How I work
How working with me goes
A lot of the people who write to me have never hired a designer before. If that's you, this page is for you. It covers what happens after you get in touch, roughly when, what it costs and what I'll need from you, so you know all of it before you commit to anything.
The steps
From the first call to final files
Most projects go in this order. The timings are typical [to confirm], and your proposal has the real dates.
A first call
Free, about 30 minutes [confirm]
You tell me what you're working on, even if it's half an idea. I ask about your business, the people you sell to, your deadline and your budget. You don't need to know any design words. If I'm not the right person for the job, I'll tell you.
Your partWrite to me through the contact page or at work@withkg.com, and we'll find a time. Video or phone both work.
A written proposal with a fixed price
Within [two business days] of the call
I write up what I heard: what I'll make, what's included, a date for each step and one fixed price. It's short and plain, so you can pass it to whoever else needs to say yes.
Your partRead it and ask about anything that's unclear. If something's off, tell me and I'll change it. When it looks right, sign it and pay the first half.
Kickoff
Once the proposal is signed, usually within [a week]
We meet for [about an hour] and go through the brief together. This is where I ask a lot of questions. Afterward you get a short calendar with a date for every review.
Your partSend what you have, and tell me who makes the final call. The full list is under What I'll need from you.
First concepts
[One to two weeks] after kickoff
I sketch widely, then narrow it down by hand to a few directions. You see each one the way it will be used, on the label, the business card or the web page, at real size. I walk you through them on a call, so you hear why each one looks the way it does.
Your partTell me what you honestly think. "Not that one" is a useful answer. If none of them is right, we talk about why, and I go back to work.
Revisions
Two rounds included, [a few days] each [suggested, to confirm]
You choose one direction, and we refine it together. In each round you send me one set of notes and I make the changes. If you'd like more than two rounds, the extra ones are billed hourly, and I'll tell you before one starts.
Your partGather notes from everyone who needs a say into one reply, and send it within [a few business days]. Longer gaps push the dates back, and I'll tell you by how much.
Final files and handoff
After you approve the final design
I build the final files for print and screen, plus the editable source files. For print jobs, I set everything up to your printer's specs and check their proof against my file before you approve it. You get a short note on what each file is for.
Your partApprove the final design and pay the second half. Then the files are yours. [How files are delivered, to confirm.]
After launch
Whenever you need me
I'm still around once the work is out in the world. If a printer asks for a different file, or you need a small change, write to me. Small jobs are billed hourly. If you'd like a designer on hand every month, ask about the monthly option below.
Your partTell me how it went, and send a photo if it's on a shelf somewhere. [What I fix at no charge after handoff, to confirm.]
Pricing
What it costs
Every project gets one fixed price, agreed in writing before any work starts. Here's how the money side works, and where most projects start.
- The price
- One fixed price per project, written into your proposal. It changes only if the scope does, and never without your OK [suggested, to confirm].
- Payment
- Half when you sign, half when I deliver the final files [suggested, to confirm].
- Revisions
- Two rounds included in every project [suggested, to confirm].
- Extra work
- Extra rounds and small jobs are billed at $100 an hour [suggested, to confirm].
- Rush work
- By request, at 25% more [suggested, to confirm]. Ask on the first call.
- Outside costs
- Printing, hosting, domains and software are billed by the companies that provide them, and stay in your name.
| Project | Starts at | Typical range | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand identity and strategy | |||
| Logo and a short brand guide[suggested, to confirm] | $3,500 | $3,500 to $6,000 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Full brand identity (logo system, guidelines, stationery)[suggested, to confirm] | $6,000 | $6,000 to $12,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Print and packaging design | |||
| Label or package, one product[suggested, to confirm] | $2,500 | $2,500 to $5,000 | 4 to 8 weeks, including printer proofs |
| Label or packaging system, several products[suggested, to confirm] | $6,000 | $6,000 to $15,000 | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Sell sheet or flyer[suggested, to confirm] | $450 | $450 to $900 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Brochure or catalog[suggested, to confirm] | $1,200 | $1,200 to $4,000 | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Digital and web design | |||
| Small business website (5 to 10 pages, designed and built)[suggested, to confirm] | $5,000 | $5,000 to $12,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Landing page[suggested, to confirm] | $1,200 | $1,200 to $2,500 | 1 to 3 weeks |
| Social and ad templates[suggested, to confirm] | $750 | $750 to $2,000 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Pitch deck[suggested, to confirm] | $1,800 | $1,800 to $4,500 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Automation | |||
| Marketing automation setup (forms, follow-ups, lead routing)[suggested, to confirm] | $1,500 | $1,500 to $4,000 | 2 to 4 weeks |
| CRM setup or cleanup (HubSpot, Salesforce)[suggested, to confirm] | $2,000 | $2,000 to $6,000 | 2 to 6 weeks |
| AI | |||
| Brand system for AI (guide, reference files, instructions)[suggested, to confirm] | $2,500 | $2,500 to $5,000 | 2 to 4 weeks |
| AI setup and training for a team (half-day session [and follow-up, to confirm])[suggested, to confirm] | $1,200 | $1,200 to $3,500 | 1 to 3 weeks |
| Monthly and small jobs | |||
| Monthly in-house design (16 hours a month)[suggested, to confirm] | $1,600 a month | $1,600 to $4,000 a month | Ongoing, month to month |
| Small jobs and extra revision rounds[suggested, to confirm] | $100 an hour | One hourly rate | As needed |
Monthly, as your in-house designer
If you need design most weeks but can't justify a full-time hire, I can work as your in-house designer for a set number of hours each month. You get the same person every time, someone who already knows your brand and your printer. From $1,600 a month for 16 hours, month to month [suggested, to confirm]. [How unused hours work, and how much notice to stop, to confirm.]
Your part
What I'll need from you
None of this has to be perfect or complete. Send what you have, and I'll ask about the rest.
One person who can say yes
Notes can come from anyone on your team, but one person makes the final call. It keeps the project moving and stops notes from pulling in two directions.
The brand files you already have
Logo files, fonts, colors, photos, an old brochure, your current website. Send them even if you plan to replace them. They show me where you're starting from.
Examples you like, and ones you dislike
Screenshots, a photo of packaging you noticed in a store, a competitor's website. What you dislike tells me as much as what you like.
Honest feedback, on time
If something isn't working for you, say so early. I'd much rather hear it in week two than in week six. Replies within [a few business days] keep the dates where we set them.
Your printer's contact, for print jobs
I'll ask them for the die line (the exact shape the piece gets cut to) and their file specs, and set things up the way their prepress team wants. If you don't have a printer yet, tell me. [Confirm whether you offer printer referrals.]
Files and ownership
Your files are yours
Once the project is paid in full, the final files belong to you [confirm against the client agreement]. You can take them to any printer or designer without asking me.
- For print
- Print-ready PDFs built to your printer's specs, with spot colors and foils on their own layers.
- Logos
- Vector files (AI, EPS, PDF and SVG) and PNGs, in every version you need.
- For screens
- SVG, PNG and JPG files at the sizes your website and social accounts use.
- Source files
- Packaged native files, with the images and a list of the fonts used. [Note on font licenses, to confirm.]
- Templates
- Editable files in the tool your team uses, such as Word, PowerPoint, Canva or InDesign.
- Websites and systems
- Built in accounts in your name from the start, with a plain-language guide to how they work.
Which of these you get depends on the project, and your proposal lists them. [What happens to the directions you didn't choose, to confirm.]
AI
How I use AI
I use AI for some parts of the work, mostly to explore more directions early and to get through production chores, and your logo and brand mark are made without it. Nothing AI-made reaches you without my review, and if you'd rather I not use it on your project at all, I won't.
Location
Working with me from outside the Milwaukee area
I'm in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, just outside Milwaukee. Remote work is fine, and it's how most projects go anyway. We talk over video calls, and you review the work in your browser or as a PDF. Proofs and printed samples travel well by mail.
If you're nearby, I'm glad to meet in person. [In-person meetings within what distance, and any travel fee, to confirm.] When your printer is within driving distance, I can go to the press check and look at color on the real paper before the run starts.
I keep [working hours, Central time, to confirm], and I answer email as soon as I can.
Questions
Questions people ask before they call
If yours isn't here, write to me at work@withkg.com. I'm glad to answer anything, however small.
How much does a project cost?
It depends on what we make. Starting points run from $450 for a sell sheet to $6,000 for a full brand identity or a packaging system [suggested, to confirm], and the table on this page lists one for each kind of work. After our first call, I give you one fixed price in writing before any work starts.
Do I pay anything up front?
Yes. Half the project price is due when you sign the proposal, and the other half when I deliver the final files [suggested, to confirm]. The first call and the proposal are free [to confirm].
How long does a project take?
A sell sheet takes one to two weeks. A label takes four to eight, including printer proofs, and a full brand identity or a small business website takes six to ten [all suggested, to confirm]. Your proposal has a date for every step, and quick feedback keeps the dates where we set them.
Can you take a rush job?
Often, yes. Tell me your deadline on the first call and I'll tell you honestly whether I can meet it. Rush work costs 25% more [suggested, to confirm], because it means moving other work around.
What if I don't like the first concepts?
Tell me. It happens, and it helps, because now I know more about what you don't want. We talk through what missed, and I come back with new directions. [How many new directions are included before extra time is billed, to confirm.]
How do revisions work?
Two rounds are included in every project [suggested, to confirm]. In each round you send me one set of notes, gathered from everyone who needs a say, and I make the changes. Extra rounds are billed at $100 an hour [suggested, to confirm], and I'll tell you before one starts.
Who owns the files when we are done?
You do, once the project is paid in full [confirm against the client agreement]. You get the final files and the editable source files, so any printer or designer can pick them up later without asking me.
Do you use AI?
Sometimes, for parts of the work like exploring early options and production chores. Your logo and brand mark are made without it. Nothing AI-made reaches you without my review, and if you'd rather I not use AI on your project at all, I won't. The AI services page has the details.
Do you only work with businesses near Milwaukee?
No. I'm in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, just outside Milwaukee, and I work with clients around Milwaukee, across Wisconsin and the Midwest, and farther away too. Most of the work happens over video calls and email, so it goes the same way wherever you are.
How do I get started?
Write to me through the contact page or at work@withkg.com. Tell me what you're working on, even if it's half an idea, and roughly when you need it. I'll reply as soon as I can to set up a first call.