Somebody grab the wine!

I'm so happy you're here!

I want to give you a big, warm & loving welcome! I am so excited to begin working with you on your design project. I absolutely love what I do, but I want to make sure you enjoy my creative processes as well. So, to keep things as stress-free as possible I’ve created this welcome page to include things to prepare before our kickoff call and what to expect during our time creating together. 

P.S. I recommend bookmarking this page for future reference!

On this page, you'll find:

  • Next steps
  • Feedback guidelines
  • How to navigate Moxie
  • What to prepare before the project begins
  • Communication & business hours

01 – Project Management in Moxie

Now that your project is booked, we’ll stop using email to have our conversations and we’ll start using Moxie. To accept the invite to Moxie, check your email inbox/spam OR access your board below. 

A project management tool is a secure space online where we have conversations, share files, set reminders and create to-do lists. 

Whereas files often get lost when I’m managing projects through email, nothing gets lost or forgotten in Moxie. It’s the simplest way to keep your project organized and make sure it goes as smoothly as possible!

Don’t worry – you don’t need to pay for this tool and it’s not hard to use. I’ve created the following how-to video, but I will also go over how to navigate this tool during our first kickoff call. 

02 - Prep work before project

On Pinterest, I will create a public board for you to add design inspiration to your project. This gives me an idea of the things you like and want to envision most in your brand. In the next tab of this section you can access your Pinterest board by searching for your company name. You will already have an invite to the Pinterest board ahead of time. 

If you get stuck, feel free to pin it from my other design boards

In order to stick to the timeframes and deadlines set, I will need all the content for your website before I start the project. 

You will need to provide:

  • Website copy
  • Brand photos
  • Brand design assets (if I am not doing your brand design) 

To submit these items, navigate to your project board in Asana and submit these files under the ‘Pre-work’ section’s appropriate task. 

03 - Communication

During our project, we’ll use Asana to track of all our tasks, deadlines and communication in one central location. This means from now moving forward, we’ll stop using emails to avoid long email threads and risk losing track of our deadlines, files and to-dos. 

When presenting designs or going through revisions, we will jump on a Google Meet call to go through the presentation and answer questions live – I’ve found that this really helps the project to progress faster and effectively!

Business Hours

I only work with up to 2 clients at once to ensure a good balanced working relationship and workload. My business hours are Monday – Thursday from 10 AM – 4 PM CST. 

*Please note that any messages or request shared outside of those hours will be responded to on the next working day. 

 

04 - Feedback Guidelines

At different stages throughout the project, you will be asked to provide feedback on design concepts, colors, fonts, etc. Providing feedback can be hard, but it’s important to make it constructive to ensure the project can move forward smoothly. I really appreciate simple and straightforward feedback. It helps me clearly understand your thoughts and make the right changes to your designs. 

Keep your ideal client in mind

This project is of course very close to your heart but it’s important to always keep your ideal client top of mind and not get caught up in personal preferences. Therefore, instead of sharing what you like/dislike personally, try to view it from your ideal clients point of view and think about how would they react to the design. Remember, at the end of the day, this project is all about them!

 
Be as specific as possible

Vague or contradicting feedback can create confusion, therefore try to be as specific as possible when providing feedback. Focus on one element at a time and try to explain why you like/dislike something and provide a suggestion on what you envision the outcome to be. For example, instead of saying “I don’t like this color”, try “I don’t think this color will appeal to our audience because […]. Perhaps we could try a warmer color?”

 
Ask questions & trust my expertise

My design process is very intentional and I always ensure that each element is built with purpose. So while I will do my best to walk you through my thought process, don’t hesitate to ask questions if you’re unsure about something. This also helps show that you value my opinion and trust my expertise.


Here are a few tips on providing good feedback:
  • Try and use bullet points to break up your feedback.
  • Use headers to organize your feedback.
  • Read over your feedback to make sure it’s clear and check that you’ve answered any questions I may have asked.
  • Post your feedback as a comment on the relevant Asana task.
  • If you have team members that would like to add their feedback, I kindly ask that you gather the feedback into one message. This minimizes confusion.

Please provide feedback on your designs within 2 business days of receiving them. I really appreciate your effort to provide files and feedback on time. Timeliness from both of us will help us get your project complete so you can move on to the next exciting task on your to-do list and I can cheer you on!

05 - Tools we will use

  • Moxie is the main tool we’ll use to manage the project, invoices, contracts & questionnaires. You’ll be able to get a clear overview over the project, communicate in Moxie about your project and have access to your own Client Portal. 
  • Zoom. We will use Zoom for all of our meetings.
  • Google Drive. At the end of the project, I will send you a link to download your files and store them in a safe place as the link is only available for 60 days after the project ends. 

What's next?

By this point you should have already scheduled your first kickoff call, but if not, please do so below. Once the pre-work is completed we will strategize and then create. 

I’m so thankful to be on this journey with you!