How long does a design project really take?
I love food deliveries. They’re great when you’re busy working from home and don’t have time for a grocery run. They are life savers.
In this industry, speed is everything. There’s no point in waiting if the delivery is too slow. You’d rather make something for yourself or go to the diner.
Delivery drivers are expected to arrive at your door as soon as possible, but when you think about it, their speed is actually determined by seven factors:
- Restaurant’s foot traffic
- The complexity of the dish
- The quantity
- The delivery guy’s vehicle
- The delivery guy’s driving skills
- Neighbourhood traffic
- Your level of hunger
Let me try to make an analogy with your design projects using this situation.
Non-designers believe that any type of design can be completed in a matter of hours (like food deliveries). One of the most common design myths is that a designer must “complete the design in a day.”
I’m guilty of having this expectation, as are you, and the media is also guilty. However, let us clarify or correct this misconception by looking at examples of how long a design task really takes.
Busier kitchen, longer waiting time
If you’re hangry (hungry and angry), avoid going to a jam-packed restaurant with a huge queue. You know that your order will take a long time to arrive.
The same is true for design agencies. Bring plenty of patience if you join during peak seasons such as the months leading up to Christmas or Black Friday.
However, there is one place where every client gets the same amount of time for their requests.
Regardless of how many clients we have during peak season, you can be assured that you will receive daily updates on the progress of your design requests with Deer Designer.
Impatience kills
The complexity of the design also influences delivery time.
There’s a deadly Japanese delicacy that features the lethal Puffer Fish. Its organs contain a neurotoxin 1,000 times more potent than cyanide. It’s the most dangerous and possibly the most difficult dish to prepare.
The fish must first be dismembered with special Japanese knives and separated into ‘edible’ and ‘deadly’ parts. Only specially trained and licenced chefs in Japan are allowed to serve it.
Would you still want to eat this dish if it was hastily prepared by the chef? You’re willing to wait as long as you’re not going to die from eating it, right? To be honest, I’d rather wait.
The complexity of designs vary considerably. Sure, it doesn’t have to take years like the Sistine Chapel, but it takes longer to create a well-crafted design that will wow clients, especially picky ones.
The typical turnaround time for design requests can be found in this chart.
The more, the later
I was the first in line at a fast-food restaurant once when I ordered. I bought enough food for ten people.
After three customers in front of me had theirs, mine was still in the queue. I was about to scream when I noticed that the others only got one set meal each. My order would logically take longer.
When you submit a ticket to Deer Designer, you can request a single teensy social media image or a full 5-page website. As you can guess, the designer needs more time to deliver the website design.
If the website becomes more urgent, you can easily change your requests’ priorities. You can ask o your account manager to move the social media graphics to the bottom of the queue until the website is done. Your priority is ours too.
I asked if I could get fries to eat while I waited for my bulk order. It was a win-win situation.
A Ferrari is faster than a bus
If your delivery person is only riding a bike, their speed is limited by their stamina. On an empty road, they can definitely get to you faster if he’s driving a Ferrari.
The speed of the design tool or platform also plays a significant role in the design’s timelines. Our team is always on the lookout for new tools that can speed up our processes for our clients.
In fact, we are about to launch a service using highly requested tool! If you are reading the newsletter right now, just reply with “excited” to be among the first to learn about and try this new service!
Michael Schumacher is faster than my grandpa
Michael Schumacher is a German racing driver who has raced for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes in Formula One. My grandfather is a car enthusiast who has been driving for over 50 years.
If you give them both a Ferrari to race, Michael will undoubtedly win because my grandfather will spend his time admiring and taking photos of the car. Jokes aside, the speed of delivery is also determined by the designer’s skill.
Even if the designer has the best tools and the most expensive computer, if they lack design thinking or even basic design skills, the project will take longer to complete due to revisions.
Our designers are battle-tested, and our process ensures that they deliver on time every time.
A bicycle is faster than a Ferrari, in heavy traffic
In traffic, a bike is faster than a Ferrari. Another missing element for a quick design is a fast feedback loop or communication flow.
As a client, you must provide feedback on whether or not you liked the designs. If you’re not happy with them, you should always provide constructive feedback.
This keeps the road open and clear of roadblocks that can hinder the speed of delivery of the designs.
If you don’t provide feedback, you are letting the designer know of potential potholes. They will believe they did an excellent job and will drive right into a manhole (or a design no-no that you did not warn them about).
No delivery is fast enough for a starving customer
When you’re starving, you know that ordering from a diner 10 feet away isn’t going to cut it. You’ll just open the fridge and eat cold pizza or cereal for dinner.
You should lower your expectations and call 2 hours before you get hungry. This will allow enough time for the kitchen to prepare and the delivery guy to arrive.
When requesting designs, you can schedule them weeks, even months, before the deadline. This way, you’ll be ready if a project is pushed up the timeline or a client needs something right away.
Good things take time
You must be willing to wait for high-quality designs.
However, at Deer Designer, we study your preferences in order to deliver faster. The more tickets you send, the better we will understand your brand. We nail your designs faster when we get to know you and your expectations.
You can rely on our standard turnaround time, but if you need to rearrange your priorities, we are here to help.
