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The typical timeline for our Signature Custom Brand and Website Design Experience is 12-16 weeks. We are dedicated to providing prompt responses and maintaining open communication, committing to a turnaround time of 24 business hours. However, it is important to note that the success and timely completion of your project greatly rely on your timely and proactive communication as well. By actively participating and providing feedback in a timely manner, we can ensure a smooth and efficient design process.

We are usually booking 1-3 months in advance. We recommend getting in touch as soon as you begin thinking about working with a designer, and well before your deadline or launch date.

So glad you asked! Below you'll find an overview of our design process. An effortless experience awaits.

01. Discovery Meeting
After submitting your project inquiry, we’ll schedule a discovery call to chat about your vision and goals. If we’re a right fit, we’ll make it official on paper and reserve your project on our calendar before beginning the deep-dive into your business that acts as the foundation for a renewed visual identity and a hard-working website.

02. Tell Us Everything
Upon booking, you'll receive your brand strategy worksheet to complete before the design phase begins. Much more than a surface-level questionnaire, this worksheet is designed to help us get to the heart of your values, voice, audience, and aesthetic—equipping you with all of the tools you need to look, act, and speak the part. For the web portion of our project, you’ll also receive our Signature Website Content Planner to help you curate your content with confidence.

03. Design and Development
We’ll develop a sound strategy based on your worksheet answers, followed by a Creative Direction brief that includes a mood board to set the tone for your new visual identity. After approval, we’ll begin designing your logos and any additional branding elements. It’s then on to bringing everything to life online through a conversion-driven Showit website. Psst...we’ll ensure you have plenty of say along the way, without overwhelming you with ill-fit choices or tedious to-dos.

04. From Our Hands to Yours
After we’ve made sure you feel confident with every last detail, we’ll package up your final files to be delivered through your download folder and present you with your Brand Guidelines—a comprehensive guide outlining every piece of your new brand identity. You’ll also receive access to our Client Resource Library full of Showit training videos ensuring you’re empowered to move forward with—and make the most of—your new website.

05. Cocktails, Anyone?
As things come to a close, we'll equip you with everything you need to launch your new brand with confidence—because we're invested in your success every step of the way. Included in your download folder you’ll find custom launch graphics to share on social media—as well as a strategy-based launch guide to help you announce your new visual identity with intention. Get ready to raise a glass and revel in a renewed sense of purpose. Endless possibilities lie ahead!

No. Client’s are responsible to purchase fonts for use within Client/Designer project in order to obtain proper legal licensing to be used within the project. Client will own fonts and be able to use them for any future use once our project is complete. Client will be billed separately for fonts and provided with the files at the end of the project.

Before any designing begins and before our official project start date, you will be provided with a timeframe to complete any questionnaires and our Brand Strategy Worksheet. These will be due according to your Content Due Dates that will be provided upon booking your project and signing our contract.

Content Late Fees: Failure to meet content due dates will result in your project being bumped to the next available spot on our calendar. Additionally, you will be required to pay a 50% rescheduling fee to re-book your project back in.

We implement late fees to ensure clients are serious about moving forward with the project and committed to having content prepared and submitted on time, resulting in a seamless and enjoyable project. We book projects several months ahead of time, and our project timelines and content due dates ensure we give our clients the proper amount of time that a project deserves. If your content is not ready by the due dates it can cause us to have to decline other projects causing a loss in sales, and potentially affecting our entire yearly schedule.

Brand strategy varies largely throughout the design industry, but here at AFD, brand strategy includes fundamental research specific to your industry and business. During our Signature Design Experience, you will receive a Brand Strategy Worksheet to complete before our official project start date.

The worksheet helps us dive deep into the heart and soul of your brand. It includes questions regarding your target audience, competition, ideal client profile, brand voice and tone, messaging, brand keywords, tagline, mission statement, your brand's “why”, values, and much more. 

Our Brand Strategy Worksheet not only helps us to develop your visual brand based on intentional strategy and what your target audience will connect with, they also equip you with a crystal clear vision of your brand that enables you to move forward with confidence and clarity. The brand strategy we work through—along with the visual elements of your brand— will be provided in a 30+ page Brand Style Guide included as a part of your project deliverables. 

An optional 2 hour strategy call may be scheduled after completing the worksheets if you wish to talk through and strategize about any ideas, thoughts, questions, or project direction. Additional strategy calls may also be scheduled throughout our project and are limited to one hour and once per week throughout the duration of the project. 

The One Concept Method is an approach to logo and brand design where we present you with one fully developed, highly honed concept (rather than multiple competing concepts)—which you can then tweak to perfection with up to three rounds of revisions.

There are numerous benefits to this approach—including…

- It makes things much easier on you: The One Concept Method helps to eliminate the decision fatigue that often occurs when you’re presented with multiple similar options and are unsure which best suits your needs. (If you’ve ever stood in the light-bulb aisle at a home-improvement store staring at countless boxes, you know what we’re talking about).

- It encourages us to do our very best work for you: It allows us to focus all of our creative energy on building you one highly honed concept that is expertly crafted to appeal to your audience. Rather than watering ideas down—and spreading ourselves thin—by trying to create numerous concepts simply for the sake of having more to present, we can instead focus on creating one exceptional concept. In short, it’s about quality over quantity.

- It helps you avoid a “Frankensteined” logo: Presenting competing concepts can often lead to a client wanting to piece-meal together a new concept using elements from each of the original concepts. While this may sound fine on paper—in practice it can lead to fragmented work that doesn’t flow (and designs that don’t resonate with your audience).


Does the One Concept Method mean I will only get one logo?

Absolutely not! You will receive one concept that houses multiple (3-5) logo variations. Think of a “concept” as a house and “logo variations” as rooms within a house. Rather than presenting multiple houses that only partially meet your needs—the One Concept Method allows us to hone in on and build one single “dream house” (or concept) that addresses all of your needs, and then design multiple “rooms” (or logo variations) that fit under that one roof. Plus, you get up to three rounds of revisions on the one concept to ensure it’s exactly what you’re seeking!

Up to 3 rounds of revisions on logo/branding concepts are available. The One Concept Method does not mean there are no changes or revisions allowed. 

However, due to the in-depth research, strategy, and questionnaires provided before the design phase begins, revisions are often not needed, only minor adjustments, if any, ensuring 3 revision rounds are plenty.

If any requests are made that exceed 3 rounds of revisions, we will continue with revisions at our currently hourly rate, per each revision request.

You will receive AI, PNG, JPG, EPS, and SVG file formats. You’ll also receive resources to guide you after our project is complete, including our Signature Brand Style Guide, color codes, type hierarchy, a launch guide, and more—ensuring you have every tool you need to sustain success for years to come.

You will receive a detailed 30+ page Brand Style Guide that outlines your brand strategy, visual brand elements, explanation of file types and proper usage, color palette color codes, brand font usage and download links, tips on how best to use your new brand elements, visual guideline recommendations and more. Think of this guide as your go-to when implementing and referencing anything for your brand. It can also be used when hiring team members, adding new components to your business, etc. 

Remember, consistency is key in building a successful, memorable brand and instills trust with your audience. Your Brand Style Guide is fundamental in keeping your branding consistent and noteworthy.

Website content must be finalized and submitted before our website project begins. You will be provided with a timeframe and your website content will be due according to your Content Due Dates that will be provided upon booking your project.

Website Content Includes: Finalized website text, images prepared and uploaded to Client's Showit account, questionnaires submitted, Google docs in Website Planner filled out.

Images: All images must be prepared and uploaded to Client's Showit account before our project begins. This includes site-wide imagery, portfolio galleries, headshots/bio images, styled shoots, product images, etc.

Website Text: You have the option of either writing your own text with prompts and outlines included in our Website Content Planner, or hiring a professional copywriter. We recommend hiring a professional copywriter, as it’s a truly invaluable investment and essential sales tool for your business, however, we also equip you to write your own text and it will be due before beginning our website project.

Need copywriter recommendations? We have a referral list of incredible copywriters and we're happy to provide you with our recommendations. 

Content Late Fees: Failure to meet content due dates will result in your project being bumped to the next available spot on our calendar. Additionally, you will be required to pay a 50% rescheduling fee to re-book your project back in.

We implement late fees to ensure clients are serious about moving forward with the project and committed to having content prepared and submitted on time, resulting in a seamless and enjoyable project. We book projects several months ahead of time, and our project timelines and due dates ensure we give our clients the proper amount of time that a project deserves. If your content is not ready by the due dates it can cause us to have to decline other projects causing a loss in sales, and potentially affecting our entire yearly schedule.

Yes. You will need to sign up for a Showit subscription in order to use your design. As part of our onboarding process, you’ll receive information on how to pick a plan, sign up, and send us your login credentials.

If you plan on working with a copywriter, we recommend booking with them as soon as possible, as they are typically booking 1-3 months in advance as well. Your copywriting will need to be complete before we begin website design. Please explore our referral list if you're interested in working with a copywriter.

Yes! Here are our reasons why:

-Copywriting acts as an important sales tool for your business. It helps sell your services without sounding "salesy." Essentially, it acts as an active salesperson when users visit your website, even while you sleep (or catch up on emails!). A comprehensive, effective website (one that gets clients to book a consult without you so much as lifting a finger) requires a number of different things—even the prettiest photographs and dreamiest web design can’t do all of the heavy lifting on their own; they need the backing of purposeful, powerful words in order to create the all-encompassing experience today’s savvy consumers are expecting. 
 
-Copywriting will help you sound like your best self. A question we hear frequently is, “If I hire someone else to write for me, will it still sound like my voice, or will it sound cheesy and salesy?” With the right copywriter on your side (we have a list of a few favorites)—the words on your website won’t at all sound salesy but, rather, warm, welcoming, and like an elevated version of your best self. Copywriters are professionally trained to write in a way that sells your services without sounding like an obnoxious salesperson. Most have intake forms they use to collect info about how you would like your brand voice and messaging to feel and sound, what words and phrases you love (and which ones you don't care for), as well as detailed information about your business and ideal client. This allows them to address the main messages you want to communicate to your clients in a natural, effortless way.

-Website copywriting is so much different than normal writing. When you're not trained or educated specifically in website copywriting—even if you're a great writer in general—clients often end up finding the process difficult, overwhelming, and time-consuming. While you may end up writing words for your website that sound great—that doesn’t mean they’ll sell effectively. Plus, writing your own copy means you’ll also miss out on opportunities to ensure your website is found and served to potential clients via search engines—as SEO is a huge part of a professional copywriter’s job.
 
-It greatly enhances your client's overall experience with your brand and website. Professional copywriting presents your unique brand voice and messaging in a way that draws your user in, guides your user to where you want them to go throughout your site (this creates an effortless, seamless process that eventually leads them to click on that all important “book” or “contact” button), addresses your user's pain points, and highlights the exact ways you and your services can alleviate those pain points. In other words, great copywriting instills confidence in your visitor—turning them from a curious lead into an eager, ready-to-book client.
 
-It provides your website designer with the ideal amount of content to build a strategic, beautiful, and captivating website. Copywriters know the ideal amount of wording needed for various website pages—and they have an in-depth understanding of all the different sections a strategic website needs in order to function at its best. Another situation we often see when clients opt to write their own copy is that it ends up being either too much wording or not enough. Copy is one of the most important aspects of a well-designed website. If there's too much, your users can become overwhelmed, which can lead to them clicking away from your site (it can also create a website that looks busy and feels overwhelming to your user). If there's too little copy, the website can end up looking too sparse with not enough content to fill out the design or speak to Google (the amount of words on each page play a role in whether your website shows up in results when potential clients search for your services using a search engine like Google).
 
-Copywriting will help you get found via Google! A professional copywriter will know how to include important SEO search terms specifically for your business all throughout your website in an organic, natural way—making it much easier for potential clients to find your website through search engines.

Most of our clients invest $10-25K+ with payment plans available. Our clients see a return on their investment within the first few months of launching, and many have made an ROI as high as 200%+. We would love for you to be one of them. 

No. We require a 35% non-refundable deposit that is due upon booking. It is our way of securing your spot on our calendar. We book projects 1-3 months ahead of time and scheduling ensures that we give all of our clients the proper amount of time that a project deserves. As a result, we turn away clients for your reserved time slot. If you're unable to commit to our project, you may leave an empty spot that could have been given to another project. Deposits ensure that clients are serious about moving forward and commited to the project.

CONTENT DUE DATES:
Content due dates will be provided upon booking your project. Failure to meet content due dates for website text, images, questionnaires, and website planner docs will result in your project being bumped to the next available spot on our calendar. Additionally, you will be required to pay a 50% rescheduling fee to re-book your project back in.


FEEDBACK/COMMUNICATION:
Client feedback/responses are due within 5 days of receiving any designs or questions from designer throughout duration of project. A late fee of $35.00 per day will be charged past 5 days.

We implement late fees to ensure clients are serious about moving forward with the project and committed to having content prepared and submitted on time, resulting in a seamless and enjoyable project. We book projects several months ahead of time, and our project timelines and due dates ensure we give our clients the proper amount of time that a project deserves. If your content is not ready by the due dates it can cause us to have to decline other projects causing a loss in sales, and potentially affecting our entire yearly schedule.