The Consult Phase

What the consult is for

Before writing a line of code, we need to understand what you want — and what you need. The consult phase is where that happens. It can be a short call, a message thread, or a completed brief. There is no wrong format. The goal is to align on direction before we start building, so we are not guessing and you are not surprised.

What helps us the most

The single most useful thing you can share is examples — websites you like, and why you like them. Beyond that, the more of the following you can give us, the more precisely we can match your vision:

• References — 3–4 sites whose look, feel, or structure appeals to you (from any industry)
• Content — your copy, photos, logo, and any brand materials you already have
• Goals — what the most important action on your site should be (book a call, fill a form, view a portfolio)
• Audience — who you are building this for, even a rough description
• Dealbreakers — anything you actively dislike (cluttered layouts, stock photos, certain colours)

How we work without a detailed brief

We can absolutely start from scratch with minimal input — and sometimes that is the right choice. If you trust our judgement and want us to propose a direction, we will. We will make considered decisions on layout, colour, tone, and structure based on your industry and goals. What changes is the expectation: the result will reflect our interpretation, not a specific vision you had in mind. That is fine — many clients prefer it. Just know that significant changes after we have built the first version will require additional rounds of revision.

Revisions — how they work

Every project includes one round of revisions after the first draft. This covers adjustments: wording, spacing, colours, section order, minor layout changes. Larger changes — structural redesigns, adding new sections, or requesting a completely different visual direction — are treated as additional work and quoted separately. This is not a gotcha; it is how we keep projects on budget and on schedule for everyone. The brief exists precisely to reduce the chance of that happening.

What we need at minimum to start

If you want to move forward, here is the minimum we need:

• Which plan you are going with (Starter or Business)
• A rough sense of your launch timeline
• Either your content, or confirmation that you are happy for us to propose placeholder direction and fill it in together