What happens after we agree to work together?
We'll get to know you, and define your project's goals. We'll ask you lots of questions to help define the project and make suggestions about how to implement solutions. We'll specify in writing exactly what our responsibilities are (and yours). Then we'll get started!
Who works at Rory Bernstein & Co.?
To be honest, Rory does mostly everything. The "& Co." part of our name refects the fact that occasionally, a heavy work load or the need for a technical expertise make it necessary to bring in someone else on the project. We are very selective about who we bring in to provide extra design and development help.
How do you manage your projects and handle client communication?
Of course we use email and the occasional phone call, but we supplement this with FreedCamp, an excellent project management system, to manage to-do lists, conversation threads, deadlines, and file sharing. We'll give you FreedCamp login credentials to follow the progress of your project, submit feedback and track milestones. We like to be neat and organized, and believe it contributes to the success of the final project.
I'm a designer. Will you code a site that I've designed?
Sure. We'd love to team up and be part of your creative process. We can consult with you during the design phase to give you advice about the technology needed to implement your design, and then we'll program the working site from your PSDs, making it look exactly like your design, and work perfectly, sheilding you from awful acronyms like HTML and CSS.
I have a static web site that I can't update. Can you give me a way to update it myself?
Yes. You need to add a Content Management System to your site. We use ExpressionEngine. If you want some minor revisions when you add the CMS, we can take care of that too.
I want to work with one company to get a complete website. Do you do design and development?
Yes. We can handle every step of the process for you. We think that the design process actually goes better when the person doing the design can anticipate and understand the coding and implementation that those designs imply.
Will I be able to update the site myself even though I'm really not so great with computers?
Yes. Your site will have an admin panel that you'll use to add or change content. We build our sites using a flexible and powerful Content Management System called ExpressionEngine. It gives us complete freedom in the design of your site, while giving you the power to edit and control the content yourself with no technical know-how. If you can fill out a form on a web page, you can use ExpressionEngine. We will teach you how to use it, which will be quick and painless. We should point out that you won't be able to change the design or layout of your web pages, you'll have to work within the framework that we set up for you.
What do you charge?
Every project is different. The more complicated the features that you need, the more work it takes to build it. For projects that can be defined clearly from the outset, we provide a flat-rate estimate at the start of the project. If your project can't be defined very specifically, we can work on an hourly rate.