Our Work Policies
This Is How We Roll...
If you are considering working with us, we would encourage you to read through our work policies below for an understanding of our process and so that you can better determine if we’ll be a good fit. We value having a healthy working relationship with every client and want you to feel the same.
Calls By Appointment Only
Due to receiving constant and very aggressive phone spam campaigns, we’ve had to make the decision to have all initial phone consultations by appointment only. We don’t want anyone to feel inconvenienced by this but it’s the only way we can assure an uninterrupted work flow here at the BubbleHouse Laboratories.
Our Cost and Rates
We do not post pricing on our website because we’ve learned from experience that very few design projects are a one-size-fits-all for time and cost. We want our rates to be as fair as possible so for larger projects, we quote the cost by estimating the total time required to complete the project. For small projects, we estimate cost by the hour.
We find that most clients feel much more comfortable knowing up front what the total cost will be for a large design project and we do as well. It removes the anxiety of an hourly rate possibly going over budget and a project being abandoned as a result.
From Consultation To Quote
Our initial consultation by phone will be to go over your design needs and goals and to let the bigger picture take shape of what the scope of the project will require. From there, we can sometimes provide a quote immediately or for more complicated projects, we may require 1 to 2 days to write a quote proposal.
Project Quote Versus Hourly Rate Estimate
Our project quotes are a set-in-stone cost so that you’ll immediately know if it fits in your budget. These are usually for larger design projects such as website design, logo design, hefty print designs, or bulk branding projects.
Our hourly rate can only be quoted as an ‘estimate’ of total cost. However, we can set goals for any budget that requires a limit. Hourly rates are more often for photo editing, onsite SEO, or other odds and ends tasks you may hire us for.
Deposit Required To Begin Work
All design projects require a 50% deposit of the total quote or estimate to put you into our work timeline. If the estimated total will be $50 or less, we may require full payment up front – depending on the type of job.
Meetings At Your Location
If an initial consultation meeting is required at your location in order to go over everything with your staff or board members, or for us to have a more intimate sense of a product or environment, or to take photos, we are always happy to do that.
If additional meetings at your location are required throughout the project, those will require an additional charge at an hourly rate, including for travel time.
Third Party Interactions
We include in our design agreement that we do not work with third parties such as ‘Art Directors’, ‘SEO Consultants’ or additional Staff members from your organization unless this was agreed upon before you were quoted.
We will of course work with third parties where and when necessary and when it has been agreed upon at the very beginning and quoted for but this will be at our own discretion.
Reason being, we’ve seen multiple projects slow down to a crawl and eventually screech to a stop, only to be abandoned entirely when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Unfortunately, it does happen even with the best of intentions. We’ve experienced this with business owners as well, who continuously consult with their staff for their opinions and ideas, CC them in on all of the emails and soon, it leads to lots of frustration, wasted time and conflicting visions that will quickly overwhelm and cripple what could have been an awesome outcome.
You are not only hiring BubbleHouse Designs to create a custom design but we also assume the position of managing and directing the overall outcome as experienced design professionals.
Being A Good Fit For Working Together
If any of the statements below resonate with you, then chances are that we may not be a good fit.
- Cost is always more important than quality.
- Content is king and everything else is unimportant.
- I lack trust in professionals because I’m always getting ripped off.
- I’m a DIY type and feel the need to watch and guide the process closely. Even the plumber.
- When I say “jump”, don’t ask “how high”.
- I’m very indecisive and change gears often because I get bored easily.
- I used to do design and just need someone to follow my instruction.
- I don’t have time for balanced communication and emails.
- I know I’m very curt and even a bit rude sometimes but you’ll deal with it if you want my money.
- Sometimes I just blurt out something hateful about others who are different. I can’t help it. It’s who I am.
After many years in this industry, we have had just about every type of client and know which clients work well and which kind do not. People come in all shades of personality and some don’t even realize when they’re being a bit of a jerky. We’re not here to cancel anyone or to control every situation. But we do treat all of our clients with kindness, respect, and professionalism and work best with those who do the same.
Our Mission As A Whole
Our mission is to make sure that your experience with us is easy and stress-free. That you feel confident with what we’re providing and you’re excited to see the results. If we were just selling widgets on the side of the road, very little about ‘who we work with’ would matter. However, some projects require working together for months at a time and this is why we feel the need to weed out any potential unpleasantries.
After many years of chasing the tough jobs and accepting the clients who are unpleasant and don’t value your time or worth, we have thankfully earned a more established spot as a design service that is mostly word of mouth and with longtime clients who we have built trust and relationships with through the years. And we are deeply grateful!
