Getting Started

We’re really looking forward to getting started on this project – and we hope you are, too! The goal of this guide is to give you all the information you need to help you get the most out of working together.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• How the process works
• What you can expect in terms of deliverables and timelines
• Your crucial role in the project
• The team who will be working on your project

Have a read-through in your own time, and if there’s anything left unanswered your main point of contact is Sarah Chen – sarah@polymark.com.

We only work with people who are as excited about their projects as we are. You won’t find any cookie-cutter solutions here – just good old-fashioned craftsmanship.

–Emma Lawson, Founder & Creative Director

What to expect from us working together

We do things a little differently. Instead of just asking for your requirements, going away, and producing set deliverables, we work with you to create something that’s going to have a significant impact on your business.

• Experience-driven approach – Everything we do is based on years of experience applying the same tactics to our own businesses
• Truly collaborative – Your input is absolutely key to the success of the project. We work around you, taking into account any guidelines you need us to follow
• Senior team, start to finish – We’ll be doing all the work ourselves. We’re not salespeople who throw projects over the wall to juniors
• No cookie-cutter solutions – Every project is unique and we treat it that way. You’re getting custom work from people who genuinely care

Watch: A quick tour of your portal

Before you dive in, here’s a short walkthrough of how to navigate your project portal, access deliverables, and leave feedback.

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Your role in the project

A lot of clients think they should stay away and let us do our thing. But you actually have a much bigger role in the success of a project than you might think. Here are some ways you can get the most out of working together.

Be the expert on your business

No matter how good we are as consultants, you’ll always know more about your business than us. We do extensive research before each project, but your experience is more valuable than most things we can dig up.

Don’t be afraid to give context to everything – even if you think it’s not relevant. The more we know about your business, the better equipped we’ll be to create solutions that are tailor-made for you. You play to your strengths, and we’ll play to ours.

Manage your team and decision-makers

It’s your job to get your team in order and decide who is responsible for what. It’s best to set roles at the very start of the project and clearly state who is responsible for signing things off.

If that person is you, you need to be involved in the whole process. Coming in periodically makes it hard to know what’s going on and to make informed decisions.

Give feedback in a timely manner

We pride ourselves on producing great quality work in a reasonable timeframe. But we need your help to meet our deadlines. We have a long pipeline of work at any time, and delays in getting feedback may mean we need to pause the project until we get another gap.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to be realistic at the start of a project about how long you need to provide feedback, so we can factor it into the timeline.

Ask questions – as many as you like

When working with us, feel free to ask as many questions as you like. Questions usually lead to better results than asking for a specific change.

Don’t worry about annoying us – we’re thrilled when you take an interest in the ‘why’ behind our work. We spend a lot of time deliberating behind the scenes and we’d love the chance to walk you through our reasoning.

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The process

Here’s a rundown of how this project will run. We’ve honed our process over the years to provide maximum value without requiring a huge time investment on your part.

Phase 1: Research and discovery

We’re going to learn everything we can about your business and your customers. We’ll review your existing brand materials, audit your current website, and conduct stakeholder interviews to understand your goals. You’ll receive a brief questionnaire to help us get up to speed quickly.

Phase 2: Strategy and wireframes

Using the research from Phase 1, we’ll develop a site strategy that maps your business goals to user experience. We’ll present wireframes and a content plan for your review. These sessions usually last between 1-2 hours and are where the big decisions happen.

Phase 3: Design and development

This is where it all comes to life. We’ll create high-fidelity designs based on the approved wireframes, then build out the site with all the functionality we’ve scoped together. You’ll be able to review progress at any time through this portal.

Phase 4: Launch and handoff

Once you’ve signed off on the final designs and the build is complete, we’ll handle the entire launch process. You’ll receive comprehensive documentation, a training session for your team, and 30 days of post-launch support to make sure everything runs smoothly.

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Key dates and milestones

Below is a high-level timeline for the project. Exact dates will be confirmed after our kickoff call.

Milestone	Target date	Status
Kickoff call	Week 1	Upcoming
Research complete	Week 3	–
Wireframe review	Week 5	–
Design review	Week 8	–
Development complete	Week 12	–
Launch	Week 14	–

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Meet the team

We’ve assembled an incredible team for your project. Here’s who you’ll be working with and what they’ll be doing.

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Access your deliverables from your portal

All of our clients find the project documents we produce become something they refer to again and again. That’s why we’ve created this dedicated portal to keep everything together.

You can log in at any time and see exactly what has been worked on. We have a build-in-the-open philosophy and we want you to be able to check in with your project and leave comments at any time.

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Next steps

We couldn’t be more excited to be working with you. Here’s what happens next:

1. Complete the intake questionnaire – You should have received this via email. It helps us hit the ground running
2. Book your kickoff call – Pick a time that works for your team using the scheduling link Sarah sent over
3. Gather your brand assets – Logos, fonts, brand guidelines, and any existing materials you’d like us to review