WORK WITH US

We've created this FAQ page to help answer any questions you may have before we start working together. If you have any other questions, please get in touch!

FAQS

Projects

  • We offer a range of graphic design services including branding, website design, social media design, email design, stationery, packaging and presentation design. We offer both project and retainer basis. If we can’t help with your specific projects we probably know someone who can!

    Check out more about our services here.

  • Pricing projects are done on a bespoke basis. We can scale the scope of work up and down to suit a variety of budgets.

    If you are working toward a specific figure please let the team know on our discovery call so we can tailor our proposal to your needs where possible.

    It’s helpful if you earmark a budget to put towards design services. Remember, good design is an investment and there is a much larger cost to your business by using bad design!

  • Every project is different! At the beginning of a project, we will discuss an estimate for the timeline.

    A good rule of thumb is, the better the brief the faster the turnaround so please ask if you’d like any help with what to include.

    More on the process here.

  • As a small studio with a busy portfolio, we are unable to accommodate every request. We have a waiting list for new projects and so if a project isn't an ideal fit, we can provide a list of referrals upon request for designers who may be more aligned stylistically and/or have more availability.

  • As we are a busy studio, we have a waiting list for new projects. Depending on your project size, we have different lengths of waiting list. Our retainer offer priority access to design for ongoing work, simply email us with your brief.

Branding

  • In short, good branding makes you attract the right type of customer by telling them visually that you are right for them. Without good branding, the wrong types of customers might be trying to work with you, or you might be struggling to find a place in the sector you work in. You also may be sending the wrong message out to the world, without realising it! Get in touch for more information, or have a read of our blog.

  • As with other design projects, we price on a bespoke basis. We have three brand packages available for start-up to mid-sized businesses and can tweak these further to personalise them to your business’s specific needs.

  • Depending on the scope of work, branding can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 4 months+. At the beginning of a project, we will discuss an estimate for the timeline.

    More on the process here.

  • Two rounds of amends are included within all of our project work unless otherwise stated. We are able to create and provide templates if these are required, but please let us know that you need templates at the beginning of the project. Working files are not provided as standard.

  • Yes, and no. A tricky question to answer without chat with you first but a good question to ask yourself is, why do I need this logo? If you have other brand elements in place, such as fonts and colours, icons and patterns, then let’s talk. If you haven’t it’s likely you will need more than a logo to successfully and professionally present your brand to market - but we are experts in the area, so submit and enquiry and we can talk it through.

  • Select your business name! Please remember to cross-check Companies House (or your government’s version of this) for similar names that are already taken.

    Then purchase your URL or domain name via a trusted source. I recommend Go Daddy. Also grab any names that are similar to your domain, just in case anyone makes a typo for instance I should really buy solelycreative as well as soleycreative.

    Finally, see if you can get your social media handles - it might be worth checking these before you commit to a business name and url, so that if not available you have a chance to get everything in line.

Design Retainers

  • We offer design retainers on a monthly basis. These retainers can include any repeating design tasks, and occasionally one-off tasks like events collateral, accreditation application like Positive Luxury etc. We help our current retainer clients with emails and social media design as well as website up-keep and general consultancy. For more information click here.

  • Our minimum retainer is the cost of a day of studio time per month. However, we scale this up based on requirements, so before booking a discovery call please have a list of regular recurring design work that your business needs design support with, and we can give you an estimate on time to complete.

  • Design retainers are a minimum of one day a month for a 12 month period. After the initial 3 months, a 1 month notice is required for cancelling the contract. After 12 months the contract would be reviewed.

  • Retainers are booked on a timed-basis, so you can include most design tasks that repeat month to month - for example; email design, social media and reels design, website banners, social media ads, digital marketing adverts, seasonal collateral and press information. We can also help with one-off projects like preparing your policies for an accreditation like Positive Luxury, or B-Corp status. As well as creating invitations, signage and lookbooks for press events or influencer dinners and the like! Get in touch here for more information.

  • A design retainer is a way of paying for graphic design services on an ongoing basis. This format enables businesses to have design resources throughout the month without waiting for a design team to have availability. This method is also recommended for businesses who want a designer that knows their brand, customer and purpose so that the design communications are fit for purpose and commercially balanced with a creative edge.

Websites

  • We design websites that are commercially focused despite being a service, portfolio or eCommerce website. We offer best-practice UX/UI alongside an on-brand design that helps your website fulfil its purpose.

    We use Squarespace, Shopify and also design in XD/Sketch working with developers to produce websites on other platforms.

  • Your website will be costed based on the number of pages, type of functionality, content fulfilment requirements and whether help is required on the launch day. It’s great to come to the initial discovery call with an idea of this and perhaps some examples of specific functionality if necessary e.g. booking system/blog/product filtering.

  • This timeline varies from a few weeks to months depending on the scope of work. We will confirm this with you upon enquiry.

  • Yes, we pride ourselves on offering a service that enables our clients to own their website and make changes to it themselves without enlisting further help unless there is a drastic addition or change. We will leave you with a how-to guide so basic text and image changes can be made by you, enabling commerciality and reactivity to the market.

  • Yes, we work with a team of specialists at our sister agency A Few Great Women, to provide Shopify websites for eCommerce brands.

  • Development costs significantly differ depending on your website's platform, functionality and complexity. A certain level of development is included within Squarespace websites but we will highlight any particulars along the way, should they require a specialist. Shopify websites are all currently built alongside a developer, for which we will share an estimate.

Payment + Contract

  • For projects –
    Deposits are made to secure a start date, on a first-come first-served basis, alongside the signing of a contract. The balance payment is due upon sign-off after the listed included rounds of amends. Staggered interim payments are sometime included in the contract for larger projects.

    For retainers or time-based projects –
    Total upfront payments are required, alongside the signing of a contract, to allow for easy file sharing.

  • Deposits are required to book a slot into the studio diary, which helps us work efficiently and avoid cancellations that can be disruptive to the flow of work. More about cancellations and project suspensions is included in the contract.

  • Our contracts protect both our studio and your business. The terms detail our plan should anything out of our control go wrong during the project (if the pandemic taught us anything it’s that this is really important!). It also specifies payment terms, detail about ownership and rights as well as the legalities of working with a designer.

  • Our deliverables-based projects include a specific number of ‘amend’ rounds (times you can make changes/give feedback on the design). Should you use these rounds and find something else has come up, please let us know as soon as possible - we will then be able to confirm if this is included or would be chargeable at an hourly or day rate before progressing with the change.

  • At this time, we have chosen not to accept PayPal, Venmo or similar due to the associated fees that would have to be passed on to clients - which frankly, sucks. We also do not take credit cards at this time.

Consulting

  • As well as a range of graphic design services including branding, website design, social media design, email design, stationery, packaging and presentation design, Soley creative offer consultation on brand, website, email and social design. We offer power hour calls to cover a range of topics enabling and empowering you to do your own design work with an expert helping hand.

    Check out more about our services here.

  • We ask for a glimpse into the current business, including current problems, a short history, what has gone well and what hasnt, as well as any specific focus areas for the call in advance. This helps our team deliver a call that is useful to you, by enabling time to prepare.

  • These bookings can be made for solopreneurs, co-founders and small teams. We recommend team’s no larger than 5 to ensure focus is maintained and the time is used efficiently. Please let us know who will be joining the call and their job title/description ahead of the call so we can structure in the most helpful way for you.

  • We offer 3 types of Power Hour calls:

    The Power Hour

    If you have questions about working with a designer, want to pick the brains of someone who worked in the fashion industry for 10 years? Or maybe you aren't quite ready for in-depth branding but you want to chat with a professional to check that you're heading in the right direction in your DIY - this power hour is for you!

    The Problem Solver

    Feeling a bit lost or overwhelmed about your brand? Not sure how to execute that awesome marketing idea in the real world? Looking to find an on-budget on-brand solution but don't know where to start? Jump on a call with me and use my big brand experience (10 years!) to get the insider scoop and get that idea off the ground.

    Ideation Session

    Tired of following the crowd and churning out the same content month on month? let's chat about your business and find new solutions to showcase your brand in a fresh light, new ideas and solutions will be dreamt up and actionable steps identified to attract more of those ideal clients who help your business thrive.

    To book, get in touch.

  • In short, yes! We have previously been invited to speak on panels including Creative Conversations with Pink Palms Events & St James’ Place, as well as a visiting lecturer at Condé Nast College, London. Contact us for more information.

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