Retained Services

Like having your own creative and marketing team ready and waiting.

When your creative needs are ongoing and varied, a retainer agreement can be a perfect answer. Retainers offer a level of consistency, availability, and rapport with a dedicated experienced professional, without the permanent commitment to payroll and other HR expenses.

We base our retainer agreements on days, rather than hours. The purpose of a retainer is availability, and we find the most reliable way to add value for our clients is by working with them consistently on the same day each week. By having a set day each week, you know exactly when I’ll be working on your projects, so there is no confusion about when we’ll need any necessary materials, and we always have specific, dedicated time allocated for your projects, which means we don’t accidentally work too much or too little on them.

We’ll schedule a standing 15-30 minute planning call the day before your reserved day where we will discuss your task priorities for that week. These calls are the key to making the most of your retainer. When you’re reserved day arrives, we methodically work through the tasks discussed, in your desired order. At the end of the day we’ll follow up with a progress report of what we accomplished, along with proofs and sometimes even videos to walk you through the work. You’ll have a few days to review before our next planning call, where we can discuss whether we need to iterate the pieces, or if we’re ready to focus on new goals that week.

Retainer arrangements work especially well for:

  • Startups working through product interface design, as it creates the perfect environment for iteration
  • Established businesses who have varied, ongoing design needs and want solid work and guidance from an experienced designer
  • Small creative agencies who need reliable support from an experienced designer

All of our retainers are month-to-month arrangements
Our month-to-month retainers offer you a great degree of flexibility, as you’re only committing to one month at a time. Simply give us 30 days notice when you’re ready to pause, change, or halt the contract. Month-to-month contracts are billed at a per-day rate of $600 per day. Discounts may be available for clients booking more than one day per week.

Currently accepting new clients