Running and growing a business is tough work, and finding the right partner can make all the difference. We're here to answer your questions so that you can plan your next big project. Or small project!
We enjoy all types of challenges and can adapt to your needs.
Great clients align with our core values and approach.
Since founding, we’ve worked with amazing companies across various fields such as entertainment, nonprofit, technology, healthcare, fashion, finance, architecture and e-commerce. This experience has provided us with a wealth of knowledge, focusing on creative problem-solving strategies for every project.
We enjoy collaborating with companies that want to think differently by creating inspiring experiences that engage target audiences and drive growth.
It's important to note that we believe each project is unique. Part of our process will be assessing project needs and timeline before any work begins.
A comprehensive branding or rebranding project takes 2-3 months. A fast-track startup branding project takes a minimum of 4 weeks.
A website design and/or development project duration will vary depending on needs. Design and prototyping should take 4-8 weeks with longer timelines for complex builds. Website development can include quick builds, or more complex builds with CMS integration or e-commerce functionality, which requires 2-3 months on average.
Each project is unique, and the cost varies per project. We will work with you to understand the requirements and then create an estimate or scope of work for your project.
Our small team of experts create the same quality of work as large global agencies at a fraction of the cost. We do work that ranges from small nonprofit projects to large corporate contracts.
The first step is for us to discuss your project and see if it is a fit for us. Next we will schedule a call to gather as many details as possible to craft a custom proposal for your project. Before beginning work, we require a signed proposal and a deposit to commence work.
Yes. We love startups. We understand not every project has the same requirements, and we adjust our offerings and pricing accordingly.
We primarily develop on top of WordPress and Shopify. WordPress is our choice for complex site builds, as we build custom, lightweight themes and can extend the functionality to achieve almost anything. Shopify is our choice for e-commerce builds, although we also enjoy WooCommerce (on WordPress) for this as well.
Other platforms we use and have great expertise in are Hubspot and Webflow. HubSpot is a great platform for lead generation and marketing with a flexible development environment. Webflow has a good combination of visual tools / modules, and the customizable back-end provides a lot of control.
Lastly, we love good old static code. A site or application built with static code can then be translated into whatever platform a client's developer team wants to use. Or every so often a quick static build is a great way for a startup to get online quickly. There's no need for database connections, special hosting or regular edits.
Also, we love to learn. So if your team has special requirements, we'd love to hear about it.
Yes, we typically offer monthly retainer options when providing website development or design / consulting. A typical maintenance retainer would cover things like such as platform upkeep, plugin updates and testing, or general changes and additions.
We bill for retainer time in advance of the month. You are paying for our time on the calendar, and we reserve your spot. As a result, you get expedited responses and results.
Please review our Methods page for an overview. It's important to note that our design process varies depending on the client needs, content requirements, and expected result. Discovery, mood boarding, brand building, identity design, website design and UI/UX services will all have unique needs.
The best way to accomplish this is via a maintenance retainer. We are able to help with ongoing needs by using the retainer time to accomplish any edits or changes. Alternatively, we can provide estimates for additional work after a site launch. However, this method often requires scheduling weeks in advance as our schedule stays busy. Note that retainer work is prioritized.
Yes! But it depends. We need to see how your site was developed and what CMS or platform is in use. In some cases we may recommend more large-scale changes versus smaller or less effective temporary changes.
DesignUps uses e-mail, Figma, Slack, and Google Meet. We sometimes hop on to systems like Asana, Basecamp or Linear.
While we strongly believe in the skill and expertise of DesignUps' well-crafted design work, we understand that you might already have a design in place. We would appreciate the opportunity to review your existing design to ensure the user experience and functionality can be accomplished. We aim to collaborate with our clients, ensuring a high standard of quality for all of our work.
We personally avoid AI as much as possible. We’ve gathered decades of experience, and we think humans deliver the most creative solutions. AI generates templates and canned answers while we provide real value and strategic thinking. The only use cases where we may consider AI is basic image manipulation or concepting.
Possibly. If it is a good fit and our values align. We are open to discussing opportunities with organizations that are doing good things.
