Solutions

• Standard Project Process
• Retainers & Program Management
• Billing & Payment Questions
• Communication & Emergency Support
• Sending Existing Artwork & Copy to CAA
• FAQs

Standard Project Process

Each project that CAROLINE ANDREW & ASSOCIATES, LLC undertakes for clients is essentially unique. But there are standard steps that almost always occur when we work with our clients on web or print initiatives. We have outlined these below.

Initial Consultation

The initial consultation is always free. At this point we discuss what you are looking for in your design project, what your overall corporate goals are, the goals you have for this project. We aim to obtain as much information as possible in order to supply you with the best estimate and the best possible finished product.

Estimate

After the initial consultation, we will provide you with an estimate. This formal quote details the scope of the work to be done and the costs involved. Most of our estimates involve a fixed fee. However, for projects under $300, we charge and estimate by the hour. Rush jobs are billed by the hour and charged at at least 25% more than other hourly rates.

Agreement & Deposit

On approval of our quote we will supply you with a project agreement, this finalizes the details and scope of all the work to be carried out as well as the legal details, ownership, copyright etc., and payment plan. A signed copy should be returned to us with your deposit check (if applicable) at which point your project will be added to the workflow.

The Work

After the above steps have been completed, we begin work on your particular project. For most project, that means the start of the preliminary design phase. Depending on your contract, we may be working on 2 or 3 preliminary designs to present to you for your particular marketing project. After the preliminary designs are presented, we work with you to incorporate changes to the design you like the most, including involving elements from the other designs, changing color or other elements. At this point, we begin work on content as we also continue finalizing design. Print work will be e-mailed to clients for edit rounds and approval. Websites will be loaded to CAA's test area for private reviewing and commenting.

Project Completion

Projects are completed when either the print piece has dropped in the mail or been delivered to the client or when web-related projects are deployed into use. Upon completion, we will ask for payment of any balances. Printed materials invoicing is due on receipt. All postal estimates are due, payable to the Postmaster, before a piece is delivered to the post office.

Retainers & Program Management

For small businesses, associations, law firms and other professional practices that do not have an in-house marketing department, managing and maintaining various advertising, website, social media and other marketing channels can be overwhelming. CAROLINE ANDREW & ASSOCIATES offers marketing management and implementation for some or all of a firm's marketing channels and project, relieving you of worry and giving you more time to focus on other aspects of your business. These services are available on an affordable per month retainer basis. Please e-mail us or call 312.577.6972 for more information.

Billing & Payment Information

CAROLINE ANDREW & ASSOCIATES accepts checks as well as credit card payments through PayPal® We bill fixed rate projects in thirds (as deposit, at preliminary presentation and at project completion). Hourly projects and retainers are billed monthly. For small businesses and start-ups with large projects, we do offer other installment payment options.

Client Communication & Emergency Support

We take pride in the professional relationships that we have developed with our clients, many of whom have been with us for several years. Much of our success is due to the strength of our client service. We are easily reached via e-mail, phone and cell phone throughout the work week. Our office hours are 8:30am–5:00pm, but we are usually available for evening calls to support both time zone differences and busy schedules. We also usually are available for local evening meetings for clients who are unable to schedule workday meetings.

We are available on weekends via cell to current clients experiencing the very rare marketing/website/e-mail emergency. We do not handle client hardware or software issues.

How to Send Content & Client-Provided Graphics

Generally, our clients take advantage of our copy and editing services. However, especially with re-designs, copy may already exist and may be supplied by the client. Copy coming from the client must be e-mailed in unformatted Microsoft Word or in Adobe PDF attachments. We will also accept e-mail messages for small amounts of copy. For the most efficient design and/or programming, please provide plain, black type, stripped of all Microsoft formatting, except for paragraph breaks.

All client-supplied graphics and/or images should also be supplied as jpegs, .psd or .ai files or vector images. For websites, .jpg resolution must be no less than 72dpi. For print work, resolution must be no less than 300dpi. We also have a large in-house library of stock images that we can supply for your project at low or no-extra cost, although more specific images may need to be purchased on a client's behalf. In some cases professional photography is required. We will work with your photographer or can offer a list of professional photographers suited for your needs.

FAQs

Q: Our in-house marketing team is overloaded. Do you work with corporate marketing departments or with other departments within a company?

A: Yes! We are available for contract / 1099 work, with either your marketing team or with departments requiring help with print or web projects of their own.

Q: How long is your design and development process?

A: The planning, design, development and writing process varies from project to project. Website development and lengthy print catalogs, books and reports may take the longest. But time also varies depending on complexity and on client responsiveness, feedback and edits.
• Websites can take anywhere from six weeks to six months depending on size, content and the type of programming involved (straight HTML/CSS vs. databases, Java, .net, and others).
• Postcards generally require no more than 10 hours for design, excluding client feedback. Printing and mailing can take anywhere from 4 days to 14 days, depending on budgets and urgency.