Graphic
design for print, web
and web site hosting.
Mary Geitner // 9-VOLT DESIGN
Phone: (917) 345-0128
mary@9-volt.com
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"Graphic design is a popular art and a practical art, – Taken from artist Jessica Hefland's film: What is Graphic Design? (Read more.) --- Go to information about web sites | logos | print. info I began this work as an associate art director/designer for an ad agency in 1999 and developed 9-VOLT Design formally three years later in Asheville, NC. I lived in NYC a couple of years afterwards and am currently happy calling Longmont, CO my home. My first client (Constance Boutique, Asheville
NC) is still with Constance is the same kind of client I've come to discover again and again during my years in business. The individuals and businesses I've had the pleasure of working with with couldn't be more creative or professional -- thank you! Generally Speaking One benefit to having a single person person create your entire visual identity (including your web site) is the assurance that your identity -- no matter where your friends and patrons find it -- adheres to a smartly developed and consistent aesthetic. This is where memorable, attractive branding starts, which is the underlying principle in all of my work. Being nimble and listening well are traits I value and depend on while working on every type of project -- from concept to completion. I have no trouble distilling creative, concrete, educated conclusions from abstract thoughts or gut "feelings", which is how design begins for a lot of people. Further, I can convey that understanding visually. As a sole proprietor I am able to offer personalized and professional attention to every project, every step of the way at a fair price. Clients 9-VOLT provides creative services to a growing client base of over 75 businesses and individuals across the country. Internet connections and cell phones make my work efficient and portable, which ensures that no matter where you live, no matter where you work or play, our projects can proceed at a good clip and will be completed in a timely manner. web sites – information & costs Getting a web site up and running requires three things, all of which I can do for you. You must 1) buy a domain name, 2) purchase web site hosting so your site's live and available to the public 24/7, 365 days a year and 3) create the web site itself. A domain name is your web address, e.g. amazon.com or yourcompany.net. Domain names are yours to use for as long as you decide pay for them. They cost $15.00 a year. The advantages of hosting your web site through me are many. You get reliability, speed and technical expertise through the larger company I work with, plus responsive, personalized, "human" support through me, any time you need it. This includes setting up email accounts, dealing with web mail, domain forwarding, etc. etc. My basic hosting plans start at $12.95/month ($155/year) and e-commerce packages (including an SSL certificate, shopping cart and set-up) start at $35.00/month. Please contact me for specific estimates, which will vary according to your needs. I can also set up and host sites that YOU can control -- e.g. a real estate business that manages and posts their own listings. See www.ShepardProperties.com for an example of a 9-VOLT.com design that's actually maintained by a client. Prices for these types of solutions are individually quoted; please contact me for details. No matter what you need, any domain name and hosting solution can be managed and renewed through me, annually.
--- Building the web site itself is a shared job. Primarily, clients organize page by page their photos, copy, forms, merchandise and any other elements they'd like to include in their web site. After that's done, I begin the work of designing and building the web site, linking all the elements together in a cohesive, attractive, user-friendly way. Initial consultations via email, phone or in person are always free and a great way to streamline your needs and determine how best I can help. After we discuss your project, I will put together a written estimate of costs and a work summary. I ensure all terms are mutually accepted before any job begins. Once things are agreed upon, I get to work. Because every project is different the cost of creating a web site varies greatly. My hourly rate is $95; most basic web site projects I handle come in at under $3000. I request a portion of the project cost upfront to get things started. The remaining portion(s) are due upon completion. For web site maintenance and other types of ongoing work I charge hourly at $95/hour and invoice you roughly monthly. Because every client's budget is different I am happy to consider payment terms individually and create a plan that works for both of us. Payment is expected within a week of being invoiced. logos – information and costs Consider that your logo will become a powerful and flexible branding tool from which you'll get a lot of mileage. To a large extent, the look your logo conveys will propel subsequent projects (think web site, ads, business cards, etc.) thereby saving me time and you money. Designing a logo is a base fee of $700. Your price will vary depending on the specifics of your project -- I have worked to finish logos-in-process for less than $700 or created multiple, complimentary logos for businesses for more than $700. The work I put into creating your logo includes (but isn't limited to) our initial meeting(s), brainstorming sessions via email or phone, and the time I spend in books, trade publications or design magazines -- all of which help articulate a notion of your identity. I honor the fact that inspiration comes from anywhere, anytime so I work somewhat "off the clock" so to be as open to creative impulse as possible. I urge clients to do the same. The work of creating your logo begins afterwards. Over the course of days (or weeks) I sketch, design and send unlimited digital working drafts of ideas until a single "look" is agreed upon. I then make all edits and revisions to it until a version is approved by you. Your logo is then complete. I will burn various versions of your logo to a CD; you'll have full color and grayscale composites saved in formats suitable for both web and print use. Finished logos belong to you and can be used in any way you wish. Future tweaks or changes to a logo that is completed and paid for will be treated as a new job and billed accordingly at a rate of $95/hour. Payment is expected within a week of being invoiced. print work – information and costs I can, from concept to creation, originate your company's business cards, letterhead, a menu, stickers, promotional brochures and booklets, a convention banner, etc. I will fully coordinate paper choices, proofing and all aspects of printing for you unless you want otherwise. I am also happy to write or edit copy. Initial jobs for clients (new business cards, a brochure and a post card, e.g.) are typically estimated upfront while ongoing jobs (weekly ads within an established campaign, e.g.) are billed by the hour at $95/hour. I send invoices roughly monthly, depending on work flow. Payment is expected within a week of being invoiced. How To Get Started If you are interested in discussing a project or have any questions about how 9-VOLT operates please contact me at your convenience. I'm happy to meet with you in person, by phone (917-345-0128) or via email, mary@9-volt.com. Thank you very much for your interest! --- Quick, easy and always appreciated...the 9-VOLT comment form is here. The following commentary is taken from artist Jessica Hefland's film: What is Graphic Design "Graphic design is the most ubiquitous of all the arts. It responds to needs at once personal and public, embraces concerns both economic and ergonomic, and is informed by many disciplines, including art and architecture, philosophy and ethics, literature and language, science and politics and performance. Graphic design is everywhere, touching everything we do, everything we see, everything we buy: we see it on billboards and in Bibles, on taxi receipts and on web sites, on birth certificates and on gift certificates, on the folded circulars inside jars of aspirin and on the thick pages of children's chubby board books. Graphic design is the boldly directional arrows on street signs and the blurred, frenetic typography on the title sequence to E.R. It is the bright green logo for the New York Jets and the monochromatic front page of the Wall Street Journal. It is hang-tags in clothing stores, postage stamps and food packaging, fascist propaganda posters and brainless junk mail. Graphic design is complex combinations of words and pictures, numbers and charts, photographs and illustrations that, in order to succeed, demands the clear thinking of a particularly thoughtful individual who can orchestrate these elements so they all add up to something distinctive, or useful, or playful, or surprising, or subversive or somehow memorable. Graphic design is a popular art and a practical art, an applied art and an ancient art. Simply put, it is the art of visualizing ideas.” - Jessica Helfand Link to AIGA and Jessica Hefland's short movie about graphic design. |
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Graphics wizard Mary Geitner of 9-Volt Design has recharged my ad campaigns with her sophisticated layouts and clever twists of text. The seed that serves as initial inspiration from my end takes easy form in her capable, creative, intuitive hands. She not only reads.....but then, delightfully...... – Constance Ensner "I think my web site – Jim Huston, Horizon Produce Mary was very straightforward about pricing. She stuck to our agreed upon budget and timeframe, and there were no surprise costs or additional fees. We are thrilled with our web site and wedding insignia. We worried that a wedding web site could be sappy or self-promoting; Mary listened to our concerns and created just the wedding web site we had in mind: simple, elegant and practical. Katie Norman This web site is now off the air as Katie and Rashid are happily married; their wedding insignia can be found on the logos page... I always like hearing from you. Go to the contact page and send your messages and feedback today! |
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