5 Reasons to Choose Us as Your Design Agency (and 3 NOT to).
The world of graphic design is VERY competitive. With thousands of high-quality creative agencies and freelance designers competing for your budgets and attention, here’s 5 reasons to choose Howell & Hicks for your next design project. (And 3 equally-important reasons NOT to).
5 reasons to choose us…
Our dedication to design
Previous blog posts have mentioned we have over 60-years’ combined design industry experience between us, so we won’t bang on about it again here 🙂 But design is all we’ve ever done, and hopefully that dedication proves that we’re both still passionate about producing top-notch creative solutions for our clients.
Our designs get noticed – and get results
We love getting client feedback about the effectiveness of our designs.
From the branding of Full Circle’s eco-hygiene festival packs, to the packaging of Plamil’s exciting new snack, The Coffee Bar…when clients tell us our work has positively affected public awareness and/or sales figures, that’s tangible, results-driven proof that we’ve done a decent job.
Our responsive client service
As well as Linda’s high-quality, professional design solutions, our clients tell us that it’s our hands-on, responsive service that keeps them coming back to Howell & Hicks. From the initial project brief, to the post-project review, they trust us to communicate with them during the whole creative process, so everyone knows where we’re at, and what the next steps will be.
Our client testimonials
To check whether we’re doing a good job, and to identify possible areas for future improvement, we ask all our clients for feedback.
To read what some of them have said about us, check out their reviews on Google or Facebook, or visit our website.
Our affordable rates
When you take all of the above into account, our £60+VAT/hour rate represents genuinely great value. But to make sure we’re totally ‘right for each other’, we’ll always talk through your creative requirements and provide you with a ‘100% no obligation’ quote up-front.
And 3 reasons NOT to choose us…
We don’t have fancy offices
While we’ve both previously worked for well-known London agencies, if you’re looking for a design partner with a flash building and a posh postcode, with hipster staff riding round on scooters and playing Fußball during their breaktimes, you’re definitely not looking for us! ‘H&H HQ’ is Jen’s garden office in Deal. And Linda usually works from our Folkestone ‘branch’ – her home. 🙂
We love the flexibility of working from home, and when we can pass the benefits of lower overheads directly onto our clients in the shape of lower fees, they love it too.
We’re not online celebrities
We appreciate the power of Social Media, and we use it every day to promote our creative services and to showcase our work, but we also know our online limits.
Neither of us are trendy ‘influencers’, and with 1000’s of people already producing attention-grabbing Social Media videos far better than we could ever dream of, we promise to leave that to them, and concentrate on producing great design work. #sticktotheknitting
We charge a reasonable rate for our expertise and time (so we don’t work for free)
In the past, when clients have asked us to reduce our costs, we’ve been guilty of ‘discounting’ our design services to secure the work. But not surprisingly, it’s a strategy that doesn’t pay in the long-run. As a small agency that relies on client fees to stay in business, we can’t afford to work for free (unless it’s a relatively small project for a local charity and/or community organisation, in which case we’ll try and help out).
But we’ll happily discuss payment options to help spread the cost of investing in professional graphic design – especially if it means a new start-up business can get up and running, and look fantastic, from ‘Day 1’.
So there you have it. If you like the ‘cut of our jib’, please contact us about your next exciting creative project.
And if we’re not your perfect match, we hope you find your ideal design partner. They’re out there somewhere!