Cut Through the Noise

This is a complex and nuanced conversation because there is overlap. Generally speaking, though, the term graphic design implies a focus on the visual elements whereas communication design conveys a concern for a message that resonates with a specific audience, from the format to the words and visuals.

We use the term Communication Design to describe our services because we approach a project strategically with a focus on your objective, the audience, the message, alignment with your brand, and compelling visuals that connect all the dots in order to communicate effectively.

When you partner with Sharie and Maxim Design Group, you get much more than our expertise in creating and arranging visual elements on a page or getting a project ready for print. You also get a communication strategist who sees the big picture and helps you define the objective, researches what words and visuals will resonate with your audience, aligns your communication with your brand’s personality, and determines the best format to get your message to your audience.

We start new projects with a strategy conversation. We ask lots of questions to help us understand who you are at the core and who your audience is. We talk about any problems you’re facing connecting with your audience, what your current needs are, and specific project parameters like budgets and timeframes.

Depending on the scope of the project, we will provide you with a proposal or a simple quote. Once approved, we dig in! We’ll send concepts and proofs (usually PDFs via email), discuss rationale for design choices, gather feedback, and make revisions until you are confident that the project will meet your objective.

We hope to start a relationship, not a one-time transaction. With an on-going relationship, we can short-cut the process because we know your brand strategy and your audience well. When you call with a project, we can jump straight to the objective, parameters like budgets and timeframes, available resources like photography, and brainstorming solutions.

We approach design objectively, meaning it’s not about what we like or think is attractive (or you, either, for that matter!). It’s about getting a clear message to the right people in the best form so you can connect and engage them in your cause. And we evaluate our work based on results, not personal preferences. 

So, what does that mean when you’re working with us? We share the rationale for our design decisions, but if you disagree and want to go in a different direction, we don’t hold onto our design solutions so tightly that we can’t budge. Design is collaborative and we value your feedback.

These philosophies drive the way we design:

• We prioritize clarity over cleverness, but both have their place.
• Creativity is born out of constraints (like budgets, objectives, target audience). At its core, creativity is problem-solving. We find that limitations fuel successful solutions.
• We strive to make the confusing and complex easy to understand and navigate. We organize and bring order — to spaces, information, experiences, systems — integrating separate elements to work together in a complex and unified whole.
• Form and function matter — together. Genesis 2:9 says that God made all kinds of trees — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. We believe both beauty and utility mattered to God when he designed the world and they matter to us when we design. We love designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and effective.

Yes! A retainer option is beneficial to us both as a way of managing fees and schedules with the ebb and flow of on-going projects. Having Maxim Design Group on retainer is like having a communication strategist and designer on your team for much less than the cost of an additional employee. A monthly retainer fee helps you manage cash flow, spreading out design fees in predictable amounts over the course of a year, you’ll receive top priority in the project queue, and we’re available for remote Zoom meetings as needed with the team. It helps us with cashflow and scheduling, too — win, win.

How does it work? We look at your anticipated projects for the year, estimate design fees (printing and mailing, too, if you choose), and split the costs into 12 equal payments, due on the same day each month. We schedule your projects first in our monthly production queue, filling in around them with other work.

What if something comes up in addition to what was planned? The fact that you are helping us with predictable monthly income gives us a little wiggle room to include smaller projects at no additional charge. We can bill larger projects separately or up the remaining payments — whichever works best for you.

Absolutely. The principles of good communication design transcend industries. While we know the nonprofit and church landscape well and understand our clients’ unique needs in this space, we also work with impact-driven business owners and collaborate to understand your industry and target audience.

We’ll be happy to give you a final “print ready” PDF for your records and archive the source files here. Because of licensing agreements for fonts and some artwork, we are only permitted to send source files to a printer for production. So, if you were to open the source files without the fonts, the design would appear “broken.” Additionally, to open and work with the source files, you would need the high-end design software we use and proficiency with the programs in order to manipulate the designs. A better option is to have us update the files for you, and if changes are minor, we often make them at no charge and get you competitive pricing at one of our printers.