Most agencies make their process sound mysterious. Strategy decks, kickoff rituals, endless alignment calls. The work appears somewhere around week eight and looks nothing like what you asked for.
We do it differently. Here is exactly how a Splash Creative project runs, what happens at each stage, what you do, what we do, and how long it takes. No surprises.
Stage 1: Discovery Call
What it is
A focused 30-minute conversation, free of charge, with a senior member of the Splash team. Not a sales pitch. Not a credentials deck. A real conversation about your business, your challenge, your timeline, and whether we are the right fit.
What you do
Come prepared to talk about your business honestly. What is working. What is broken. Who your customers are. What you have tried before. What success looks like. The more direct you are, the more useful this call becomes.
What we do
We listen, ask sharp questions, and tell you plainly whether we can help and how. If we are not the right fit, we say so. If we are, we outline what a proposal would look like and what the next step is.
Timeline
30 minutes. Scheduled within 48 hours of inquiry.
Ready to start the conversation?
Book your free 30-minute discovery call. No decks, no pressure, no account managers.
Stage 2: Proposal and Scope
What it is
Within 48 hours of the discovery call, you receive a written proposal. It covers the full project scope, the deliverables, the timeline, the investment, and the payment structure. Everything is fixed-fee. There are no hourly billing surprises and no scope language designed to let us charge more later.
What you do
Review the proposal, ask questions, push back on anything that does not feel right. We expect dialogue. If the scope needs adjusting before you sign, we adjust it. You should sign only when you fully understand what you are getting and what it costs.
What we do
We write a proposal specific to your project, not a template with your logo dropped in. We explain our reasoning for the scope, the timeline, and the fee. We answer every question before the engagement begins.
Timeline
Proposal delivered within 48 hours of discovery call. Signature and 50% deposit to begin.
Stage 3: Strategy and Positioning
What it is
Before any creative work begins, we do the thinking. This stage includes a brand strategy session with your team, a competitive audit of your category, and a clear audience definition. The output is a strategic brief that every creative decision will map back to.
What you do
Participate in the strategy session. Share competitive context, customer feedback, sales data if you have it. The strategy stage is collaborative by design. Your category knowledge combined with our positioning experience is where the work actually begins.
What we do
We audit your competitive landscape, identify white space in your category, define the audiences we are designing for, and write a strategic brief that becomes the internal compass for the project. You approve it before we move forward.
Timeline
1 to 2 weeks, depending on project scope. Included in all brand and brand-plus-web engagements.
Stage 4: Creative Development
What it is
This is where the work takes shape. We develop initial creative concepts grounded in the approved strategy. You see two to three distinct directions, each with a rationale. We refine the chosen direction through structured rounds of feedback until it is right.
What you do
Review concepts with a clear eye. Give us specific, directional feedback rather than vague reactions. Tell us what is working and what is not, and why. The clearer your feedback, the faster we move. We facilitate the review process with a simple feedback framework so nothing gets lost.
What we do
Senior creative work, start to finish. The person presenting the concepts is the person who made them. Rounds of refinement are built into the scope. We do not charge separately for revisions within the agreed scope.
Timeline
3 to 5 weeks, depending on project complexity. Typically includes two to three rounds of refinement.
Stage 5: Build
What it is
For web and Shopify projects, the approved design goes into development. Custom-built to the approved spec. No off-the-shelf templates dropped in at the last minute. No handoff to a junior dev team in a different timezone.
What you do
Provide content, copy, product photography, any existing assets. We give you a clear content checklist at the start of the build stage so nothing delays the timeline. We can advise on copy and support with AI-assisted content frameworks if needed.
What we do
We build. Quality assurance across devices and browsers. Integration with any required third-party tools, Klaviyo, Shopify apps, analytics, CRM. We test before you see it. You review a staging environment, not a napkin sketch.
Timeline
3 to 6 weeks for most builds. Shopify stores with complex integrations may run longer.
Stage 6: Launch and Handoff
What it is
Launch is not the end of a relationship. It is the beginning of yours with the work. We handle the technical launch, walk you through the live site, and give you everything you need to run it confidently without us, unless you want ongoing support, in which case we offer structured retainer options.
What you do
Run your business. The handoff includes a live walkthrough session, documented guides for your team, and a direct channel to ask questions in the two weeks following launch. Most clients are fully independent by the end of the first week.
What we do
We manage the technical launch, monitor for any issues in the first 72 hours, and deliver a full handoff package: brand style guide, asset library, platform credentials, and written documentation. If you want a creative retainer for ongoing brand and marketing work, we structure that as a separate, clearly scoped arrangement. See our pricing page for retainer details.
Timeline
Launch day plus a two-week post-launch support window included in every project.
What Makes This Process Different
No account manager layer
There is no account manager sitting between you and the creative team. When you email Splash, a senior person responds. When you get on a call, a senior person is on it. This is not a selling point we invented for the website. It is a structural decision that shapes every interaction. Information does not get lost in translation. Feedback does not get filtered before it reaches the people doing the work.
Same senior people from call one to launch
The person you meet on the discovery call is the person who runs your project. David Herskowitz, who founded Splash Creative in 2010 and has led more than 200 projects over 15 years, is directly involved in every engagement. We are not a 200-person firm that puts a senior face on a pitch and then hands the work to a team you have never met.
Fixed fees, no hourly billing traps
Every project is scoped and priced as a fixed fee before work begins. You know what you are spending. We know what we are delivering. There are no timesheets, no surprise invoices, and no billing disputes. If you want to understand how we price projects, read our full pricing breakdown.
Fast relative to the category
Large agencies run 6-month brand projects by design. More people, more process, more billing. Our typical brand identity project completes in 6 to 10 weeks. Brand plus website in 10 to 16 weeks. We move faster because we have fewer layers, clearer decisions, and senior people who can move without committee approval.
Transparent at every stage
You will never wonder what is happening with your project. Every stage has a clear output, a clear owner, and a clear timeline. We use shared project management tools so you can see progress without asking for a status update.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a typical Splash Creative project take?
Brand identity projects typically run 6 to 10 weeks. Brand plus website projects run 10 to 16 weeks. Shopify builds run 8 to 14 weeks. Timelines are set at proposal stage and we hold to them. Client feedback turnaround is the most common variable, the faster you review, the faster we move.
Will I be working with senior people throughout my project?
Yes. The same senior creative team you meet on the discovery call is the team that does the work. There are no account managers passing messages, no junior handoffs mid-project. David Herskowitz, founder of Splash Creative, is directly involved in every engagement.
What happens if the scope changes mid-project?
Our fixed-fee proposals are written to cover the full agreed scope. If something genuinely new comes up, a second site, an additional brand extension, a new product line, we discuss it openly and issue a separate scope addendum with a clear cost. There are no surprise invoices or ambiguous billable hours.
Start With a 30-Minute Call
No commitment. No account managers. Just a direct conversation about your project with a senior member of the Splash team.