In the Know: The Step-by-Step Guide to Working with The Savvy Peach

Your step-by-step guide to working with The Savvy Peach is here!

We all want to be “in the know”, right? It makes us feel better to know what is coming next, to be able to plan ahead and nail our cue. Am I the only one screaming “AMEN” here?

When partnering with someone to assist you with your business, there is no difference. You need to know how the relationship will work from the initial email to the final payment. Over the course of our three years, we have tailored a system that is efficient for both our clients and ourselves. This system has been tweaked and tried and we want to share it with you in order to put your mind at ease (so you know when you’re up!)

Step 1: The Initial Contact & Project Direction

(Hint: This is your part)
Graphic designers come in all shapes and sizes. Like colors, we range in our personalities and expertise. Once you have selected your designer (the process for picking your peach of a designer is something we will visit in a later blog) it is time to begin chatting about the project you’re dreaming up. When you contact us here at the Peach, we have some questions that help us fully understand the scope of your design needs:

• What is the project for?
• What type of design is it (postcard, flyer, branding, business card, billboard)?
• Do you have any specific sizes in mind?
• Do you have copy for this project or do we need to create the copy for you?

These are just a few examples of questions that come up during our consultation. Additional questions may be asked as the chat continues. Know that we want to make sure you are 100% in love with your design from the starting point, so taking a few extra minutes in this step will make the remaining process a breeze.

Step 2: The Design Process

Now that we understand the scope of your project or branding needs, we get to work brainstorming the various ways we can really create the most impactful design for you. Although we do offer rush services, on flyers, postcards and similar projects 48-hours (business days of course… no weekend work for us) gives us time to really research and prepare a solid proof. Larger projects like brochures, catalogs and books normally take some extra time to design. We typically ask for 3 - 5 working days here. Branding is a special process in itself. We need to know you, your industry and your competition. In order to do this, we ask for a minimum of 7-10 business days to develop your brand. Trust me, you want to give us this space to think. You will appreciate the result in the end!

The design process changes a little with the various projects, but the overall concepts remain the same.

• First we research. Knowing the company, event, etc. is crucial in the design process. How can we create what we don’t understand? Doing some simple online browsing can really open the brainstorming process up.
• Next we create a mood board. This is just colors, fonts, patterns and textures that we feel will lend well with the design.
• Once we have the first two things done, we are ready to get designing. This step is where we layout the actual piece. Watching pieces come to life in this step is the best!
• We make final tweaks to the design and then prep it to send off for proofing/approval.

Step 3: Proofing & Final Approval

(You’re up again)
After we have pieced together your design, we will send it back via email as a proof. In this stage we ask that you:

• Review the proof. What do you like or dislike about the project?
• What changes would you like to see made - be specific in your feedback? (Don’t say “I don’t like the color.” Instead say, “can we change the red to blue”)
• Send your revisions in ONE email. If you have multiple people reviewing, share thoughts among yourselves and then submit your changes in one email. This keeps things simple, organized and less confusing (none of the “he said, she said” stuff.)

Any revisions you request will be completed in a timely manner (meaning as quickly as our fingers can move across the Mac TracPad) and sent back for final approval.  Once you are in love with your piece, we are ready to prep the file for printing and/or sending back to you.

Step 4: Printing & File Submission

This is the fun part, where designs go from two to three-dimensional. If you would like, the Peach has amazing print sources that we partner with and can assist in having your pieces printed. If you want to print local to you, we will gladly send you your final, print ready file via email. Most of the time, our final files are sent back to you as .PDFs. If you need other file types (.EPS, .JPEG, .SVG, .PNG… and the list goes on) just let us know!

If the Peach is assisting you with printing, we will chat about the quantities needed, type(s) of paper to be used and pricing. If you want more information about our printing services or providers, give us a call at (770) 361-3052. We would love to chat with you!

Step 5: Invoicing & Payment

The dreaded accounting portion of the job. Do you hate this part as much as we do? Kidding. Our accountant is amazing and we adore all the help! Once your project has been approved and we are ready to print (or to send final files), we will email you an invoice. The details of each project are presented on every invoice (for example initial design, revisions, printing, shipping). Any questions regarding invoices can be answered via email at steph@thesavvypeach.com or via phone at (770) 361-3052. Terms and conditions, payment options and more are available on our invoices.

That is it! You did it and survived your design project.

That wasn’t too difficult, now was it? In all honesty, we want this process to be simple. If you’re happy, then we are happy and a smooth process for completing design projects is how it all works.

Did you know that our VIPeaches receive special offers on printed projects and the pick of the freebies? You don’t want to miss out on the valuable information and goodies that will be coming your way. Join the list & watch your email for the fun!