Since you’re reading this, you know who we are and what we can do. But in case you missed it, click on our About page to catch up. Our team might be small - but we prefer it that way! It kinda gives that “family” vibe, and everyone who visits our office can feel it. There’s Igor, Leo, Mario, Maja, myself and Jackie. We all care about our clients and, since we believe in their business, we’re proud to be part of their journey. Sounds like a cliche? Yeah probably, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.They say "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" so, you’ll have to make the first move.

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Step 1. Contacting us. What have you got to lose?

If you’re old fashioned, like my parents, you can own a successful business with a 20 year old logo made in Word, outdated stationary and a gmail address. A great design won’t guarantee success - but it’s a good place to start.

We’re often contacted by people who aren’t sure about their budget, and that’s fine. I understand how putting a price on the visual identity of your business or product can be challenging. After seeing dozens of online ads where freelancers offer to create a logo for a couple hundred dollars, it might seem insane to hire an agency and spend thousands for the same service. Well, that’s the catch - the service is completely different.

Let me put it this way, working with a freelancer is more like a 4-step sprint. You send an inquiry, they send an offer, you accept, and in a few days you’re the proud owner of a new logo. Good for you! But you might find yourself wondering - eh, what’s next?

This step will only take a few minutes of your time. Think of the possibilities that might happen as a result of a 5-minute effort.

There are several ways you can get in touch with us. We recommend using our contact page. There’s a short form you can submit, an email address you can write to, and a number you can call. Or you can contact us on our social media profiles - whatever you find most comfortable.

Don’t worry, a machine won’t put you on hold and you won’t receive some generic email answer. You’ll probably have a brief chat with me, Odinea (Project manager), or Leo (Creative director)

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Step 2. Getting to know each other. Are we a good match?

After receiving your inquiry, we won’t pursue you. Instead, we’ll ask some simple questions, such as:
- What is your name and where are you from?
- What brought you to STUDIO 33?
- Tell us something about your business, product or service.
- Where is your business today and where would you like it to be? How can we help??
- Have you ever worked with a design agency or freelancer? Did you find the experience satisfying?
- How important is design work to you? Do you know your budget?

As your business starts to grow, you probably need business cards, stationery, a website, packaging, banners, stickers, an app, copywriting, pamphlets, catalogues… the list can quickly become overwhelming! Do you really want to hire a freelancer for each request? Does the freelancer really care about your needs? They might, sure, but you’ll need someone you can trust.

A partner to help carry the load. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make a call and discuss ideas and share your concerns with people who already know you and your business, who can give you advice and much needed support? A partnership where we can learn from each other. Talking to clients from fields we haven’t worked with before is motivating and rewarding! Every project is a new experience for us and another work proudly added to our portfolio.

We’re not interested in short trips, we’re in for the long-run!

However, if we don’t feel a connection and lack excitement while talking about your project, or if we don’t consider ourselves to be the best agency for your needs, we’ll give it to you straight.We might not be a match made in heaven, but we’ll never know if you don’t make the first few steps...

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Step 3. Reviewing our Offer. How much are you willing to pay for success?

In a reasonable period of time, we will send you our Offer. It will consist of some terms you might not be familiar with, such as:
- Conceptual project
- Final project
- Time of use
- Area of use
- Scope of use
- Production
- Inner packaging
- Outer packaging
but don’t worry, they are all explained in the Offer.

If this is the first time you’ve contacted an agency, and you don’t have any prior experience in the design industry, our Offer might seem over the top. But, is it really? I recommend you do your research before contacting agencies; Hubspot blog should be useful.

If you appreciate our effort, skills and talent, we’ll appreciate your time and money.

We don’t want to “get the job done asap”. We want to continuously help YOU get the job done by offering our expertise. “The job” is much more than a logo, name, package design or website. It’s the complex story behind your business. It’s the reason you get up in the morning and work hard every day. We get that. The question is, how much are you willing to pay for success?

I’d hate to see you decline our offer because of concerns you might have. If I can help clarify any uncertainties and eliminate those concerns, it’s a win-win situation! So, are you ready for your next step?

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Step 4. Accepting our Offer. Let's get down to business!

“The great victory, which appears so simple today, was the result of a series of small victories that went unnoticed.”

Paulo Coelho
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Thank you for trusting us! At this point, we are excited and eager to start working on your project.

After accepting the Offer, we will send an Agreement for you to sign and return. The purpose of this Agreement is to define our business relationship - deliverables, delivery dates, payment dynamics and cost. It will provide you a detailed list of your rights and obligations, so you will know what to expect from us (and what is expected of you) during the project, in case of termination and after the project is complete (copyright issues, for example).
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Step 5. Writing a Brief. Help us from wandering. ​​​​

Once the Agreement is signed, I will send you a document called "Brief". It is consisted of questions and tips, specially created for the service we are offering. An awesome Brief should be clear, brave, exact, detailed and inspirational.

Clients often think it's easy to simply jump into a project and believe that everyone outside their company has the same vision of the project. The problem? That’s almost impossible. This is why the Brief is crucial for a successful project execution. It gets everyone on the same page, helps everyone get the same vision and determines the direction of the project.

Your answers will help us understand your hopes and expectations, your competition, what makes your different / better, how would you like to present your brand - and what you dislike. It’s not easy to write a great Brief but it will help us from wandering. Not much a journey if we’re not on the same path, eh.
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Step 6. Work hard and enjoy the process.

Just because we’re working hard, doesn’t mean we can’t have fun! We need you to be involved in the process and appreciate your two cents.

We use a CMS for managing our projects and communicating with clients. I will setup your project and create a profile for you and anyone involved. A list of tasks will be added to the project, according to the terms stated in the Offer you have accepted. You will be able to leave comments, share feedback and ask questions. Besides our CMS, you can reach me by email, Skype, Viber and mobile.

Our work is divided into 2 stages:
1. Conceptual project
2. Final project

Firstly, my creative team and I will brainstorm and check out the competition. We have to know who we’re “up against”, and check the availability of each name or identity we come up with. We will send you a couple “conceptual solutions”, which we can discuss. After you choose a solution you like, we will continue with the second stage, working on the “final solution”. We will deliver the solution in all necessary formats and you will be granted the Right to use the design work according to the Agreement.

This is a general description, since each process is a little different and depends on the service we’re providing. You can read more about a service in the Offer.During these stages, we will send you invoices according to our Offer and Agreement. Payment dynamics and cost of every invoice will be defined upfront, to avoid unpleasant surprises. In case of additional work or modifications which may require compensation, I will discuss the issue with you before the design work starts, giving you an opportunity to review the additional budget and approve it.
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Step 7. A never-ending journey. Let's figure out our next move!

“The journey is never ending. There's always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what's right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.”

‍Antonio Brown​​​​​​​

I believe our journey will be successful and satisfying on both ends. Although our work has come to an end, the job is far from over! We now consider you part of our STUDIO 33 family and look forward to new ideas you will come up with along your path to success.

Thanks for reading!

‍Author: Odinea Sudic, project manager