Before placing an Order:

If you follow this set of instructions, you will:

1- Save money
2- Avoid costly and time-consuming re-designs
3- Avoid frustration
4- You will be satisfied with the result

A. Gathering Concepts:

Before anyone can design WELL for you, they will need to talk to you extensively about your professional needs and personal tastes.

Your future designer should ask you a lot of style questions for which you will need to be prepared. You should be asked to show a collection of materials (printed and online) which portray in some way the style, look, and feel of your future art.

Please spend the due time collecting such materials, URLs and other references where you see elements that you would like mimicked one way or another in your art.

The Reason for this collection:

Every person's taste is unique and we have found through experience that descriptive words such as: pretty, classic, business-like, colorful etc DO NOT convey your ideas and needs accurately enough. We have found that when two people strive to convey an idea or a concept to each other only hard evidence truly demonstrates the meaning of their words.

When gathering examples, be on the lookout for:

- Things that catch your eye, that you like right away
- Colors you like
- Fonts you like
- Layouts you think are fitting for your project
- Elements such as buttons, boxes, decorative elements etc.
- Sizes and formats (if printed material)
- Photographs that convey the style that you want to see in your art

DO NOT LIMIT YOURSELF to materials relating to your industry. You can be a realtor and get ideas from a flower shop ad. As long as they have the elements that you would like to see in your materials, please show them to your designer.

B. Interviewing the artist:

We suggest that you meet with at least two artists before deciding where to spend your money.

Graphic design is a large investment of time and money because its quality directly affects your company's success and that of your marketing campaigns. You need to find the person that is going to understand you and work well with you.

A skilled designer can create spectacular art for a client they really "get" and do poorly for someone else. Do not rely only on the portfolio's quality. Instead, make sure that the style and versatility of the artist fits your needs.

By the same token, never hire someone to create for you only because they were recommended by a friend and certainly never because they gave you the cheapest quote. Make sure that you like their work and more importantly that it satisfies the needs of your business.

When choosing a designer, look for the following:

- You feel that you can communicate with them effectively
- You feel comfortable telling them you do not like something they have done. They take criticism well and try to build on it.
- They understand your ideas and are able to develop them with you
- You feel that they are honest with you
- You feel they have your best interest at heart
- They are passionate about the outcome and success of your materials
- They get you and your business, as well as its needs
- They are efficient and organized, professional and fast paced

C. Signing the contract:

Before signing a contract, make sure that the design process is clearly outlined. This is the time when the Project Plan is drawn up and put in place. Some projects are too small for a full blown plan, but it is still VITAL that one be written and included in the contract.

Make sure the contract clearly describes the final product desired and the timeframe for the project.

At Ivelina.com, upon finalizing and signing the contract, a retainer fee of 50% of the estimated final cost is paid before work can begin. You should expect a similar arrangement from any professional designer.