well designed logo and consistent branding, people are more likely trust you and your company.
Q: Do you design websites?
A: I can design simple blog-based websites (like this one) for information purposes, which are easy for you to update yourself.
If you require more from your website, like e-commerce, you may need to contact a website designer separately, and I can work with them to incorporate your logo and branding into a design solution.
Q: How much will it cost?
A: I get asked this question a lot! Which of course is a fair question, but difficult to answer. I charge a competitive hourly rate for my design work, and printing costs will be billed separately, and will come directly from the printer chosen. The cost of the design therefore depends on how long it will take for me to design it. There are a couple of aspects to consider here:
1- Do you know what you want? and 2- How complicated will this be to create?
If you would like to have a chat about a design job you have in mind, feel free to contact me for an estimate of the time it will take to complete the job. (see next question for more details on this)
Q: What should I think about before meeting with a graphic designer?
A: In order to cut down on time, and costs incurred, there are a few things you should consider before meeting with a designer to help things run smoothly.
1. Project scope. Where will you be using your logo? Do you require a whole branding package, including signage and digital media graphics? Were you thinking simple wedding invitations, or a multi-page campaign, from save the date to thank you cards?
Having some idea of scope from the beginning will give more appropriate design concepts from the start.
2. Goal. This is basically about the message you are trying to send with the finished design product(s). If this is a logo you need to think about your target audience, and what kind of business personality you want to portray. Do you want to appear serious, fun, professional, quirky?
If this is personalised stationery, this is more about the kind of vibe you want for your special day. Are you aiming for traditional, or something a little different.
3. Look and feel. Some people know almost exactly what they want their design to look like, sometimes it's more a process of elimination. Mostly I find clients have a colour preference, which ties in nicely with their goal. It is important to think about this before you make an appointment to see a designer. I then can make additional suggestions on what will work from a colour theory and font choice perspective to achieve your goal.
To help yourself figure out what you want, you can start collecting examples of what you like and don't like. About 5-10 examples of each (like and dislike) is ideal. This can be other logos, websites, invitation examples... no matter the subject area. This will help me make something we can both be proud of.
Please keep in mind this process is intended as a style guide, and I cannot simply copy outright a design you like.
Q. How long will it take?
A. Currently my turnaround times are pretty quick, so depending on how much you've thought about the criteria above, I can get designs to you within a week from our initial meeting, for a small scope project. Some time should be allowed for some back and forth to get the design perfect. The turnaround times for printers will depend on the time of year, and which printing company is selected. Some large jobs are sent interstate for printing, while most others can be done locally.
Q. What about content?
A. For anything from brochures to wedding invites, you will need to start thinking about content. I can help, but if you have something specific in mind, in can make a big difference to the total cost if I don't have to type content, so emailing it to me is preferable.
Q: Are there special rates available if I am a community or charity group?
A:Yes, depending on the size of your organisation, and if you receive, or are eligible to receive government funding.
