Somebody grab the wine!
So happy you're here!
I want to give you a big, warm & loving welcome! Sol Co. Studio is so excited to begin working with you on your design project. We absolutely love what we do, and we want to make sure you enjoy the creative process as well. To keep things as stress-free as possible we’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. Bookmark this page for future reference!
On this page, you'll find:
- Next steps
- Feedback guidelines
- How to navigate Willowspace & Heartbeat
- What to prepare before the project begins
- Communication & business hours
01 – Project Management in Willowspace & Heartbeat
Now that your project is booked, we’ll start managing the project in Willowspace and communicating in Heartbeat! To access your client portal via Willowspace, please refer to the link in your Welcome email! To begin communicating in Heartbeat, please use the link also provided in your Welcome email.
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 managing projects through email, nothing gets lost or forgotten in Willowspace and Heartbeat. 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 and brand strategy call.
02 - Prep work before project
For Pinterest board inspiration, you have been invited to your project’s Pinterest board to add design inspiration to your project. This gives us 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.
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)
If you do not have these items, do not worry! We will discuss during the first project call on how we should proceed! If you do have these items, share them via Heartbeat.
03 - Communication
During our project, we’ll use Heartbeat to communicate in one central location. This means from now moving forward, our email usage will be minimal as 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 – We’ve found that this really helps the project to progress faster and effectively!
*Please note that any messages or request shared outside of normal business 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!
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?”
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.
- 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 milestone.
- 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
- Willowspace is the main tool we’ll use to manage the project, invoices, contracts & forms. You’ll be able to get a clear overview over the project, communicate in Willowspace about your project and have access to your own Client Portal.
- Heartbeat will be the tool we use for communication, sharing design files for feedback and live help/Q&A sessions.
- Google Meet. 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!