Carter & Company - Frequently Asked Questions

Q: - What is Visual Marketing?

A: - Visual marketing is any marketing endeavor, which incorporates the visual aspects (Logo, trademark, company name, specific graphics, etc.) of your company or product into its marketing campaign. Visual marketing includes but is not limited to:

• Corporate Identity
• Logos
• Product Packaging
• Advertising Media
• Website Development and Design
• Business Communications Components such as business cards, letterheads, presentation folders, invitations, mailers, post cards, greeting cards and envelopes
• Promotional Give-aways
• Digital Media such as DVD’s, CD’s and Webinars
• Projection slide shows
• Power Point Presentations

Q: - What processes are involved in developing my Visual Marketing package needs?

A: - We start the beginning of every job with a detailed and in-depth interview regarding your vision for your company or product, and what type of message you want your design to convey.  From this point, we then move into research and development, researching the best approach to your design concept, and developing concept packages for your approval. Our research includes color theory, since color in its self can convey a message or ideal about a company or product.

Q: - What should I know before we get started?

A: - Although our job is to create your visual marketing package, you do need to know a few things before we begin:

• What is your target audience?
• What is your marketing budget?
• What is the scope of the project? Does it involve more than one marketing component? (IE: A website and a corporate ID package; a logo and a product package design; just mailing pieces such as postcards or flyers)
• What is the time frame of your project?
• If you’re ordering a website, do you already have a hosting service and domain name or will you need us to procure these for you?
• If you already have a domain name and hosting service, are the accounts Administrator and do you have access to the control panel and FTP address, including username and passwords?

Q: - Once we begin my project, how long until it’s complete?

A: - Although we strive for expediency, each project is different and therefore we cannot make a blanket statement as to how long each will take. What we can do, however, is provide a time-line in your contract, with specific “milestone dates”.  The minimum amount of time to complete a project, depending on type, is normally 7 - 10 working days, however there are times when we can complete basic graphic designs such as logos or mailers, within a few hours. Really it is totally dependant on the project scope and time frame.

Q: - I want to put a blog on my website. Which platform do you recommend?

A: - Although we can and will design for your platform of choice, we highly recommend Wordpress as a blog platform. Wordpress offers the ability to have static pages (IE: About us, Contact, Products, Services, etc) as well as post pages for current news, articles and information. To learn more about Wordpress please visit www.wordpress.org

Q: - What about Video Webvertising? Can you do that?

A: - Yes we can and do. For more information about webvertising, please see our Services Page.

Q: - Why do you use so many guest writers on your site?

A:  - While we at Carter & Company pride ourselves on being experts in our field, we are not the end-all-know-all of marketing and business. We use guest writers whom we feel are experts in their fields and have useful information to share because we want you, our readers and clients, to be well informed and successful in your endeavors. Knowledge is power - the power to succeed.

Q: - I need business cards and I need them fast! Do you take rush orders?

A: - We most certainly do. There is a small additional charge for orders needed within 24 - 72 hours. We can also arrange expedited shipping of your order at an additional cost.

Q: - If I contract with you to design my presentation folders or mailers, do you handle the printing as well?

A: - Yes we do, please see our Services Page for details.

Q: - What web browsers do you design for?

A: - Great question! A lot of people don’t realize that all pages will not look the same in all browsers! Although we design for cross browser compatibility with MSIE, Mozilla Firefox, AOL, Opera, Safari and Netscape, there are certain browser issues that will cause pages to display slightly differently in some browsers.

Q: - I’m going to be giving a seminar in another state, but I’d like to publish it to a video for my website. Do you do this?

A: - We certainly do. Please review the section about Video Presentations on our Services page.

Q: - I want to copyright my logo once you’ve completed the design. Do you handle this?

A: - Yes, we can. It is not a basic include in the logo package, however, we will be happy to file your copyright for you with the Library of Congress for an additional fee of $40.00 made payable to the National Library of Congress. You will need a fax machine or scan to PDF capabilities so that you may sign your copyright paperwork. Once we’ve filed your copyright, you’ll be presented with hard copies of all documentation via USPS Registered mail.

Q: - I already have a logo; I just wanted to include it in some new business cards or other marketing materials. Can you build a design around that?

A: - Sure we can! We’re happy to help you build your visual media campaign or products around your existing logos and trademarks.

Q: - What forms of payment do you accept?

A: - We currently accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover Card as well as Cashiers Checks, USPS Money Orders and Company Checks made payable to Carter & Company.

Q: - I don’t feel comfortable giving my credit card information on the web, can you process my payment by phone?

A: - Yes. We’re happy to process your payment by phone and provide you with an order verification number. All Credit Card Billing will reflect payment made to Carter & Company through our account at PayPal.

Q: - I see that you provide photographic services for businesses. Do you also provide individual photo services?

A: - Although we as Carter & Company do not provide personal photography services, our sister company, Cherise Carter Photography does. You may contact Cher regarding your needs by emailing her at cher@cherisecarterphotography or calling her at 256-329-0894.

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