When you hire a professional designer, you aren’t just paying for a final file—you’re paying for a collaborative process. A huge part of that process is the Revision Round.
However, “revision” can be a vague term. To keep your project on track and your budget predictable, it helps to understand exactly what a revision round is, what it covers, and how to make the most of them.
What Exactly is a Revision Round?
Think of a revision round as a single cycle of feedback and refinement. It isn’t a single email; it’s a consolidated chapter of the project.
- The Hand-off: I deliver a draft of your design or website.
- The Review: You and your team gather all your thoughts, critiques, and “can we try this?” ideas.
- The Implementation: I take that entire list and apply the changes in one focused work session.
By working in rounds, we ensure the design moves forward with purpose, rather than spinning in circles with “one more thing” emails.
What’s Included?
Standard revisions are all about refining the agreed-upon direction. Common adjustments include:
- Typography: Swapping fonts or adjusting sizes and spacing.
- Color Palette: Tweaking shades or applying your brand colors differently.
- Copy Updates: Correcting typos or updating text blocks.
- Asset Swaps: Changing out a photo or graphic for a similar, existing, alternative.
- Element Adjustments: Moving a button, resizing a logo, or shifting a design element.
When Does a Revision Become an “Additional Charge”?
Revisions are for polishing the current idea. If we move away from the original plan, it falls under a New Creative Direction, and requires an additional custom quote.
Examples of new creative direction:
- You Pivot Strategy: Deciding a “vintage” design should now be “minimalist.”
- We Re-design from Scratch: A complete restructuring of an asset or design element that requires building it again from the ground up.
- The Scope Grows: Adding new pages or design elements that weren’t in the original agreement.
FAQ: Your Revision Questions Answered
Q: Can I purchase additional revision rounds? A: I typically include two rounds of revisions in my project quotes. Additional rounds of revisions can be purchased for 20% of the total project cost, as of the request date.
Q: What if I need a complete redesign because I don’t like my original idea? A: This is completely fine and a normal part of the creative journey! However, it won’t fall within a standard revision round. It will require additional charges and adjustments to our completion dates so I can give the new direction the time it deserves.
Q: How can I make sure my team gets all their feedback consolidated? A: Communication is key! I recommend:
- Set a Deadline: Give your team a specific date to submit all thoughts to you.
- A “Single Source of Truth”: Use a live meeting to discuss everyone’s thoughts at once, or use a shared Google Drive version of the design where everyone can leave comments.
- One Voice: Assign one person to consolidate and send the final list to me. This prevents conflicting requests and keeps the project organized.
The Goal: A Result You Love
The revision round system is designed to give you plenty of space to find the perfect look while protecting your launch date. By being intentional with feedback, we can move through the design phase efficiently and get your new assets out into the world!
