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Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to do to get started?

General

If you would like to commission BML for a new project then please get in touch with a member of our team. We will need to set you as a new customer on our system, so will require your name, company name, registered business address, invoice address, accounts team telephone and email address. We will also need you to sign our standard engagement agreement which defines the project we will be undertaking for you and the costs. Once we have received signed copies of everything we need, we will require the deposit payment (if paying monthly),or the full payment (if paying in advance) and we will be able to add your project in to our schedule.

What happens if I don’t like the work?

General

Our brand design process is strategically designed to keep you informed at every stage of the brand design process. This means we are totally confident that the work we produce will be inline with your expectations and most importantly, be inline with the strategic objectives of your organisation. That said, we acknowledge that even the most strategically planned work can always be subject to personal opinion. This is why all the work we produce is backed up by our unique Happiness Guarantee.

How soon can you get started on my project?

General

Our schedule is very fluid, so wherever possible, we will work around the schedule of our clients. With a rebranding project, we will usually require up to two weeks notice to arrange your Foundation™ workshop, although we can usually accommodate any timelines you have given sufficient warning. Our web projects may require slightly more notice due to the complexities of the development process, but again, we will always work our hardest to meet any special requirements you may have. Please contact us if you have an exact timetable you are working to and would like specific reassurances.

Are you VAT registered?

General, Payment

Yes, all our invoices are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate and this will be clearly high listed on any quotation and invoice we supply you. If you are an oversees customer then VAT will not be applied to your bill. For further information, please contact us.

What happens if I want a refund under the terms of your Happiness Guarantee?

General, Payment

The BML Happiness Guarantee is a unique promise of quality to our customers. If you are not happy with any of the work we produce for you following an agreed brief, we will continue to work on it for free until you are. If you are still not happy, we will return all the investment you have made with on on that specific project. In order to effect the guarantee, you are required to given us written feedback (as constructive as possible) explaining the reasons you are unhappy and allowed us the opportunity to address all of the issues you have raised. If we have been through a minimum of two rounds of changes, each time where we have responded to constructive written feedback, through which we have attempted to address the issues you have raised and you are still unhappy, you can notify us in writing and we will refund all money paid on that project to date.

If the project is being paid in installments, then we will reimburse all the monies paid to date and cancel any future payments. Please note that if you decide to effect the Happiness Guarantee, all work delivered must be returned to BML and you will have no right to use or share any of the ideas or work that we have presented.

Why is there a discount for paying in a single instalment?

Payment

Like any business, we depend on prompt payment from our clients to  ensure everything runs smoothly. We offer a 20% discount to customers who are able to pay for their project in advance, as a thank you for minimizing administration time and making our operation run more smoothly.

Do you offer bespoke packages and other services like websites?

Web

Yes. We offer a comprehensive range of on and off-line marketing communication services. This includes websites, animations, presentations, marketing campaigns and email marketing services. Please contact us for more information. If you require a custom solution that is different to our standard packages, please contact our sales team to discuss options.

My project is secret, can you work under an NDA?

General

Yes, we are happy to work under an NDA if your project demands it and have done so in many circumstances in the past. Please contact us if you would like to arrange an NDA completion prior to discussing your project in full.

Can I do my Foundation™ strategy workshop remotely?

General

Whilst we believe the Foundation™ strategy workshop is best done face-to-face at the BML studio, it is possible to carry out your strategy session remotely using internet services such as Skype, Zoom or FaceTime. You will require access to an up to date computer with a reliable and fast internet connection, webcam and microphone. The session can take several hours, so please consider this if you have data limitations (you will be liable for your own data usage).

You may miss some of the finer details of the workshop due to the current technical limitations of being remote, but these will all be summarised in your final Foundation™ report, so they should not be a problem. Please contact us if you would like to discuss remote sessions further.

How long does the Elevation™ brand design process take?

Branding

In our experience the length of time it takes to complete a brand design project is largely dependent on the time each individual organisation takes to make and feed back their decisions. Assuming everything goes smoothly, a standard project may take anything from 4 to 6 weeks, although the bigger the project, the more time is usually required. We will always do everything possible to work around your own specific schedule.

Who will I deal with during my Elevation™ brand design project?

Branding

Unlike many design agencies, BML do not employ account managers. Instead, you deal with the client services team at the quoting stage, then once a project is commissioned you deal directly with the designer working on your project. This leads to simpler, more direct communication and far fewer misunderstandings and false promises. In circumstances where multiple team members are involved in a single project, all team members will be copied into communications to ensure continuity.

What do you mean by ‘effective’ brand design?

Branding, General

When we talk about ‘effective’ brand design (or design in general), we mean design that delivers maximum impact from the investment you make. Doing this requires three things. Firstly it requires the strategic ability to understand your business and where it’s true marketable value lies, together with an in depth analysis of your customers – specifically the ones who will see the highest value in what you bring to the market. Secondly it requires the creative ability to connect your offering with your target customers through thoughtful and appropriate marketing communications. Finally it requires the intelligence to identify ways of tracking the results so that you understand if your investment has been sound. These are the three components that all BML brand design projects are built around and we believe are the keys to effectiveness.

Can you guarantee that I will achieve specific results?

General

Whilst everything we do is strategically designed to help your organisation succeed, we are unfortunately unable to guarantee specific results from the work we produce. This is because there are so many variables that are outside of our control, not least your ability to deliver the service that we are marketing for you. That said, our business is built on long term relationships that we have with our clients. Our service is all about listening to you, understanding your business and getting to the very root of where your highest marketable value lies.

We have a proven track record of delivering brand design and marketing communications that have a serious and measurable impact on business performance. This is backed up by strong testimonials, case studies and in some cases, awards. Whilst we cannot guarantee specific results, we can guarantee that we will do everything within our power to make you join the ranks of happy customers we are proud to serve.

Do you offer printing services?

General

Yes, we offer a complete print management service for all our clients using our pre-approved network of high quality and cost-effective printers and installers. From the smallest items such as stickers and leaflets, to high-quality brochures with a massive range of specialist print finishes, point of sale and promotional items. We can also arrange signage installation for almost any sized project. Please contact us for a bespoke quotation.

What is your hourly rate?

General, Payment

We understand that there is a tendency within the creative industry to benchmark agencies based on their hourly rate. Whilst we can understand that this does give a marker, we believe this to be a very bad way of differentiating agencies. After all, the ultimate question you should be asking, is ‘am I getting value for money on the project I am commissioning?’. Value for money (i.e. The total project investment vs the standard of product delivered and level of service provided) is a far better marker than hourly rate, because how much one individual can deliver and what they are capable of delivering in a set period of time varies enormously.

In the theory, the more experienced you are, you are likely to be able to work at a higher standard faster than someone else, which essentially penalizes anyone at the top of the profession. In reality, the only thing that matters is the quality of the end product and the resulting impact it can have on your organisation.

Sometimes delivering an exceptional product requires less time than we expect and other times it requires more. Either way we commit to delivering exceptional results. These are the things we focus on and we price our services accordingly. If understanding hourly rates is critical in your decision making process, then you would be advised to use a benchmark of £95+VAT per hour.

Why do you price your branding and rebranding services into packages?

Branding, General, Payment

2017 marked BML’s tenth anniversary. In the significant time we’ve been in business we’ve worked on a huge range of projects for a diverse range of organisations. We understand the fundamental components that are required to create a great brand. We also know that a huge range of marketing communication tools are needed to make your new brand work as hard as possible for your organisation. Our brand design and rebranding packages are carefully assembled to offer an increasing level of value, based on the complexity and number of marketing communication tools included.

In our experience, many organisations are unaware of what communication tools are required and how much this might effect the overall cost of a rebrand. Our packages are designed to make the costs of designing a brand totally as clear and simple as possible. However, we still offer customised packages to suit your individual needs if our default packages are unsuitable. Please contact us for details.

Do you work in other content management systems apart from WordPress?

Web

No. We only work with the web platform, WordPress. We have tried and tested many content management systems, but nothing can compare to WordPress for ease of use (meaning, its easy for you, the site administrator to work with) and scalability (meaning how easy it is to extend and grow with your business).

Want us to work in another CMS? Sorry to disappoint, but we are not the agency for you.

Can I add more website features at a later date?

Web

Yes. Thanks to the WordPress plugin system, you can usually bolt on almost any kind of additional functionality to your site at a late date with minimal disruption. Each new feature will need to be quoted on and paid for separately. You will simply need to email our quotes team with details of the new functionality you require.

I need a feature that isn’t listed on your website, do you offer bespoke solutions?

Web

Yes, the list of features that is included in our add-on options is only a sample of some of the most popular website features we get asked for. If you have a specific functional requirement, or would like us to use a specific plugin for your project, then please contact us and let know and we can provide you with a bespoke quote.

What is on-page search engine optimisation?

Web

On page search engine optimisation means optimising both content visible on your website, as well as the code structure behind the scenes, so that it can be found as easily as possible by search engine web crawlers. In practice, this means adjusting content titles so that they are relevant to the site content and particular keywords. It also means relevant adding alt tags to all images so they can be found in image searches. It also means modifying page meta title and description tags so they are targeted at specific search phrases.

What do you mean by a website ‘feature’?

Web

A website ‘feature’ is a visual or functional element of your website that adds to what it can do. This can be something relatively simple such as a slideshow on your homepage, or a photo gallery, right through to an online shop, or event booking facility.

Apart from being free, one of the best things about WordPress, is the enormous bank of additional ‘plug-ins’ that are available. A ‘plugin’, is a module that can be bolted onto your existing website. It often requires customisation to suit your unique requirements and site style, but the core functionality has already been written. This saves a huge amount of time – and therefore cost – compared to writing the same functionality from scratch. Because WordPress is so widely supported, it means that there is an off-the-shelf solution available for almost every site feature you can imagine. Some plugin’s are free, whilst others require a small fee.

Who will populate my website content?

Web

Populating content can be a complex and time-consuming task. As the situation of each customer varies from website to website, we do not offer content population as standard, which means you will be responsible for adding the majority of content to your site. Adding content is very easily done through WordPress and is the main reason we prefer that content management system over any other. If you are starting from scratch and you are struggling to write your own content, then we can connect you with one of our preferred copywriters who will be able to assist you. Similarly, if you are struggling for images, then we can provide high quality stock photos, or even arrange a custom photoshoot using one of our approved professional photographers.

How secure is my website?

Web

If your website is hosted with us, then it will housed on a web server located at our data centre in North London. Your website will be built on the WordPress content management system which is open source (meaning free) and very widely used. This means your website can be vulnerable to hacks, but so is any website, even ones using bespoke systems. Like any good website, you just need to make sure you follow good security protocols and keep it updated regularly.

All our website builds come with a built in security firewall to block malicious login attempts. Similarly all our passwords and login procedures are optimised for increased security to avoid easy back door entry to the site admin (the most common form of hack).

How long will it take to design and build my website?

Web

The length of time your project takes will be dependent on the overall size and complexity of your final site. In general a website project can take anywhere from 3 weeks for our standard web package, to 3 months for a large site with a number of complex add-ons.  Whilst we are a small team, we are highly agile and can move schedules around quickly and easily should you have specific deadlines you are working to. You need to factor in time for populating your site content too, as many customers fail to account for this time, which will depend on your own time demands.

Have more questions?

Contact Sales

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