Welcome

Whimsical Website Design

WELCOME

Yay, you’re here!

Welcome to the Brain Child family and congrats on investing in yourself and your business. 

I know how significant that decision can be and I’m honoured you chose to work with me. I promise I’ll take great care of you. To help me do my best design work, I’m going to need a little help from you. Sound ok? The following information will help make sure our working relationship is smooth sailing. 

Any questions after reading? Pop me a message and I’d be happy to help.

Ok, let’s go!

Here’s what you’ll find on this page.

Just click on any topic to be taken straight there.

  1. Communication & timelines – including important boundaries for both of us

  2. The design process – so you’re up to speed including:

    1. Important information and files I need from you before project kickoff

    2. A quick 2-minute video tutorial to help you use my project management system

  3. Payment Policy

  4. Feedback guidelines

  5. FAQs

no. 1

Communication & Timelines

To support my creative focus and protect my boundaries around work and family, please take note of the following:

Communication

  • My work hours: Weekdays (except Wednesday) 10 am – 4 pm
  • Meetings: I’m available for video calls on weekdays (except Wednesday)
  • Communication hours (emails/messages): Weekdays (except Wednesday) 10am – 2pm. All emails will receive an automated response to let you know I’ve received it and I’ll respond promptly within these hours.

 

Timelines

  • To keep your project tracking on time, please provide feedback on your designs within 3 business days. If for any reason you need extra time, please get in touch with me as soon as you can so we can make a plan.

no. 2

The Design Process

Branding Design Process

This is the design process for branding:

Website Design Process

This is the design process for website design and build:

Client Homework

To kick off our project together, you’ll need to:

 

1. Create a Pinterest board

Create and fill a public board with inspiration for your brand and send me the link when you’re done. If you get stuck, you can always pin from my design boards. Keep the board active until our project is complete. Pinterest not your thing? Just search Google for images that resonate with how you want your brand to feel then upload them to the ‘Pinterest’ task inside our project management tool. (TIP: The video in ‘Project Management’ below shows you how to do this.)

 

2. Do your homework

You’ll receive a link to complete a brand questionnaire. Fill it in as best you can to help me understand your goals and style.

 

3. Provide your website content (if you’re booked for a website build)

I’ll need all your website content and photography before I start the project so I can keep to timelines. You can upload these files to the ‘Homework’ task in our Hassl project. 

 

Project Management Training

Now you’re booked in my schedule, we’ll move all communication to my free project management tool. ClickUp is a secure online space for conversations, file sharing, setting reminders, and creating to-do lists. It’s a great way to keep our project organised and make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. You can watch a short 1-minute video tutorial to find out how the task section works.

no. 3

Payment Policy

Payment of the commencement fee books your spot in my schedule. This payment is non-refundable after 7 days. 

 

Milestone payments for the balance are due on certain dates, not on project completion. For example, 50% upfront, then 50% in 30 days. Payment terms are 7 days. Please see your contract for all the details.

no. 5

FAQ

Can’t see your question below? Get in touch.

Typically new projects are booked at least 4-6 weeks in advance. I support a select group of clients at once to provide you with the best kind of service and outcomes. Get in touch to find out the first available date.

A branding project usually takes around 4-6 weeks and websites can take 6-8 weeks. Both projects involve thorough questionnaires, deep dive brand research and other factors that are a core part of my process. The timeline is also influenced by how many revisions are required and whether feedback has been supplied in a timely manner.

Strategy always comes first, then branding as it’s the backbone of your business. Your website is another representation of your biz or organisation and should be on-brand. I’ve found clients get so much more from a website project once they fully understand their brand message.

Once we meet and decide we’re a good match, you’ll be issued a non-refundable commencement invoice via Xero. Just pay this to book in your project and secure your spot in my calendar. The balance will be due at the final design point or at the project’s set end date. No final design files will be shared until final payment is received. Payment plans are available for larger projects.

 I accept Visa, Mastercard and Amex credit cards via Stripe, Bank Transfer, PayPal and a good ol’ fashioned bag of cash.

You could. Having said that, I’ve been at this design game for a decade and building my design business for five of those years. The transformation my clients experience by working with me suggests the investment is worth it (and then some!).

 Once you’ve paid your commencement invoice, you have 7 days from the day payment clears to change your mind. After this date, your commence fee is non-refundable.

 Please use the contact form to get in touch. Once we have a project in the works, we’ll use my project management tool. It’s important to respond to my emails within 48 hours to keep the project on track, otherwise your timeline can blow out or you may lose your place in the queue.

I’ll use lorem ipsum filler text in the website mockup to guide you but all copy is supplied by you, the client. Need a copywriter? I’ll happily share some recommendations from my trusted network.

Images and videos are to be supplied by you, the client. I can recommend photographers as well as paid and free stock image directories.

No. I don’t provide WordPress hosting but I can arrange hosting through companies I recommend. If you choose to upgrade to a website maintenance plan including support, I can arrange the hosting on your behalf. NOTE: If you already have hosting, I can liaise to get your new website live.

My skills are in design, not SEO, so I don’t offer SEO services. However, I do build all websites in line with best SEO practices and optimised for search engines. I recommend working with an SEO specialist to develop a long-term tailored SEO strategy if that’s something super important to you.

Unless you’ve purchased a maintenance hosting package, that would be you. All my websites are designed with you (my technically awkward friend) in mind. A drag and drop page builder will be your best friend when it comes to making edits, adding pages and managing your website. You’ll have access to a video library that shows you how to manage your site. Need a hand? Book me for troubleshooting at a consultation/hourly rate.