Frequently asked questions
WHAT IS THE FACTUS CREATIVE CLIENT ONBOARDING PROCESS?
After I receive your initial contact form, I provide a free 30-minute consultation, by phone or virtual video call, to get to know you better and talk about your business and branding needs. If we have an indication of being a good fit for each other and wish to proceed, I will set you up as a client in Asana, the project management tool I use for scheduling and all communication related to your project. Then I will send you a contract with invoice and other pertinent agreements.
You will then receive a Strategic Brand Survey (SBS) and a follow-up if necessary. This will allow me to understand the details of your business, learn your vision and goals, and bring out the distinctive aspects that will create the foundation of your unique brand from the ground up. See what makes a strong strategy here.
WHAT OTHER SERVICES DOES FACTUS PROVIDE?
Factus creates more than just a logo for your business. I offer three brand packages, all of which include a comprehensive brand strategy document. Depending on which package best fits your needs, I will include everything from primary and secondary logo bundles, variable brand voice, collateral pieces, an icon set, patterns, typography hierarchy system, color palette, on-brand photography suggestions and a brand guideline.
If you already have a strong logo with equity, then I also offer a Brand Expansion package, where we can work together to expand your brand to include other critical pieces your business would benefit from like patterns, icons and perhaps more secondary or tertiary logos for a richer "variably brand voice".
To discover this, I also offer a Brand Audit if your business could use an honest assessment and evaluation of your brand.
DO YOU ONLY WORK WITH STARTUPS AND NEW COMPANIES OR CAN YOU HELP OLDER, MORE ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES AS WELL?
I’ve worked with startup businesses and individuals throughout the Denver area and elsewhere, as well as veteran businesses who have outgrown their inaugural brand and want a refresh to look more established. I have a proven strategy that works the same for anyone who needs a brand new identity or reinvigorate an existing one.
Check out some of the valued clients I’ve been privileged to work with, and get in touch regarding your own brand needs.
WHY IS A LOGO SO EXPENSIVE?
Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover said, "If you think good design is expensive, you should see the cost of bad design." Designing a logo is only one crucial piece of a very complex visual enterprise, the result of years of education, expertise and experience.
Are you serious about how your business is perceived by the world? Making sure it speaks to your customers in ways that make them feel like you have exactly what they are looking for? Do your values encourage repeat business, with branding that is timeless? This requires a professional. Branding takes time, and while you are the expert of your business, I am the expert in mine. If you need a $200 logo in a few days, and think of this as an expense rather than an investment, I'm not your guy.
HOW DOES PAYMENT WORK?
I require a 25% non-refundable deposit to reserve a spot in my queue. An additional 25% is due prior to the initial creative kickoff meeting and the remaining 50% is due before the final files are sent off.
CAN I ADD TO THE PROJECT AFTER WE GET STARTED?
Absolutely. It actually happens a lot. I will send you an amendment to the scope of work and the extra work will be billed before final files are delivered.
HOW MANY CONCEPTS WILL I SEE?
One. I use the One Concept Approach, but don't worry, "one concept" does not mean "final result." With a thorough strategy in place (before design even begins), collaboration with you and two rounds of refinements, I won't dilute my, and your, time between multiple concepts and directions. I provide my clients with solutions, not options. This one concept, backed by the strategy, will be comprehensively presented in conjunction with real-world applications, with typographic hierarchy, brand colors, secondary logos, and submarks and patterns.
DOES FACTUS CREATIVE DESIGN WEBSITES?
Web design and development is a specialty in itself, so I recommend clients hire a dedicated developer for this. The web developer can reference the brand style guide I provide as part of your branding package to build the site. I am willing to consult on the project, checking in at a couple strategic points to make sure the design is consistent with your brand. That may require a separate invoice depending on the size, scope and timing.
HOW LONG DOES A BRANDING PROJECT TAKE?
Depending on your needs and the package you choose, it can take anywhere from 4 to twelve weeks. I know three months sounds like a long time, but experience has proven that is about the average time to create the proposal and contract, develop and refine the strategy, perform research and move through concepts, design, collateral, icons, patterns, presentation, refinements, style guide and final asset delivery.
I JUST NEED A LOGO. CAN WE SKIP THE STRATEGY PART?
In a word? No. The strategy and discovery phase of my process is non-negotiable. I can't "just" design a logo without knowing about your business, your audience customers, and more. Strategy is a critical component of creating a bespoke and effective brand.
HOW WILL WE COMMUNICATE THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT?
I use a project management system called Asana. Once we have gotten you on board in Asana, Asana will be the lynchpin for all correspondence. I've learned that keeping track of emails on a detailed project is quite difficult because while one email chain will have a subject line, that same chain may change directions several times.
You will receive alerts from Asana as well as a nice weekly progress report. All files, attachments, and conversations will be in a nice singular location.
SO, WHAT DOES FACTUS MEAN, ANYWAY?
Simply put, it's Latin for to bring forth, bring into existence, which is what I do when I create a logo, essentially from scratch.
The OG Factus Maneuver was born in 1984 in college, when people started paying me to create custom monograms of their names in college to put on their dorm room doors. My first client was a graduating law student who wanted a logo for his new practice. I invented factus maneuver, thinking it meant something like "true movement": how I thought of my designs, as original, unique movements of shapes, composition and color.