The Design Process

Questionnaire, Ordering and Scheduling

The first thing you will need to do is fill out the design brief. I will either send it to you to fill out after you first contact me or you may go ahead and fill it out now and send it in (instructions on form). From your answers on the questionnaire I will be able to have more of an idea of the scope of your project and your needs so I can give you an estimate for your project.

It is important to note that the estimate you receive is based on the scope and complexity of your project and the estimate of the time it will take for completion. I come up with this estimate from the the design brief you have filled out and any other information you have provided about your project. This is an estimate only. If after payment is made and work is started you decide to change the scope of your project, add any extra services or you misrepresented your needs on the design brief, you will be billed (usually upon project completion) for any extra time incurred over the initial estimate.

Once you’ve reviewed and accepted the estimate, you will need to read through and accept the contract. After that I will send an invoice for the deposit, which is due prior to the start of any work. It is used to seal your place on my schedule. The deposit amount and fee schedule will be laid out in the contract. PayPal or Google Checkout is the preferred payment method, however I will also accept check or money order.

After payment is made, I will contact you to confirm your scheduled start date.

 

Design, Installation and Testing

The Design and Installation process time is dependent on the scope and complexity of your project.

I will work with you and your answers from the design brief to create the mock up which I will send to you for your suggestions and/or approval. Normally it takes 1-2 weeks from the start date before I will have a final mock up ready to show you. Design includes up to two mock-ups and up to 4 minor revisions to the final mock up. It is very important that, after the first mock-up, you list every change that you wish to be made for your final mock-up so that I may complete the design to your satisfaction.

After your final mock-up is complete and approved by you, the installation process begins. I will need any pertinent information necessary to install your new design (i.e. CMS log in information, ftp/cpanel username and password, etc.).

You will have a chance once the design is installed to list any minor changes you wish to be made. Imagery and layout cannot be changed at this point as that was approved by you in the mock-up stage however smaller changes may be made such as link and text colors, margins, content additions, etc. Please list all changes, and I will try to implement all of your requests, within reason.

Once all final changes have been made and you have approved everything I will test out your new design. I can’t guarantee the design will look exactly the same in every single browser and/or platform, but I will do my best to ensure that it is functional in the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera, Netscape and Safari for Windows and Mac. I cannot guarantee complete functionality for older browsers/platforms. If you use a different browser or platform, and would like a design done to meet that browser or platform’s specifications, please let me know beforehand.

 

Completion

Once your design is completely installed and everything is to your satisfaction you assume all responsibility of your site. If after completion you feel you need major revisions or additions to your project you will be put on my schedule as a new work order (behind any other clients already in line) and billed accordingly.

However, you can always email me if you have questions or need help (again, within reason). I also offer website maintenance if you need regular updates to your new website.