PixelGood—Design is in the Details.®

Working with an organization such as PixelGood for the first time often prompts a few questions. Sometimes more than a few concerns, too. How successfully will your needs be interpreted? How can it be done most effectively? Most efficiently? How much will it cost?

Like most service organizations, estimates are based on the project’s budget, needs, timeline and value. PixelGood provides a detailed proposal for approval before starting and adheres to its estimates unless project specifications change and warrant a revision.

Before any project begins, PixelGood establishes a workflow process that generally adheres to the following outline:

Consultation

The first step in the communication process is to set up a consultation with PixelGood to discuss your project. If you’re submitting an RFP, then PixelGood will review it and respond with a proposal, or follow up with questions as necessary.

Survey

During the consultation, PixelGood will be referencing a survey designed to provide a snapshot of your project’s specifications. Answering questions about budget, job specifications, objectives, preferences, target audience, and all the user features and benefits of your product or service provide the essentials needed to meet your project’s goal.

This process is crucially important and will help you sharpen your focus and objectives, while ensuring that what is produced is not only creatively excellent, but strategically targeted. This valuable input enables PixelGood to provide you with a realistic proposal for your project. This is generally conducted in person at a consultation, but can also be completed online through the options in the surveys section.

Proposal

After PixelGood has gathered enough information to assess your project’s needs, a proposal is drafted, which includes:

• Project Description
• Project Schedule
• Estimate
• Working Agreement/Contract
• 1st Invoice (50% due before project start, remainder at completion)

In short, the proposal states the nature of the work to be completed, number of concepts, final deliverables, and terms governing the working relationship. A proposal is generated in 2-3 days, but may vary depending on the project’s scope.

Once the details of the proposal meet your approval, work begins and follows the agreed-upon schedule.

Despite popular misconceptions, good creative work doesn’t come in a flash of inspiration; usually it comes from lots of trial and error. This is why time is required to consider several approaches (concepts), work them through, try them out. Then revise them. In addition, there are usually some practical and functional ends that need to be tied up before submitting the ideas—sub-contractor availability, printing estimates, scheduling requirements, etc. Lots of details, but as the PixelGood tagline states, “Design is in the Details!”

All this, plus the need to schedule workflow in a businesslike fashion, means normally asking for up to two weeks, depending on the project’s complexity, before rough approaches (concepts) are submitted for your review. Of course, if you have a rush project or deadline pressure, the firm’s workflow and timing can be adjusted accordingly. It is PixelGood’s experience that it is best to first present rough concepts to your project manager and just one or two others at most. This ensures that we all stay focused on the problem and are not distracted by too many personal opinions. Rough concepts are adequate to convey what is the best approach to take, taking into consideration your budget, schedule, objectives, and preferences. On the other hand, they are not so well-developed as to have wasted time and effort if a course correction is needed.

After presenting, comments and feedback will be requested. The more objective and specific you can be, the better the project’s outcome. Comments are input for revising the rough concepts into a finished one. Revision normally takes about a week (depending on project size), and input received thereafter determines if minor refinements are necessary. At this time, the production timetable is finalized, and the scheduling of additional services (photography, illustration, printing, etc.) are made. (Websites carry a different production timetable and include many more components than are listed above.)

It is recommended that the finished design be routed to the appropriate decision makers for fact and detail checking only, reserving stylistic and subjective decisions to your project manager. To avoid costly confusion, it is also important that all communication with PixelGood come from the project’s manager. During the course of the project PixelGood will keep your project manager informed of progress. Activities that will affect the schedule or budget are identified in writing. The goal is to keep your project moving ahead quickly, smoothly, and cost-effectively; to make sure that excellent results are achieved.

Commonly asked questions and answers can be found by visiting the FAQ page.

PixelGood enjoys hearing from prospective partners. To submit a request for a consultation or proposal, please visit the surveys section and choose from the desired project type.

Surveys »