BURNING QUESTIONS

You've Got Questions... We've Got Answers

What's your ideal client?

In our business we get the opportunity to work with a stunning array of clients. From the corporate minded to the whimsical artist and everything in between. And every project we take is exciting and poses its own set of unique challenges. We don't come at any project the same way as every business is as unique as the owner.

So the only prerequisite we look for in our clients is passion. Passion for what you do. Passion for what you want to do. Passion for what you dream to do. Because when you have passion, there is no limit to what you can accomplish and that energy is contagious.



How long does a standard website design take?

A typical 5 or less page site (ie: home, about, contact, services, shop, etc) takes about a week. This is dependent on numerous factors that we can go over during our opening consultation but we know that in business time is money.

Once we hear what you're looking to do with your site we can give you a pretty on-point timeline of what's ahead, how long it will take and what we need from you to make it happen.



What's your turn around for printing materials?

A good rule of thumb is about a week. Usually less but sometimes a few days more. The best thing to remember is that anything brought to us on a Friday will not be processed until the following Monday (Tuesday if there is a bank holiday that week.)

So the best thing is to always err on the side of allowing as much time as possible to get these to you well before any events or promotions you will be running.



Do you offer discounted rates for non-profits or minority owned businesses?

Abso-freakin-lutely! We're proud to work alongside organizations and owners that are making real change in their community and love the passion that drives them. As a female owned business, we understand the unique issues that minority-based businesses (women-owned, minority & veteran-owned) face and will always work to help them launch their business and gain traction.



Why should we work with you?

It's pretty simple: If you're looking for a designer that listens to what you say and uses that info to bring your ideas to life, then you should work with us. If you like the idea of having someone who has helped over 150 businesses successfully launch, re-launch or rebrand working beside you every step of the way, then you should work with us.

If you aren't sure what your brand should be. Or whether you need a stand alone website or an ecommerce platform. If you're not sure whether to order the small or big stack of pancakes (spoiler: always go big.) and love the thought of actually talking to a breathing "human," then you should work with us.

If you like the idea of emailing someone at 9am and getting a reply by, at the latest, 3pm the same day. With actual answers to your questions and not an auto-response, then you should work with us. If you're looking for that creative edge. That last bit that brings all of your work and education and experience together in one stunning package, then you should work with us. If you're looking for someone who can coach you, mentor you and even talk to you like you're a real human and not a number on their docket, then you should work with us.



What's the first step in building your business or non-profit?

It's daunting to say the least. You've got this idea... this mojo... this group... this, whatever... but how do you get it out there in front of the people that matter? Start with your brand. It's the foundation. (We're assuming you have the gist of your business/group idea/plan/model already sussed out) What do you want the face of your business to say? Who do you want to attract? Your brand does these things and will guide the rest of your business/group setup. Think of the big businesses... what do they all have in common? You know their logo. Even when they go a little off the rails and try something zany for a few weeks before public outcry (Pepsi comes to mind here)...lets start with your logo.



What website platform is the best?

There are a slew of options these days. From Squarespace to Weebly to Wix to GoDaddy. And all of them offer some great options for the small business/ non-profit budget. Personally, I recommend Wix to all of my clients who want to be able to edit their site or update it with fresh content, apps and integrations without taking a second mortgage out.

As a developer, we can work with any platform a client relies on but there are somethings you should take into consideration when looking to get your site out there.

What do you want to be able to do with it after it's launched? What do you need out of it? Is it ecommerce? Is it educational? Does it need to inspire?
How comfy are you with HTML and coding? And if you're wanting to update your site, will this play into it? So there it is... we're always here to answer any questions you have or help in guiding you in the direction that will work best for what YOU need. Not what the tv tells you you need.



Is social media a neccessity?

The short answer: yep.

If you're running a business it's nearly impossible these days to not have a social media presence. What that presence entails is a whole other ball of wax, can of worms, etc. But social media can help build an active and profitable dialogue between you and your ideal clients/customers/donors to keep your traction hard and fast. Luckily there are about a bazillion different platforms and apps that can help you use less time creating social media content, Hootsuite comes to mind.



Should I do a blog?

Ahh, to blog or not to blog or vlog or tweet or... well, th answer is a little more complex than a yes or no. Some businesses just really have no need for a blog on their site. We can go over those during our consultation.

Others may not have enough to say. Or the time to say it. So my advice is this: if you can't devote the time to creating at least one new post per week, don't do it. We've all been to those sites that have a "blog" and the most current content is a story about the collapse of 2008. It instantly dates your site's content and makes the user go, "I wonder if they're dead?" You don't want to seem dead, do you? And you definitely don't want your business to appear dead, either.

So when in doubt, err on the side of no. Not everyone should or has to blog. No matter what captivating, hand-drawn Facebook video ads tell you.



What's your favorite superhero?

Well, gosh, I didn't know we were doing a Reddit thread here... but while you're asking, we are Batman people here at A Dying Art Company Ltd. For many reasons that will only reveal our truly nerdy souls so we'll just sum it up with this: +Strong female characters (Catwoman is a personal muse) +Dark and wonderfully noir motif
+Snake clowns
+Batmobile 'Nuff said.



Do you charge by the hour or the project?

We get this one A LOT and I'm sure we'll still get it but here it is. After being in business for well over a decade we've honed our work and process and have come to the realization that hourly rates are just not conducive to our budget-minded clients. For a couple of reasons: We offer all-inclusive "concept to launch" packages. This means that we will build your logo and take you all the way to launching your website in one fell swoop. This means there's a lot of revising and reworking and planning and chats and angry keyboard typing that goes on. And that equals a lot of time. For us to charge hourly our rates would simply not be feasible for startups, small business, non-profits or minority-owned businesses. And those are our wheelhouse. We're idea machines. We love the process of helping build you up and there's no price tag for that.

Secondly, it slooooows the process down immensley. Invoices out the yin yang. Time sheets. Blah blah blippity blah. Nobody wants to mess with that and we are certainly no exception.

So we have come up with fair-priced packages that allow us to roll forward, full steam ahead and allows you to know exactly what something will cost from the get-go, without those absurd add-on fees.

"Oh, well, to launch your site there's an added $400 launch fee. How do you want us to invoice you for that?" Not today, Brian. And not tomorrow, either.

Our packages and fees are discussed during our consultation so there's nothing to be afraid of when we're finally ready to live. No hostage situations here.



What does A Dying Art Company mean?!

Back in the day, before A Dying Art Company was created, we were simple design journeymen. Meaning we would do contract work for bigger companies that were overrun with projects. And one thing we heard again and again and again was that "designers are flakey... designers just disappear... I hate my developer, he never gets back to me..." Fun stuff and a MOUNTAIN of pre-conceived notions to overcome.

So what'd we do? We took that and decided we were going to create our own design business. Not just any design business but a design business that works FOR its clients. We weren't going to disappear mid-project. Or leave people hanging on monthly emails. We were going to show that amazing customer service in the design field is NOT a dying art. So, because we love a good tongue-in-cheek reference, A Dying Art Company Ltd. was born.

We strive to make people see the design industry as the magnificent beast that it can be, as long as customer service is a key to the foundation.

SO to sum up: -No, we're not actively dying. I mean we are dying, since birth, but not today or next week.(fingers crossed) -No, we really aren't a grunge band from the UK. (but the fan art we've gotten is amazing) -No, sorry, we don't dye things like carpets and hair.
-And no, we are not preoccupied with death. Though, it does make life sweeter when you allow yourself to understand how brief our time here is. -But yes, we do love Vincent Price and Peter Cushing and Boris Karloff because why the heck not?!



What's your process?

Well, that's an industry secret that goes back centuries, but I can give you a little glimpse:

First, we build an enormous pyre out of old credit card statements to cleanse the environment of any negative juju. Then we dance naked around it, by the light of the moon chanting, "Wisdom. Luck. Love! Show us where to shove!"

After that we bathe in the sweat and tears of our competitors and commence an hour of vocal laughter training - to strengthen our immunity for the forthcoming project. (It's a sweetly melodic sound much like Ricky Gervais laughter on lithium)

At that point, we're ready to dive in. Depending on the project, whether it's a website build or branding campaign, we create the mockups (branding) and home page (website) based on our chit chats about what you're looking for. At that point, we send to you for review and edits. We make those up and move onto the rest of the project. Boom. Snap. Crackle. Pop. We're ready to launch. If it's a branding project, we deliver the deliverables. And if it's a website, we do the mobile site, SEO and domain connection.

And there you go. You're live or ready to print.



What's the best day to contact?

Not Monday. Seriously. NOT Monday. See here's what happens on Monday. People wake up from their weekend daze and realize a few things:
1. The tradeshow they're going to on Wednesday is WEDNESDAY and they haven't approved their cards for printing yet. Cue up the Jaws theme and onslaught of 30 emails to us about what we can do to get them printed and shipped on time. (Spolier: Big ass overnight delivery fee ahead!)
2. The website that we've nearly finished needs to be rebooted with a mediterranean theme for board approval at noon, it's now 11:30. (Let me just dust off ye olde wand and get crackin')
3. In order to get approval for that grant they applied for, the artist we've been working with on their branding and gallery launch, needs a website to showcase their portfolio. And oh, the deadline for the grant submission is tonight at 8pm. (Can we do that? Yes. Yes we can.) ::downs a Rockstar while sobbing::

You get my point. Everyone, and I mean everyone, contacts us on Monday. Which means that you're going to have to wait for a response and it's most likely gonna be short. SO, the best day to contact us or set up a time to chat: Not Monday.