Design Synthesis Project Guide

BEFORE YOUR PROJECT BEGINS

Before your project begins, please complete the following:

1. Signed Contract: Your signed agreement must be received before your scheduled start date.

2. Payment Completed: Your booking payment is required to reserve your start date. Please complete any payments due before kickoff according to your proposal and invoice.

3. Brand Questionnaire and Vision: Complete your Brand Questionnaire thoroughly. Take time to reflect on your story, values, audience, offerings, and long-term goals so we have a strong foundation for the identity.

4. Visual Inspiration: Contribute to the shared Pinterest board and gather any visual or written references that communicate the feeling you hope your brand will convey. These will help us understand your preferences and serve as inspiration rather than something we directly replicate.

5. Brand Name and Materials: Confirm that you have the legal rights to use your chosen business name and any names, phrases, images, or other materials you provide. Naming and trademark clearance are outside the project scope.

6. Website Questionnaire and Content: Complete the Website Questionnaire and begin gathering copy, images, testimonials, product or service details, and any policies or disclosures your site needs. We will give you a specific deadline for final website content before the website phase begins. Please let us know early if anything is still in progress. Copywriting, photography, and creating new content are separate services unless included in your proposal.

7. Account Access: Before the website phase, provide access to your website platform, existing site, domain registrar, and any approved integrations. We will tell you which accounts we need and how to share access securely. Please keep your domain and platform accounts in your business’s name.

8. Decision-Maker Availability: Appoint one final decision-maker who can gather input from your team, provide clear and consolidated feedback, and approve key stages of both phases.

We will send your project dates, review points, and preparation deadlines before kickoff. The website content and access deadlines may fall during the brand phase, so you will have time to prepare them while we design the identity. Please let us know about travel or other availability constraints as early as possible.

YOUR EIGHT WEEK PROJECT FLOW

The outline below is a guide. We will share the specific dates and review points for your project, and some tasks may overlap. The brand phase comes first so that the approved identity can guide the website. The website platform, pages, and functionality included are those approved in your proposal.

Week 1 | Brand discovery and creative direction

• We begin with a brand project launch call to discuss your questionnaire, goals, audience, and the way you want the brand to feel and function. We research your market and positioning, then develop a custom mood board, typography direction, and color exploration.

Your part: Join the launch call, share any missing context, and review the proposed creative direction before we move into identity design.

Week 2 | Identity concepts

• Using the approved direction, we explore logo and visual identity concepts and present a focused recommendation. The strategy begins to take shape through logo design, typography, color, and the beginnings of a broader visual system.

Your part: Tell us what is working and what needs refinement, with your team’s thoughts gathered into one response. We will use that feedback to develop the selected direction.

Week 3 | Brand refinement and expansion

• We refine the selected identity and build its supporting pieces, including the logo variations, submarks, illustrations, graphic elements, and favicon that make sense for the approved system. You will see how the identity works across relevant examples.

Your part: Review the refinements carefully, check names and spelling, and approve the core identity. Continue preparing your website copy, images, and account access for the next phase.

Week 4 | Brand guidelines and transition

• We organize the approved visual system into brand guidelines and a brand launch success roadmap. We meet for a final brand launch call to walk through the identity and discuss how it will carry into the website.

Your part: Confirm your approval of the brand system, attend the brand launch call, and deliver the final website content and access by your agreed preparation deadline. We will use the approved identity as the foundation for the website phase.

Week 5 | Website strategy and planning

• We begin the website phase with a launch call to discuss your goals, content, and the actions you want visitors to take. We review the supplied materials, plan the site structure and page priorities, and establish how the new brand will work online.

Your part: Join the website launch call, provide any remaining information, and review the proposed structure and priorities before we move into design.

Week 6 | Website design direction and key pages

• We develop the website’s visual direction using the approved brand system and begin designing its key pages. You will see how the identity, content, layout, and navigation work together.

Your part: Review the design direction and key page layouts. Send one clear response with your team’s feedback so we can refine and extend the approved approach.

Week 7 | Website build and content

• We carry the approved direction across the remaining pages in your project scope, place your supplied content, and refine the experience for desktop and mobile. We review content placement and navigation as the site comes together.

Your part: Review the pages carefully. Check names, prices, contact details, links, images, and wording, then send consolidated feedback while there is time to make refinements.

Week 8 | Final review and launch preparation

• We make the approved refinements, proof the site, complete the agreed search engine optimization work, and prepare the domain connection and launch. We provide a website launch success roadmap and meet for a final website launch call to review the finished site and discuss next steps.

Your part: Complete your final review, test any forms or purchase paths included in your scope, approve the site, and attend the launch call. The launch date depends on timely approval, required access, and any third-party platform or domain processes.

HOW WE WILL WORK TOGETHER

• Communication and feedback: We will share presentations, questions, and important decisions through your project dashboard and email. Please respond with one consolidated set of feedback or an approval within one business day of each review request, unless we agree on another deadline in writing. Your primary contact should resolve any conflicting opinions internally before sending feedback.

• Calls and availability: We will schedule a kickoff and final call for each phase. We may arrange other check-ins needed for your particular project. You do not need to be available all day, but please set aside time to review work and make decisions throughout the eight-week project period.

• Revisions and approvals: Reasonable refinements to the selected brand direction are included during the brand phase. We will also refine the approved website design, page layouts, and content placement during the website phase. A major change to an approved brand direction or site structure, new deliverables, additional pages or functionality, or work requested after the relevant phase may require a separate quote. We will discuss and approve added work before it begins.

• Timing: We reserve approximately eight consecutive weeks for your project. Missing materials, content, access, feedback, or approvals can affect what we can complete within that period. A significant change to the brand after the website phase begins may also affect the website schedule. If work is delayed, we may need to adjust the remaining tasks or schedule them for our next availability. The eight-week outline is an anticipated process, not a guaranteed launch date.

WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE

• Full Brand Design: Market research and positioning, a custom mood board, font and color selections, a full logo suite, brand guidelines, and a brand launch success roadmap. The logo suite includes a primary logo, two variations, submarks, supporting illustrations and elements developed for the approved system, and a favicon. Approved brand assets will be delivered in AI (Illustrator), PNG, JPG, and SVG formats as appropriate, according to the payment and delivery terms in your agreement.

• Full Website Design: Strategy and planning, design of the pages and functionality approved in your proposal, content proofing, search engine optimization, domain connection, a website launch success roadmap, and a final website launch call. Depending on the agreed scope, pages may include Home, About, Services, Contact, Blog, E-Commerce, FAQs, or other approved pages.

  • We will design and prepare the website using the content and materials you provide. Content proofing helps us catch placement and presentation issues, but you remain the final reviewer of factual details, spelling, pricing, policies, and links. Search setup helps the site launch with a sound foundation; search rankings and traffic cannot be guaranteed.

  • Website platform plans, domain renewals, apps, subscriptions, payment-processing fees, and other third-party costs are paid directly by your business unless your proposal says otherwise. Please download and back up your final brand files promptly and retain access to your website and domain accounts.

NEED SOMETHING ELSE?

Once your brand and website are complete, we would love to continue supporting your business as it grows. We can discuss packaging, stationery, print materials, additional web pages, ongoing updates, campaign graphics, and other brand-aligned design needs.

Additional services are not automatically included in your Design Synthesis Project. Depending on the scope, they may be billed at our standard rate of $150 per hour or quoted as a separate custom project. All additional work will be discussed and approved before it begins.

OUR COMMITMENT

During your Design Synthesis Project, we will bring care, creativity, and attention to each stage. We will communicate clearly, guide you through the decisions, and make sure the brand and website are developed as one connected experience. We want you to leave with a visual identity that feels true to your business and a website that makes it easy for your audience to understand what you offer. Thank you for trusting us with both!

WE’RE SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE

We are excited to spend the next eight weeks creating something meaningful together. Our hope is that the process feels organized, collaborative, and enjoyable from the first conversation through launch. Let’s bring it all to life!