When considering design firms for any size project, clients have to be discerning about who they choose. Good design work can be the face of a company, and it is Epstein’s mission to help our clients look their best. Here are some of our answers to the questions we get most often from potential clients. Some of these questions are also ones we hear from returning clients looking to try a new design medium or expand their reach in the community by adding signage, banners, and small touches like a new menu or a corporate mailer to their interactions with customers.

#1: How does this process work?

If you already have the vision for your project and are just missing the technical skills to complete the execution, we are here to help get it done. We have the best printers, photographers, and other Cleveland creatives on speed dial so we can collaborate on the best content to make your finished project the highest quality it can be.

If you’re just in the initial stages of your process and are coming to us with a list of needs you don’t quite have solutions to yet—even better! We’re excellent brainstormers, and having innovative approaches to clients’ corporate identity, advertising, and customer experience dilemmas is our specialty. We will sit down with you to discuss where you are with your business and where good graphic design can take you.

#2: What have you done for similar projects or clients?

Web? We do it—really well. Print? We know print like the back of our hand. Branding, packaging, environments, signage, menus, books, and nationally distributed magazines are also on our résumé. Each project is tailored to the kind of business, budget, and audience that the client is targeting. Please visit our digital portfolios at epsteindesign.com to see a small sample of the kinds of things we do.

#3: What is your cost structure?

What is your budget? We can present you with a range of approaches to your project at varying price points and give you a quote before we dive in.

#4: How many years of experience do you have?

Epstein Design celebrated our 54th anniversary in 2016, and we are the oldest firm in Cleveland. Each partner has at least 30 years of experience in design.

#5: Do you have a list of references or other satisfied customers that we can contact?

Yes! We love to brag about our amazing client base and they are not shy about their feelings about the products they get from Epstein, either. Please see: our testimonials.

Before we can even start to brainstorm design solutions and creative approaches to our work—the most fun part of any project—we have to have the right people on board. We recently went back to the drawing board for some self-reflection on what makes a good design team. It comes down to the creatives on staff. The people at Epstein are top-notch individuals, but all have a similar core that makes them stand-out designers. When we’re looking for talent, we have to ask four things.

#1: Tell us about pertinent experience with similar projects.

It helps to see a portfolio of work that backs up a person’s skills. Different designers that specialize in web, print, mixed media, and film make for a diverse team that makes the firm stronger. We have to know if a designer’s areas of expertise fill the gaps in ours.

#2: What kind of experience do you have in the design field?

Similarly, the more someone has worked, the more they can build up a design credit score that guarantees they’re a safe bet for important clients to invest important work in. While practice does usually make a designer better, an especially talented and exceptionally motivated person with limited experience can also be a worthwhile risk.

#3: How are you with deadlines?

It can be important for us to deny our inner artists’ urge to wait for a muse or for a creative mood to strike when under a tight deadline. Client satisfaction is key for a designer in the business of pleasing people, and delaying a project is not our style. A person who can produce quality work on any given timeline is an asset to the team.

#4: May we call your references and talk to past clients?

Colleagues and clients offer very different perspectives on a designer’s style. Hearing about a person’s process can be even more informative than seeing the finished product, and getting feedback from managers and clients a designer works for as well as coworkers he or she works with is illuminating.