FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly do you do?
You can go to the About page to learn more about me, but long story short, I’m a content creator. I do graphic illustration, graphic design, web design, branding and marketing among other things. Anything involving creative solutions that would provide you with more than just excellent aesthetically appealing branding and outside-of-the-box marketing, I do. I’m also a creative director/project manager, which means I’m in a position to delegate and assign tasks to other creative professionals when I’m in need of assistance. Overall, what I do is bring the creative excellence necessary to bring your ideas and vision to life.
How did you get your start?
First and foremost, I’ve been doing art my whole life. I came from an illustration background and excelled in the arts throughout middle school and high school. I went to college and majored in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and Marketing. While I learned a lot and gained a lot of knowledge working in that program, I quickly realized that art is my true passion and I switched my major to Graphic Design. I graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Graphic Design and have been doing freelance work ever since. I’ve done freelance graphic design work as well as professional graphic design work for book publishing companies, record labels, clothing companies, non-profits, etc. In order to avoid the limitations of a corporate structure that tends to limit creativity, I started doing more business for myself where I have more creative freedom.
What are your rates?
- Rates in any creative profession is highly dependent on the size and scope of the project being done. There isn’t a one-size fits all answer to this since all projects aren’t the same, but you can take a look at our Price List to get a general idea of what the rates are.
- The demand and magnitude of the project along with the turnaround time factors into what the final rate for any project would be. Exceptions do apply since the work that would need to be done could extend passed the typical 5 day 8 hour work week. Getting in contact so we can discuss your project in further detail is highly recommended in order for me to find out what you need in order for me to give you a solid quote.
- In terms of rates and payments, once we agree on a rate, you must pay a 50% deposit upfront. There will be no deposits on any service that is $250 or lower. Any service that is $250 or lower must be paid in full upfront.
- Quotes are subject to change within a 24-hour period. If you have been provided with a quote and don’t seem to be sure if you want to move forward or you just want to continue to price shop, that’s fine, however once a 24-hour period has passed, the same quote may not be guaranteed.
- Rates are subject to change at any time.
Why are your rates the way they are?
You are not just paying for a project. You are paying for a SOLUTION. You are paying for more than 2 decades of experience. This experience includes many years of schooling, self-training, trial and error, mastery, etc. You are paying for a high level of expertise that is second to none. Rates are ultimately dependent upon a project’s size, scope, complexity, time, cognitive demand, creativity, sweat equity & overall desired quality. You can go anywhere to get a project done, but will it be a solution? Will the quality and substance be there? These few questions among others will be questions you will need to ask yourself before shopping around.
Do you do free work for promise of exposure, partnership, equity, stock, trades, percentage of sales, or deferred payment?
NO. Absolutely not. Artists and all creative professionals are extremely valuable and work just as hard as anyone else of any other profession. You wouldn’t ask a lawyer to represent you in court for free. You wouldn’t ask a doctor to operate on you for free. You wouldn’t ask a car dealer to give you a car for free. A lot of time, energy, and blood, sweat and tears goes into creative projects so we need to be compensated for it. We have bills to pay and a life to maintain just like everyone else. If you’re rational and serious about what you do, then you know this already. No free work will be done so please don’t waste my time and yours by asking and DO NOT contact me with unsolicited services.
Do you use contracts?
Yes, I do. Contracts will come into play with projects requiring big budgets (web design, illustration, branding and marketing campaigns, etc.). If a client has a project with a small budget and still would like to sign a contract, that can be discussed but typically contracts aren’t required for projects requiring a small budget.
Do you do RUSH orders? In other words, if I need a much faster turnaround time, can that be done and what would the cost of that be?
- Yes. Rush orders can be an option. The cost depends on the product and/or service being rendered. Depending on how fast you are looking for your project to be done, the price could increase significantly. Rate changes will be discussed in further detail once I’m aware of what kind of service you’re looking for.
- The reason for a rate increase is because getting your project done within less than the typical 5 – 7 business days would mean re-prioritizing and putting your project ahead of others. Doing this can possibly push other projects back from there estimated due date. This can also be discussed, if your project needs to put out in a smaller than usual time-frame.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes, but only if the project has not been started. Once a project has been started, there are no refunds. Time is money. A 50% deposit is always needed up front to cover my time. If you’re unhappy with the project or you just want to back out for some reason or another, then you won’t need to pay the other 50%, if only half of the project (based on requirements) is done. My time will be covered and you wouldn’t lose all of your money. In the event that a project is 80% done and you would like to back out at the last minute, no refund will be given and full payment is required since a large portion of your project was completed. If you receive a physical product and you are unhappy with it, then there is a 30-day money back guarantee. After 30 days, no refunds will be given.
I represent a company, artist, or agency, can I hire you?
Yes. If the price is right and we mutually agree on everything involving doing business together, then I can be hired. As long as everything is mutually beneficial to both parties, I can’t see why not. Contact me and we can discuss in further detail.
I’m not a large company or agency, can I hire you?
Anything’s possible. It’s not common for a single person’s budget to be as big as a company or agency’s budget but if your budget is big enough and it makes sense, then it’s a possibility. Contact me and we can discuss in further detail.
Where are you located?
I reside in Baltimore, Maryland. PATV Media services the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) and anywhere else where there is a Wi-Fi connection.
Do you do business out of state?
Yes, I do. Just because I’m located in Maryland, it doesn’t mean PATV Media can’t work with people in another state, or even another country. PATV Media has no boundaries or jurisdiction. We will work with anyone anywhere.
It seems like you do a lot, how are you able to juggle multiple projects all at one time?
This is where my project manager hat comes into play. Thanks to the internet and having the ability to navigate effectively through certain online channels, I’m able to tap into the creative minds of many professionals who I can outsource my work to. PATV Media isn’t just a one-man show. Yes, I started PATV Media and am the owner, but in order to bring people’s vision to life, I felt it was necessary to expand my network to all kinds of creative professionals who can help me complete projects. This obviously helps clients get top-notch work done in a timely fashion and this also helps me leverage my time so I can focus on whatever project I’m presently working on without undermining anyone else’s wants and needs for their project.
Frequently Asked Questions About Graphic Design And Illustration
What are your rates?
Refer to General Frequently Asked Questions.
What is your process?
Once you contact me to inquire about the service you need, I get as much details as possible from you. After I get the details needed to get to work on a project, depending on the type of project that needs to be done and the rate you agree to pay, you will receive an invoice for the payment that needs to be made. Anything over $200 will require a 50% deposit. Anything $200 and under needs to be paid in full. All payments must be made upfront whether it’s a full payment or a 50% down payment. Myself and other creative professionals do not start work without a payment made up front, there will be no exceptions. Also depending on the project that needs to be done, if it’s not myself, then it will be another creative professional working on it. This is to ensure you receive full attention to your work and you receive it in a timely enough fashion.
What is your turnaround time?
It depends, but generally, graphic design projects can take 1 to 3 weeks (business days only). As long as the communication between both parties is effective enough, then I can’t see why there wouldn’t be a fast enough turnaround time. Turnaround time is also dependent upon the client and how fast they submit the required information/material(s) needed to complete the project. The turnaround time for things like logo design, flyer design, cover design, and any other visual marketing material tends to have a faster turnaround time (generally 5 – 7 business days) than a web design project or an illustration project.
Frequently Asked Questions About Web Design
What is your process?
Once you contact me to inquire about getting a website, a consultation will take place and this is where I will get as much details as possible from you. After I get the details needed to work on your website, I’ll give you a quote and if you agree with it, you will receive an invoice for the payment that needs to be made. A 50% deposit will need to be paid unless you agree to a payment plan. If you go the payment plan route, we will then decide a reasonable amount that you can pay on a monthly basis. Also you would need to agree with the terms and conditions stated in a contract and that contract will need to be signed by both parties. Depending on the demand and magnitude of the project that needs to be done, other creative professional(s) will be on-board to assist me in working on your project. This is to ensure you receive full attention to your work and you receive it in a timely enough fashion. In order to work on your website, I will need all of your content. Your content would be the text/verbiage (for your pages), images/photos, and your creative vision for your website (colors, fonts and styles – if applicable). Website work will not start unless ALL content is provided.
What is your turnaround time?
Turnaround times for websites depend on size and scope of the website and what is entailed to bring your vision for your website to life. A website can have a 3 week turnaround time or a 6 to 8 week turnaround. It all depends.
How do you create your websites? Do you use HTML to build them from scratch or do you use something else?
I use the content management system (CMS) WordPress to create websites. Depending on the demand and magnitude of the project that needs to be done, I work with other web developers in order to ensure that the best quality website is delivered. Websites don’t have to be done in WordPress. They can be completely custom, WordPress or not. If you have a really big budget and you’d prefer a website that is strictly custom and want it done from scratch, then I can still provide that because I have business partners who specialize in that area. As far as WordPress is concerned, it is extremely popular and used by everyone from individuals to small businesses to large companies. Many established brands and Forbes Top 40 companies/entities use WordPress for their websites. Templates and themes are already pre-made and just require a professional to go in and tweak/fix/revise things to create a website that is custom-made to your brand and vision. One of the many reasons why I build websites in WordPress is because it is user-friendly for clients and it is easy to hand off to them to maintain their website after it has been completed.
Your rate(s) might be out of my budget, is there any way to work with my current budget?
When it comes to web design and development, a lot of time, energy, and effort goes into building your website and those factors play a huge role in how the rate is determined. I understand that some people don’t have large sums of money all at one time or can’t make big payment(s) at one time. If needed, we can set up a monthly payment plan that would allow you to breathe easy financially and receive a quality website that you can be proud of. Before considering to get a website, take the time to really evaluate what it is you want out of a website and how you want your brand to be presented online. It would behoove you to do research on what website work entails as well as pricing. Yes, there are “web designers” who make websites for cheap, but ask yourself if that is truly what you want. Everyone can play basketball, but everyone’s not in the NBA. You will end up paying more in the long run when you are provided amateurish work and it constantly needs to be fixed or worse yet, completely redone. Professionally made websites will always be a serious investment.
Do I need to maintain my website and if so, how do I maintain it and make sure it stays up-to-date?
Yes, you would need to maintain your website and make sure it stays up-to-date. Just like a car, a house, your computer, your wardrobe, or anything else you need to keep up with and maintain, a website is no exception. In order to keep things up-to-date, you would need to get in and make the necessary edits and changes needed. Thankfully, WordPress is user-friendly and the average person who is not tech-savvy can learn how to maintain their website. Just like everything else, there is a learning curve, however I do offer WordPress tutorial videos. You can purchase the videos if you’d prefer to maintain your website yourself. Some people would prefer to maintain their website themselves to cut costs and then others who don’t have the time or the interest to maintain their website would rather hire someone to do it for them. If you’re the latter, then you’re in luck, because for $50 an hour, I do website maintenance. So if you would prefer to have me maintain your website, feel free to contact me.
What if I don’t have any content for the website?
It would be in your best interest to not purchase website services if you don’t have content. You must have your content ready in order for the website to truly come into fruition. If you don’t have content and you would like to have it created for you, you will need to purchase that separately. We create content as well. Either you can pay for content separately or the content you need created will factor into the final quote of the website project.
Frequently Asked Questions About Indie Artist Marketing & Promotion Services
Where will interviews, reviews and/or guest posts be posted?
They will be posted on Indie Artist GO.
What are your rates?
- Rates in any creative profession is highly dependent on the size and scope of the project being done. There isn’t a one-size fits all answer to this since all projects aren’t the same.
- The demand and magnitude of the project along with the turnaround time factors into what the final rate for any project would be. Exceptions do apply since the work that would need to be done could extend passed the typical 5 day 8 hour work week. Contacting me so we can discuss your project in further detail is highly recommended in order for me to find out what you need in order for me to give you a solid quote.
- In terms of rates and payments, once we agree on a rate, you must pay a 50% deposit upfront. Some exclusions may apply, depending on the service rendered.
Isn’t charging for interviews, reviews and guest posts unethical?
No. We don’t simply charge for interviews, reviews and guest posts. We charge for writing content. We charge for doing keyword research and placing those same keywords in interviews and reviews for SEO (search engine optimization). We charge for providing short (to mid-length) bios in reviews (and interviews). You would be paying for a thorough assessment of your content by industry professional(s). You would be paying for your interview and/or review to be placed in your EPK (Electronic Press Kit) as marketing material. If you pay for guest posting, you are paying for blog placement.
We understand that some people might think that charging for interviews and reviews is unethical. We acknowledge that everyone has differing opinions on this matter and we respect that. We charge for writing search-engine optimized content for your marketing and promotional purposes.
Do you design album/mixtape/EP covers?
Yes. If you need an album/mixtape/EP cover design, check out our Custom Graphic Illustration Services.
Do you design logos?
Yes. If you need a logo design (part of the Small Business Jumpstart Package), check out our Graphic Design Service.
Do you design social media headers/banners?
Yes. If you need a social media header/banner design, check out our Custom Graphic Illustration Services.
Do you build websites?
Yes we do. More details are available here.
Do you write content (blogs, articles, assessments, press releases, etc.)?
Yes. We write all kinds of content. If you need a press release or a different type of write-up, get in Contact so we can discuss your needs in more detail.
What kind of article(s) can I submit for guest posting/blog placement?
- Articles that are insightful and helpful to independent musicians, artists and professional creatives.
- Articles must be at least 600 words in length. Ideal length would be anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 words.
- 1 to 2 professional photo/images should be submitted along with your content. If you plan to use stock photos, the purchase and permission of use is solely your responsibility.
- Only professionally written blog post/articles will be accepted for placement. Nothing less will be accepted. The site is a professional site that must stay up to a high standard. In order to uphold the quality, amateur writing will not be accepted. No grammatical errors, bad spelling, etc. Please make sure you submit a professionally written article only.
Would you be able to write content for other websites?
Yes. We do offer Professional Writing Services.
Everything sounds good, how do we get started?
Get in Contact and fill out the form. Provide as much details as possible and you will receive a quote for the service(s) you request. If the quote is accepted, you will be provided with an invoice.