FAQ - Web Design Process

Initial Consultation

The initial consultation is free for the first hour, at this point we discuss your requirements and what you are looking for in your website. We aim to obtain as much information as possible in order to build your site to your specifications.

Requirements and Content

At this point we will outline what we need to build your site, this usually consists of a list of pages or headings, the textual content for the site (as we can't know your business as well as you, this must be supplied by the client or a copywriter). We can supply copy writing services.

Content must be supplied in a digital format i.e. Word, PDF files or emails. Images should also be supplied as high quality jpegs , psd files or vector images. If we have to manually type up textual content there will be an hourly charge added to the invoice.

The most frequent delay in a site construction is delays by clients in supplying content. In the case of delays in this scenario your design project will be put on hold or possibly not started. We will build you site very quickly and to your schedule if all content has been received.

We can supply a large range of stock images for your project at low or no extra cost, more specific images may need to be purchased on a client's behalf and that can be arranged at your discretion. We also ask for at least 3 website URLs that you like the design or color scheme of, this enables us to envision the kind of site you wish to see

Estimate

After the initial consultation we will supply you with a formal estimate detailing the work to be carried out and the costs involved. For larger projects a Statement of Work (SOW) may also be provided.

Agreement and Deposit / Payment Structure

On approval of our quote we will supply you with a web design agreement, this details all the work to be carried out as well as the legal details ownership, copyright etc.
A signed copy should be returned to us with your deposit check at which point your project will be added to the workflow. Our current payment process is 40/40/20, that is a 40% deposit, with a second installment being due when the bulk of the site has been constructed with or without client content and a final 20% due before the site goes live.

Initial Designs

We will provide up to 3 designs setup as a flat image in Photoshop, Illustrator or similar graphics program. This will show the look and design of the site and can easily be adjusted at this point to meet your design vision. Usually the first design is acceptable to most clients but we will provide up to three client visuals based on the information from the initial consultations. Additional client visuals may incur charges.

Client Visual / Mock Up

Once you are happy with the client visual we will ask that a proof is signed and faxed back to us.
We will then construct your site.

Site Construction

Using the Client Visual we will optimize the images and build your custom site. This will be available to view either on our testing servers. It will not disrupt any existing content and will be viewable 24/7.

Online Project Management, Collaboration and task software.

We use Basecamp which is a great online program for tracking project progress and management, with a sign in for each member of your business you can comment, upload files and communicate directly with your designer or project leader.
This makes the design process very smooth and keeps you informed about all aspects of the your project. This is at no extra cost to our clients.

Visit Basecamp for more information.

Completion and Going Live

At this point the balance on the account is due. Once everything is completed we will upload your site to a live server for the world to visit. At this point you should thoroughly test your site for correct linking, emails and form content delivery. These will have been tested before the site goes live and we will also have completed multi-browser testing but it's always a good idea to have one final run through once the site is live.

Max Q Designs is proud of it's work and usually adds a small link from your site to ours at the bottom of your pages. We will also feature your new site on our portfolio pages and link to your site.

Maintenance and Updating

We offer a short period after the site is live for any small changes or debugging that may be required, although this is usually not required as we test all sites in multiple browsers. After that time we can offer maintenance, updating or changes on our hourly fee or by one of our low cost maintenance packages. We retain copies of all our work in case you ever need them and we are happy to supply them on request. We do not back up databases that are live on a web server as they change frequently and this would be a difficult process. However most web hosts will back up your site on a daily basis and in the case of data loss should be able to recover this from their backups* *please contact your host directly for more information.