Tight deadlines. Hectic schedules. Mountains of work. It’s a less-than-ideal situation, especially when you wear multiple hats. If we may be so bold, partnering with a design agency like ours can take some of this weight off your shoulders.

However, this can lead to misunderstandings about what is or isn’t considered a “simple request.” Some are easy peasy, while others are more complex and time-consuming.

Understanding the differences between them helps avoid uncomfortable conversations and sets realistic expectations.

We want to take the mystery out of this by sharing a few common design requests that come our way and evaluating their intricacies so the next time you have one, you’ll know what to expect.

Exploring common design requests

Whether it’s a new project, one that’s in progress, or already completed, our team considers how additional changes to the design impact the speed, resources, and complexity involved in doing them.

When you reach out to make an edit or create a new asset, we’ll give you all the details so you can make an informed decision.

Here are a few examples of requests that may not always be a cut-and-dry edit.

“I need an edit for this file. It should be minor.”

Let’s say we’ve just finished up a digital brochure for an upcoming conference your business is participating in. It’s ready to go, but there is some text and two images your team wants to update.

One photo needs to be switched out in the brochure, while the other image requires more significant edits, including reworking the products and people in it.

If we look at this from a time perspective, the text edits and swapping out the first image should take less than a day. We would think of this as more of a minor edit.

However, updating the second image requires a bit more elbow grease since your new product and stock photos have to be cut out as separate elements.

But we aren’t done yet.

Once we place them in the refreshed image, these components need color and light adjustments to ensure everything appears as one cohesive piece.

How long will it take?

Possibly up to a week or longer depending on the number of product and stock photos you want to add, their quality (lower resolution vs. higher), and when our team gets the assets. This timeframe also includes editing and internal reviews before we submit it to you.

Because of this, our team considers this to be a more substantial edit to the brochure.

“We need this social graphic turned into a direct mail piece so we can send it to the printer today.”

Since we’re big believers in transparency, we’re going to be real with you. With a deadline this tight, you’ll have to sacrifice the rounds of edits and reviews that happen as part of a typical project.

Depending on how intricate the original graphic you want to convert into a direct mail piece is, restructuring the creative might be necessary to fit your printer’s requirements.

So, while it’s not impossible, it’s definitely not ideal.

We advise clients to plan for integrated marketing campaigns sooner rather than later. By bringing us in early, our designers can create campaign assets in tandem and avoid the last-minute rush. It also allows more time to be strategic and refine the creative so everything is consistent and unified across channels.

“But it’s just a little change. Why is there a cost? It should be free.”

Some requests (e.g., updating a name or word) won’t incur an extra charge. However, most edits will call for additional costs if they exceed the number of revisions included during an in-progress project or after we’ve provided the final design files.

Editing a completed project means reopening it, which we would then treat as a new task even though we’ve worked on the file(s) before.

So, let’s talk about why these edits wouldn’t be free. Earlier, we gave you an example of a minor versus more involved change within the same request. Even with smaller changes, designers, project managers, and other team members are still involved, using their time and expertise to provide the professional design services you’re coming to us for.

“Why are you asking so many questions? I just need [X].”

We may have to ask a few questions to get clarification or confirmation before making an edit or creating a new design. Our agency has adopted the philosophy of “measure twice, cut once” to make sure we understand what’s required for the final deliverable. And while you “just need [X],” the “X” may demand more effort than you think.

Suppose we skip this important step of seeking clarification and act as an order-taker versus a partner. Unfortunately, it could increase the odds of misaligned expectations and potentially delivering work that doesn’t hit the mark.

Ultimately, the questions we ask save the headache of redoing work and give you the assurance that what we create meets your standards.

Simple isn’t always simple

There are times when you need us to jump in ASAP. As your design partner, we’re happy to do that. But we also want to make sure the job is done right.

In the examples used here, we wanted to give you an idea of what happens behind the scenes with common design requests.

When you contact us about making an edit after a near-complete or finished project, we make sure that we understand the ask and get more information, if necessary. We’ll provide realistic options, so you’re informed and can make the best decision for your business, especially when a simple request turns out to be more complicated than anticipated.