Tag: Developer

Why Go On A Retainer?

September 13, 2018 - Posted by: CreateApe

If you’re a client that’s been working with a company on a month to month basis for a while now- you might want to start thinking about going on a retainer. It’s a win-win for both the client and the business.

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Why Get a Retainer: 

One of the biggest benefits of working on a retainer is the security and predictability for both the client and the business. You know the resource will be available for your needs when you need them, and the resource provider knows they will secure that work. A retainer can solidify and strengthen your working relationship.  

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1. Things get done fast. Like really fast.

Retainer clients are often put first because of the predetermined agreement to a monthly workload. Like we said, retainer clients become family. If the offices are closed on 5 p.m. on a Friday, we’ll still be there to put out fires that would normally be pushed to Monday. When your business gets busy, there’s already a solid resource available.

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2. You’ve found a vendor you already trust!

In the end, you’ll be spending money to have someone do the work anyway, and it might as well be with a designer you already trust. If you’ve been working with them for a while not only do you know how they work, but how you work together. 

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3. Stability and security is hard to come by.

Every month a predetermined amount of work and income allow both parties to plan for the future. Retainers take the guest work out of quarterly estimates and budgets. Both parties can budget and determine hiring based on the stability of a retainer.

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What’s Included:
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Retainers are different for everybody and usually vary from client to client. There’s no one size fits all for a retainer and it varies from the service provided and project needs. At CreateApe, we cover everything. From high fidelity mockups, new conversion centric websites, responsive mobile designs, or even seasonal marketing designs, we offer it all.

Usually a big project that starts off the relationship is the beginning of an ongoing retainer. For example, if there’s a huge eCommerce redesign, we’re going to be focusing on the redesign but also little things might emerge out of the project. Landing pages, marketing banners, print design, things that are needed for basic maintenance of an eCommerce website are a great fit for a retainer.

A monthly retainer service allows businesses to develop a cohesive and long term plan while tracking results, permitting for more return from funds you’d be investing elsewhere. However, in the end, the most important aspect of a retainer agreement is the relationship between the agency and clients commitment to achieving overall business goals.

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Want to learn more?

Let us help get you #JungleReady. Let our CreateApe expert team be your jungle guide.We will help  you traverse the wilds as we take your project to new heights.

Finding a Proper Villain: Developer Edition

July 18, 2018 - Posted by: CreateApe

We’ve covered what it takes to be a Proper Villain in the UX/UI space, now we’re going over what it takes to be a proper villain on the developer front. We asked our CreateApe head developer, Tim Abarta, what might make someone a Proper Villain:

COMMUNICATION:

Communication between the designer and developer is key. “I think that for developers and designers, communication is paramount. I’ve worked with a lot of people who can drone on and on, that eats up hours and time, but if someone can get right to the point and get straight into it…that’s huge.”

INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE:

A big part of front end web development is working with responsive frameworks and knowing how the front end works. A plus is knowing key terms, like what the “box mode” is. “As a web developer a large part of the front end is working with certain responsive frameworks and knowing generally what the box model is. Good designers know what that is and they work within it. Bad designers don’t, and honestly it’s a huge headache.”

What is The CSS Box Model?  “All HTML elements can be considered as boxes. In CSS, the term “box model” is used when talking about design and layout. The CSS box model is essentially a box that wraps around every HTML element. It consists of: margins, borders, padding, and the actual content.”

TRENDS:

A “Proper Villain” knows the latest applications that most developers and designers are using. A common tool that UX Designers use is Sketch, which integrates with Zeplin. Zeplin takes your Sketch and starts to breakdown the CSS. Plus, extracting assets is easier with Sketch than Photoshop. “When you don’t have to guess with CSS, you know you have a good starting point.”

NAIL THE 5 MINUTE MEETING:

There is an art to the perfect meeting. You need to think about time, participants, agendas, location, etc. A proper villain thinks about the bottom line, and doesn’t waste your time droning on just to hear their own voice. “I’ve been in an hour long meeting and we didn’t get anything done, and that’s just a huge waste of time. That’s a complaint I hear a lot when working with bad designers.  A good designer in ten minutes can get through what would take a mediocre designer three hour long sessions to do.”

Overall, having an agile approach to your work, refining skills, and keeping tabs on the industry will impress any other proper villain out there. Being an expert in your field means feeling comfortable enough to be warm, concise, and solution-oriented (no matter the problem).

Want to learn more?

Let us help get you situated. It’s a jungle out there, click here so you don’t have to go at it alone! Let our CreateApe experts act as “jungle guides” and help you traverse the wilds as we take your project to new heights.