About

Great design and personal service

I offer you agency-level talent, equipment and experience, and I’m focused on long-term business partnerships.

My Process

In general, these are the steps I take to start and complete your project. Depending on your project circumstances, we may be able to skip some steps. Basically, I'll structure the design process to suit your level of need. If you’re starting from scratch, then we'll start with Step 1. If you have an established look and feel, I can build your new project to be an extension of that brand.

1. Consultation and Research

The first step in a successful collaboration is making sure I understand your design needs. I’ll discuss your situation and the goals of your project so I can offer the best service. I’ll also need to have a clear idea of what you have to work with – are we designing from scratch, or do you have existing materials or a style guide?

2. Project Proposal

After discussing your project, I’ll put together a simple proposal that clearly specifies what you’re getting, when it will be completed and how much it will cost.

3. Initial Review

I’ll create initial mockups for your review. Sometimes I’m contracted solely for art direction. I’m accustomed to working with other agencies and their production department and am happy to do so.

4. Review and Revisions

We discuss and produce additional ideas, modifications, revisions and/or enhancements.

5. Final Design and Delivery

After your final approval, the project is complete and ready to be sent to the printer or deployed in whatever way needed.

I can provide one-off services, but my goal is to build ongoing partnerships. I provide ongoing maintenance and design services for many of my clients.

Credits

No surprise: I designed and produced this Web site myself.

Special thanks to Jim Moore of Word Jones for copywriting, proofing and wrangling my chaotic, random ideas and thoughts into nice flowing sentences with AP-style correct punctuation.

All artwork, logos and trademarks are copyrighted and owned by their respective companies.

About James – Q&A-style interview

How did you get started?
I started my first company (Dreaming America) right out of college in 1997. Our focus was Web development. We had tons of design and development talent, but looking back I think our biggest obstacle was a lack of business experience.

Going further back... I was blessed with a bucket of LEGOs™ from my parents, which fueled my creativity at an early age.
When I entered college I started out pursuing a computer science degree, but halfway through my junior year I realized that design is where my passion truly lies. Those years studying computer science weren’t all wasted – the knowledge applied to Web and interactive projects.

After working at three ad agencies and two Web development start-ups, I began working as James L. Turner Web and Graphic Design in 2004.

What do you like about this business?
The opportunities and challenges of working for myself. Nothing beats it, and I’m ~~probably~~ never going back. The work relationships I’ve developed with my clients are also very rewarding. You know you have a pretty sweet gig when you ultimately get to choose who you want to work with.

Anything you dislike?
Number one: not having co-workers. I have lots of one-way conversations with the office dogs and cat. Luckily, I belong to a network of independent writers, artists and Web developers that I keep in contact/work with on a regular basis.

Second would be billing and admin. Someday I may hire some help. Arrgh – numbers and those annoying administrative tasks.

Third?
Having a photo of myself on my Web site. But for all my faraway clients (translation teams in China, programmers in Canada, printers in Germany, etc.), hopefully this page helps put a face behind our work together.

Tip: The About page is a good place to let your customers learn more about your company and philosophies. Photos and short bios of key team members add a personal touch to your Web site. This is especially important for businesses that require a lot of personal communication, such as mine.

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