Working with Us

Working Long Distance

We work with most of our clients at a distance. The Internet is a very powerful tool for exchanging images, drafts, proofs, and ideas. In fact, we believe that graphic design is one of the rare fields that may actually be better suited to working long-distance with the help of the internet. Why? Because when a designer and client meet face to face, an intimidating dynamic may inadvertently arise. The client is rarely willing to criticize the artist's work to her face and so s/he may not communicate feedback assertively. At a distance, the lag time in the exchange of images gives the client time to formulate an accurate, assertive and honest response to the work. So if you live far from us, don't worry. Working together from a distance can be fun!

Our Philosophy

Nothing about you is ordinary. Your wedding, new business, special event or child's birth will not be ordinary. So why choose ordinary design?

At Beckoning Design, we want you, your guests and/or your customers to feel instantaneous pleasure and delight when they experience your invitation, business package, or other product from our company. And we want you to experience total satisfaction with the process of choosing your design.

What We Offer

For invitation & announcement clients:

You may select an existing design package from our portfolio, customize an existing design with preferred graphics and color schemes, or collaborate with our designers to create an entirely unique design package. Packages may include invitations, announcements, rehearsal dinner invites, response cards thank you notes, ceremony programs and more.

For business clients:

You may collaborate with our graphic designer to create a logo, advertisement, and/or a complete business and marketing package that will capture the essence of your business.

For other design clients:

Additional design work is available by request, including creation of special event or promotion identities, web-compatible graphic design, web site and e-commerce design (including technical work and site maintenance) and other projects.

Our Process and Guarantee

We strive for something more than client satisfaction. We want everything about your choice to be superlative. We want your guests or customers to dream about having a wedding or starting a business so they can have an invitation or logo package like yours. However, designers and clients are not guaranteed to strive for the same aesthetic, and only delving into the process will show if a common goal is attainable. We encourage clear, assertive communication and we provide it in return. The process is defined by design rounds and the cost of each of which is quoted in advance. After the initial no-charge consultation, a set of sample designs is created and presented during the first round. It may take several rounds of redesign to reach a final, perfect one. If during any round, you suspect that your vision is not nearing reality, you may withdraw from the design process with our best wishes and without hard feelings. If we determine that we are unable to achieve your vision or work within your parameters, we too may withdraw. Nothing is more frustrating for both parties than a lengthy process which results in large costs and an unsatisfactory result. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.

Our Pricing Structure

Custom Designs:

An hourly rate of $50 is charged for all custom design work. No additional design charges occur for our invitation clients when we are able to use an invitation in our own portfolio. These charges only occur for wedding invitation clients when work is completely custom.

After an initial no-charge consultation (up to 1 hour in length), a complete quote will be provided to the client which estimates the anticipated number of design hours.

If the final time is in excess of the quote through no fault of the client, no additional charges will occur. However, if the client prefers to evolve preferences and ideas throughout the process, additional time charges will be quoted (and approved) prior to work being completed.

Clients may withdraw from the process at any time. There will be a $50 base consultation fee which is non-refundable if withdrawl occurs after presentation of the first design round. Each additional design round presented will carry a $50 non-refundable consultation fee. All other costs and hourly charges will be waived if the client withdraws. There is nothing worse than paying a premium price for graphic design and tossing the results in the garbage. We want our clients to be satisfied, preferably ecstatic.

Logo designs, upon completion, will be wholly owned by the business client.

Invitation/Announcement design ownership will be retained by Beckoning Design and may be reused in whole or part unless otherwise negotiated

Hand-Lettered Calligraphy in a variety of styles is available for all designs. Calligraphy costs are based on the volume of lettering, averaging $3-4 per word.

Master Card and Visa are accepted. A 50% deposit is required to initiate projects over $100. Projects under $100 require full payment in advance at the time of order.

We have 50 complete Portfolio books of wedding invitations. Interested customers may receive a complete book by USPS Priority Mail, complete with return postage, for $12. This amount will be deducted from the invoice total when/if and order is placed.

Portfolio Designs:

Existing designs from our invitation and announcement portfolio are priced individually. Packages range from $250 to $1500, depending on variables such as paper styles, paper availability, design complexity, invitation quantity and package components.

Clients may choose or overlook certain package components such as thank you notes, rehearsal dinner cards, map and accommodation inserts, etc. The final package price depends on the final components chosen.

All of our existing designs may be modified in different color schemes, font and calligraphy styles, papers, or design element combinations. If you like one image, another paper, one use of ribbon, another invitation layout, or other wording, an alchemy may be created from the elements you like. We can help determine what is feasible and what is not, and when modifications are costly or cost-saving

It is difficult for us to quote invitation package prices without first speaking with our clients to gain a sense of the many variables like number of invitations, types of additional inserts, size of envelopes, customization, etc. Call or email us, and let us give you a ballpark estimate or even a complete quote based on your individual needs. Even if you have learned about us through a retailer, we still provide this high level of personalized service.

Any package typically includes the following components in a corresponding design: response postcard, thank you notes and envelopes. You may be interested in adding rehearsal dinner invitations, directions & accommodations info cards, wedding programs and wedding announcements, all in the same essential design. Each added component is priced individually.

We would be happy to custom design something for you. Perhaps you have a poem you would like to use, a graphic you love, a certain type of paper, a general color or feel (like northwestern native art, floral, oceanic, etc.), a particular font or calligraphy style, or a design concept that interests you. Allow us to use our tools of the trade (scanner, Adobe graphics software, direct paper suppliers, in-house printing...) and our design expertise to make your vision a reality.

Costs may be reduced by a) choosing an existing design rather than a custom design, b) choosing a flat panel card rather than a folding card, c) using a response post-card rather than an enveloped enclosure card, d) choosing a thank you post card rather than an enveloped note, e) using a computer generated type style rather than hand-lettered calligraphy and f) avoiding designs with highly textured or multi-layered specialty papers.

All type face may be done in hand-lettered calligraphy for a truly elegant feel. The cost of calligraphy depends upon quantity of lettering.

It is also possible for us to print your invitation list onto your envelopes in the same type style and color used in your invitations. We require you to send/email us an Access, Excel or comma delimited database or Microsoft Word mailing label file.