Think Organic and Outside the Box
We Want To
Be Your Team
Selecting a designer for your graphics and marketing needs is much like choosing a fashion designer to provide a garment for an important event. You always have the choice to buy a nice off-the-rack outfit from a department store or boutique, but for whatever reason you decide against it, and choose to employ a designer, you would generally select one based on your appreciation of that designer's individual style. Different designers have different styles - which (aside from price) is pretty much the main distinction separating one from another. Even then you have the option to purchase a pre-manufactured piece from your chosen designer or have something custom-made; In which case the designer (when planning your garment) will more than likely consider the occasion or event you will attend and your physical attributes. The final piece should reflect your image, adorned in his or her individual design style. How effective that designer is in applying that style to you (and your event) is what qualifies the resulting degree of success.
Our ideal client is that Small to Medium-Sized Company, Who Is Determined To Compete On That Next Level, That Was Previously Only Affordable To Much Larger Companies.
First - Do Your Homework
We require all potential clients to view our work in person or through our online web site portfolios and network-galleries before we even agree to accept the new client or project. Knowing that we have the client's trust and confidence goes a long way in insuring the effectiveness of the resulting piece. In many ways, your designer is like many other professionals that you would trust your important processes to - like your physician, attorney or accountant. You may not completely understand what they do or how they do it - but you make a conscious decision to trust them to make your best interest a priority, and your satisfaction paramount. The initial decision to retain their services may have had something to do with your belief in the quality of their work and their experience in their respective areas of expertise.
It Helps To Know What You're Looking For. The Truth Is - Anybody Can Run Out To BestBuy And Purchase Nice Pro-sumer Equipment, And Hang Out The Open for Business Shingle - But Are You Willing To Invest All Of Your Hard Work And Dreams, Into Someone Else's - Someone Who May Not Be Experienced, Or Even Qualified Enough, To Ensure Your Sucess? Get Your Ball Rollin' First - And Later On, Down The Road, You Can Let That Nephew With The Computer Skills Help Out.., But Not Right Now, When Your Project Is In It's Infancy, And At It's Most Fragile.
What To Look For and Consider
Some examples of what one might look for in a designer's style is; technical abilities - can the artist employ current or newer technologies - Is his or her style to your liking aesthetically - can the artist take the project from conception to completion - what is the artists level of understanding of your needs and objectives - can he or she facilitate your timeline - professionalism - will personality or other differences be an issue - available resources, materials or supplies on-hand to facilitate your project - willingness to consider your or other outside input - flexibility... and the list goes on and on. You may never find all, many or even most of these attributes perfectly inline with your expectations, but that will be the case with any professional you consider for employment. It is you however, who has to prioritize these areas of importance "before" settling on one. It is not fair to the artist, yourself or your project to select an artist "willy-nilly" and then attempt to change or impose change in mid-project.
If you know exactly what you want, or have a good idea of what it is that you're looking for - and have a good degree of knowledge about the process and the final outcome - you might make getting an artist who is open and willing to work along side you throughout the project, a priority. This is important because many professionals resent a client who appears to be directing the project from "over his or her shoulder." Many artist require some degree of (if not complete), creative freedom. This is where your trust and confidence is required.
Many projects are mis-directed to graphic designers, that may have only required the services of a good full-service printer for example. Here the old saying "you get what you pay for" may be only half true. For example; a small budget will not necessarily limit your input with an artist who doesn't mind (or who needs) your creative advice or input. And on the other hand an unlimited budget will not insure that your input will be welcomed with an artist who works best when left alone. Few artist take issue with making adjustments and fine tuning or even accepting your input once his or her visions have been realized. If you allow an artist to complete the process unmolested only to find that you don't like it, most will be more than willing to work with you to resolution. This however, is seldom the case if you choose your artist wisely beforehand.
When you do find a designer who meets your needs; use them! A good artist can be your secret weapon. In today's economy having the ability to compete, unfettered by cost concerns when it comes to your marketing and promotions budget, is a wonderful thing. To be able to start (or continue) to produce and print - slick, quality promotional pieces, dynamic web applications and broadcast commercials to help bolster your product or service - is invaluable. A good design team will enable you to continue to look the part, even when the rest of the world is feeling, (and showing) the affects of a weak economy. It is in these times when keeping your brand out front is even more important. Goods and services will still be in demand, however, it is the affordable ones that will continue to prosper. It Is your objectiv to continue to receive your share of any spending that is still occurring. So, keeping your brand strong and visible during such times is the job of your creative team. A good team constantly has a finger on the pulse of current market conditions. It is the lifeline that facilitates all that we do. After all, we are still basically, marketing specialists, who's tools are of a creative nature. We know how to continue to do what need to be done - despite adversity. We are your In-house creative services team - that doesn't take up real estate on your property, or exist on your payroll. We are there for you whenever you need us, just like a permanent employee - without the cost. Take advantage of this feature, and you're already a step ahead of the competition.
Getting It Right The First Time
Q Creative Services has a number of different styles and artists to choose from and are more than happy to refer a potential client in another direction if we mutually feel that a match cannot be made. Please know that what we provide as artist, comes from within. The effectiveness of our work and the customer's complete satisfaction is our ultimate goal with each and every project. The time committed to any project cannot be regained once spent. And therefore it is our objective to get it right (or as close as possible to right) the first time, so that with minimal of fine tuning and tweaking, we might have perfection. But again, the first step is in selecting the right artist for the job to begin with.
We will illustrate this position using ourselves as the example - As we know who and what we are - and what better way to introduce ourselves to you, than by our example:
There Is Alot To Be Said About What We Do
Most of our customers don't know more than they should about what we do or how we accomplish it. Sarah might know the benefits of having a dynamic presence on the web, but very little about what that entails. What is the difference between a static Html site and a dynamic XML site? What are the advantages of one over the other? Which one would best facilitate Sarah's needs? How does cost figure into the equation? What about domain identity, hosting and web site maintenance? Sarah doesn't speak the language, is unfamiliar with the technology and fearful about this strange, new territory. She feels vulnerable and uncertain and out of her environment - and building trust here, is always going to be the first step we take. We will talk you through the process, answering any questions you may have - but mostly listening... Many times listening to what's not being said. A good percentage of our success is as a result of our ability to interpret what a client sometimes cannot articulate. And besides, It is most difficult to know what your client needs, if you're not a very good listener. We present ideas that support your objectives and keep you engaged and as involved as you would like to be. Some don't want to know more than they need to about the process - they have other responsibilities and simply want the job done. They require accountability, commitment, loyalty and above all else, Results. When you leave your lively-hood in someone else's charge, It's good to know that it's in trusted hands.
For that rare client who know's exactly what they want and how they want it, we play wherever part is required - even if it means directing them elsewhere within our network. Some customers would be better suited to learn a process or two themselves, to help ensure that they feel that secure sense of hands-on control that they may be familiar with. We know how hard it can be to let go of a process that you have nurtured into being - and having to turn it over to another because of limitations in your knowledge of a new technology. We realize that many times the key to success is in the ability to surround oneself with a knowledgeable team of talented people, who know the parts that we don't. Q Creative Services has been that team for many customers, for many years. Your company may be new to us, but chances areyour industry is not. We are everything marketing and creative - all under one, big umbrella. Everything that you have employed creatively over the years - we more than likely know the technology and application. We are always open to learning new things as well... Learning after all, is how we grow.
Understanding what you have in us is the first step. Allowing us to do what we do for you, is a close second. If you chose us believing that we were a good match for your project, there's no better way to get your full money's worth than by just stepping back, and letting us do what we do. You don't pay for what doesn't work or what you can't employ. That's our policy. There is a catch though; You have to trust our experience and expertise in what we do. We have clients who initially didn't have the ability to see the outcome of a specific process as vividly as we did. He, through trust alon extracted himself from his concerns and left us to do our work. Like he knew is job - we knew ours - better than anyone else in fact. As predicted, without a hitch, our results were accurate and favorable to a fault. That happy customer is still our customer - for eleven years now,(as of March 2016). So, from time to time we still see fear in the eyes of those, new to this digital technological world of infinite possibilities, and we reach out to them with solutions, ideas and progress.
Leave a Comment