The Process

IceyDesigns specializes in branding: defining your online presence with a single, cohesive look that is recognizable and gorgeous at the same time. While the journey may differ for each person, it can generally be summed in three steps:

1. The Initiation

When you come to the realization that you need a professional look for your online presence, your first thoughts are how it will look, rather than how you'll achieve that look. That's where a designer steps in. Your first step involves filling out our easy Get Started form, which is fairly simple, because we believe forms shouldn't be cumbersome to complete. Once your submission is received, I'll go over your content, take a look at your current site (if applicable), and get in touch, usually within 24 hours.

We'll chat more about your ideas for the design, how the colors will play out, who your audience is. We'll chat about the future of your company or author persona, because good branding lasts forever—or at least a very long time.

I'll ask for your logo name, your navigation ideas, your social media presences, etc. Once we've gathered your ideas and elements, we'll move on to designing!

2. The Design

Once we've consulted the overall design and shared ideas, I'll get to work on a mockup. In the meantime, you can go ahead and get your site set up (if you haven't already done so). If you're looking for a host, I highly recommend BlueHost. They utilize 1-click installation of WordPress, which is a huge plus for any novice. GoDaddy is great, too.

Many times, clients don't know what they want, except that they like 'nautical themes' or 'pastel colors', and that's a-okay! I'll work on a design based on your vague ideas or your specific ones.

It will take me 1-2 weeks to brainstorm and piece together a design, and once I have a mockup—which will look like a screenshot of a working website—I'll send it your way.

You will have the opportunity to look over the mockup and request changes or ask questions. Every design includes three major revisions (a color change does not count as a major revision), which basically entails scrapping the design and start afresh. After your three revisions are up, you can still request changes for a fee.

We'll work together to tweak the initial design into one look you're absolutely in love with!

3. The Creation

Once we've finalized the design, the next step is bringing it to life, aka coding. I'll take apart the design and piece it into a working website. This will take me anywhere between 7-12 days, depending on the complexity of the design.

Once coding is complete, you will be sent a link to a test site, so you'll have a chance to see it live before it goes up on your own servers. When approved, we'll move on to installation. The design itself typically takes about twenty minutes to install, though other factors can lengthen the process, including Wordpress installation, hosting setup, content transfers, etc.

The final step? Sitting back and enjoying your new design. Be sure to share your new look with the world: tag me on Twitter @HafsahFaizal and hashtag #IceyDesigns, and I'll help spread the word!