Upon Receiving A Request

Questionnaire

In order for some to contact me they must complete a questionnaire based on the type of service they are seeking. This questionnaire allows me to gain an understanding of the project and begins the process of establishing goals.

Selectivity

I take each questionnaire into careful consideration. How passionate is the potential client about the project? Do they have an understanding of their goals? Do they show an interest in working with me specifically?

This review is important because it sets the tone for the professional relationship moving forward and gives me a good understanding of my ability to receive clear goals from the client.

Response

At this point I have taken in the goals expressed and have a clear understanding of the potential client’s needs. My response addresses the topics covered in the questionnaire and leads us into the consultation process.

Consultation and Agreement

Establishing Trust and Roles

It’s very important that the client and I have a mutual trust and clearly defined roles. The client should feel confident in my ability to execute a design that fulfills their requirements and likewise I should feel confident that the client will provide those requirements.

The client has a clear understanding of their marketplace and target audience. Therefore the client should be willing and able to provide goals and content for the project.

As the designer it is my responsibility to take the goals we have established and deliver a solution that matches those goals.

Goals

Establishing goals is crucial to delivering a solid final product. This discussion is very thorough and covers all of the information necessary to complete the project.

Open Discussions

The goal of each project is to provide value to the client. Because of this we will need to have honest and upfront conversations about the project. Hesitation to request clarification or ask questions could result in misunderstood and/or undefined goals.

Pricing

Money is not a primary focus throughout the consultation. It is my resposibility to understand what the project will require and what value it will add before discussing a price. Generally an initial price quote can be determined from the questionaire but further consultation may be required.

I do not charge hourly. Instead I devote myself to finding a solution to the established goals based on the value the final solution brings. It would be very difficult to quantify the time and effort spent both at my desk and away during the design portion of the process.

Proposal and Agreement

After the client and I have comepleted the consultation phase and have a clear understanding of the goals and terms, a final document is sent to the client containing the project goals along with the terms of our agreement.

Design Process

Research

Once the design process begins I set to work understanding how to approach the needs of my client. This involves familiarizing myself with the clients goals and taking a deeper look into their target audience as well as any competitors.

Sketching

Sketching allows concepts to be freely and loosely translated to paper. This portion of the process is a discovery phase where ideas are explored and a deeper understanding of the subject matter is established.

Develop

Once sketching is complete I take the final concepts and translate those to digital format. This allows me to make adjustments based on clarity at the required sizes and begins the process of establishing the final color pallette.

Final Review and Adjustments

The final concept is reviewed in detail before delivery. Any adjustments that need to be made are completed during this process and any exports are also inspected for quality.

Delivering the Final Concept

Once the concept is complete, I send a detailed case study to the client. This case study contains an overview of my design process for their project and discusses how the final solution accomplishes the goals of the client.

Once the final invoice has been paid, the deliverables (vector files and any exports) are emailed to the client.

From http://adriennelong.com/process

Work With Me

Questionnaire

Before we start your project, I will spend some time researching your product, and come up with a set of questions for you.

The questionnaire helps me understand the team, the vision and the product.

After filling out the questionnaire, I will work with you to create deliverables which will be delivered to you within a week.

This process has worked really well for every client because it allows for flexibility as well as time to understand each other’s working style. Weekly sprints with detailed updates creates a very agile working environment.

Discussion and Agreement (Part of the Questionnaire)

It’s very important that you (the client) and I have mutual trust and clearly defined roles. You should feel confident in my ability to execute a design that fulfills the product requirements, and I should feel confident that you (the client) will provide those requirements and communicate them clearly.

Trust

Establishing trust is fundamental to a healthy professional relationship. By taking the time to discuss your goals and expectations, we're setting the foundations for a successful project workflow. We need to be transparent about each other's roles and responsibilities, so we can start off on the right foot.

Goals

One of the most important matters we address is your goals. Defining clear expectations is what will allow us to agree on an objective vision for the project, and help me craft the best possible solution for you.

Pricing

We don’t discuss money during this time, because we need to focus on your project and your goals first.  Since I don’t charge hourly, I need a clear and thorough understanding of the project.

Agreement

When we're done, I send you an estimate which goes over everything we have discussed - the work I will do, the files you'll receive, when you'll get them, under what terms, and how much it will cost. I help you break the work down into weekly sprints and create a manageable workflow.

We start as soon as I get the estimate back signed, along with a deposit.

Design Process

Below is an outline of my design process.

Research

Before designing anything, I first familiarize myself with the product, company goals, target users, as well as any competitors so I fully understand the context for my designs. 

Develop

I share sketches, wireframes, and prototypes regularly throughout the entire design process. I test my ideas, and iterate until I decide on the best design.

Final Review

The final concept is reviewed in detail before delivery. Any adjustments that need to be made are completed during this process and any exports are also inspected for quality.

Delivering Final Designs

Once the design is complete, I send a detailed case study to you. This case study contains an overview of my design process for the project and discusses how the final solution achieves the project goals.

All work is completed in weekly deliverables with weekly invoices for each sprint. The deliverables (vector files and any exports) are delivered to you at the end of each milestone.