Who, what, when, where, why and how?
These are the questions we get asked the most.
Q: When and where was the company founded?
A: 2001, St. Louis, Missouri
Q: What's your process like?
A: It's pretty straightforward. We chat with you about what you're looking to do, the problem(s) you're trying to solve, your budget and deadline. For our first project together and websites, we provide you with a written estimate. (After that, we generally work on an hourly basis, giving you an idea of the amount of time we expect a project to take.) You sign the estimate and we get to work. We research, come up with concepts, flesh them out and show you designs. You give feedback, we make any necessary changes until the designs are ready for press or coding. We then manage the printing or work with programmers until your project is finished.
Q: Do I need to find a printer for my job? How do I know which papers and inks to tell them to use?
A: To be quite honest, we'd prefer to handle the printing in full. It's a designer's job to know about the different papers available, which inks to use and what happens when the two get together on press. What this means is we choose the papers, inks and other variables that will be used for your project and work directly with the printer we think is best suited for the job. We manage the process from start to finish, getting you printing prices, prepping files, reviewing proofs and coordinating delivery. We think it's the best way to make sure our designs are printed as they were designed to be. Also, while some design studios have printers bill them and then they in turn mark up the invoice and bill you, we let the printers invoice you directly. Why contribute to more overhead and paperwork? We think you should know what you're paying for.
Q: Can I intern at Northfound?
A: Someday, we hope. Right now we simply don't have the space. If this changes, we'll post information here.
Q: Do you take any steps to make sure your designs are *green*?
A: We make every attempt. When possible we print with soy ink on recycled stock or paper from sustainable sources. Our own identity pieces are printed this way. We email PDFs instead of printing and mailing out most documents and reuse bubble mailers and cardboard envelopes. We hope you'll do the same. It's probably not too surprising when we say we're recycling fiends and have a reputation for going out of our way to fix something before replacing it with something new.
Q: Are you hiring?
A: Not now, but you're welcome to email or mail us your resume and portfolio samples. We ask that you keep all emails under 5MB. You should always include a cover letter. Not only is it the professional thing to do, it also shows us you can write (and spell), gives us an idea of who you are and allows you to state what your design focus is.
Q: Do you program websites in-house?
A: We work almost exclusively with a team of programmers we adore. They make our site designs come to life perfectly and our clients happy.
Q: Do you do copywriting too?
A: We've written (or rewritten) quite a bit of copy for our designs. We think what you say is just as important, if not more important, than what your designs look like. We'll make sure, whether you write the copy, we do, or we hire someone else to, that your piece reads right, inside and out.
Q: How do you get new business?
A: Virtually all of our clients are referrals or repeat customers.