FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about services with icoart.com
Custom Designs:
Custom designs typically required 3-5 weeks before they’re ready to be launched. The exact amount of time varies, as it depends on how much time we spend on revisions.
Template & Prebuilt Custom Designs:
From start to finish, these are usually ready to launch publicly in less than two weeks. Prebuilt custom designs can take longer if you requested extensive revisions on the original design.
Please refer to the Getting Started page of my website, which contains detailed information about the materials I’ll need to begin development and the best ways of getting them to me.
If you ordered a template design and are using a built-in color preset, it’s no problem for me to start development without your photos.
However, if you ordered fully custom website or ordered a custom color palette on a template design, I’ll need your photos before I can start. The reason for this is because photos have a big impact on how I draw up a color scheme and layout a website. If you are having your photos taken professionally, we should plan for a start date that follows the time estimate your photographer gave you for having the final edits back.
If you are a custom design client or ordered a custom color palette, we’ll need to reschedule if your photos won’t be ready within 1-2 after our original start date. In most cases, I’ll simply push your start date back by a week or two, but if my upcoming schedule is already fully booked, please understand that it may be necessary to reschedule for a later date.
Please refer to the Getting Started page of my website for a complete list of everything I’ll need to begin development on your website.
The following is a quick overview of what will be requested:
- Design Questionnaire:
In Step #2 of the Getting Started page, you’ll find questionnaire form link that will be used to provide the design specific information I need. There are two versions of the form. One corresponds to template designs and the other to custom designs. - Design Photos:
Photos to be built into the design of your site. Required sizes, format and other specs can be found in Step #3 on the Getting Started page. - Page Content:
The content to be inserted on each of your pages. Can be sent a little later if you need more time to work on it, but MUST be received before I start coding out your site. Refer to Step #4 of the Getting Started page
No problem. The next stage will be for us to revise the design based on your feedback. I’m happy to change as little or as much as you want from the first draft, so don’t be shy about telling me what you do or don’t like. As long as our development time stays within the total hours included with your design package, there will be no extra fees for going in a different direction with the design. If the number of changes you want take us beyond the total hours we have available, I’ll provide an estimate on the additional charges needed to wrap up your website.
Unless we just need to make minor changes on the initial draft, the revision stage goes more smoothly if you can provide specific and detailed instructions on how you want things to look. Telling me what you don’t want isn’t nearly as helpful as telling me what you DO want.
When possible, I prefer photos that will be used in the design to be sized at least 1500 pixels on the longest side. However, if you are ordering a template design, I can usually accept much smaller photos depending on which layout you’ve chosen. Refer to the ‘Photo Requirements’ section of the details page of your design template to see the minimum sizes I can work with.
There is no minimum size for photos that will only be uploaded to your gallery.
If you have ordered a template or custom prebuilt design, please have your content to me within four days after our start date.
If you’ve ordered a custom design, it can be sent at any point before I have the initial draft ready, but would prefer it arrive no later than two weeks after our start date.
Please understand that if content delivery is excessively delayed, it will result in your website losing priority in my development queue.
Please be sure to read through the Policy Reminders section of my Getting Started page, as this outlines important information all new clients should be aware of before we start the development process. If you have questions or concerns about anything, please feel welcome to email me any time at [email protected]
The first year of hosting is free for both custom and template design clients. After the first year, hosting renewals will be from 31€/year. If I also registered your domain name for you, that will be an additional 13.20€/year. The billing system will automatically send out an invoice a few weeks before your hosting/domain expiration date and send weekly reminders until it’s paid.
Hosting and domains are two separate entities. Hosting refers to the web server where your site files are located. A domain name is the web address people use to access your site.
Yes! All we’ll need to do is point it to my server by editing the Domain Name servers, which is done within your registrar account (the place where you purchased the domain). These are essentially just addresses that tell the domain where it should be pointing to. I can help with this if you’re not sure how.
If I register a domain for you, it will be held within my own account, so you won’t have admin access to it. If you need administrative control over the domain, you’ll need to register it under you own name and account (just be sure to add privacy service when doing the registration so your real name and info isn’t visible to the public).
Regrettably, no. Because it’s important for me to keep my server secure and stable for my design clients, I only host websites that I personally developed or whose source code I am very familiar with.
Absolutely! You can easily create a domain email address within your hosting control pane after everything is set-up. Visit the hosting guide for more details and instructions.
All hosting accounts include the following:
- 5GB Storage Space
- 25GB Monthly Bandwidth
- Up to 5 domain email addresses
- Up to 5 mysql databases
- Webmail access (choice of 3 webmail clients)
- FTP Access for advanced users
- cPanel hosting control panel
- Visitor Statistics
My hosting servers are only used for clients I have designed a website for or those who have ordered a hosted and design services from the beginning. I don’t currently offer hosting to the general public.
A pre-built design that allows you to choose from several different preset options for colors, patterns, light/dark palette and design accents. Although there are some fully custom design elements included (like the logo), it’s not considered a custom design, as other people will be able to order the exact same template & style options.
The base template fee includes the following changes:
- Logo & Tagline:
Your name and subheading in whatever fonts you want - Design Photos:
Photos embedded within the design on each page - Color Presets:
Several color presets to choose from or you can pay an additional 88€ for a custom color palette.. - Sitemap:
I’ll set up to 10 pages for you. Additional pages can be added later within EscortArt CMS. - Advertising Banner:
A custom designed banner to match your site will be included - Mobile Site:
Your website includes a mobile version that is customized to match your main site colors & logo
The following types of changes would require additional fees:
- Layout Changes:
Changing the structure, layout or positioning of main design blocks would require additional development that is charged at 44€/hour. - Custom Background Accents/Patterns:
Design accents or background patterns are restricted to the pre-built options you see in the template demo or compatible graphics that you provide with your website materials. - Custom Color Palette:
If you prefer to pick your own color scheme instead of using one of the preset options, this can be added for an additional 88€.
No Custom Entrance Page:
Template sites don’t include a custom designed entrance page. The disclaimer can be set up on a separate page, but it would use the same design as the rest of the site. If you would like a custom designed landing page, the additional development time would be charged at 44€/hour (2hr estimate)
Templates include up to 15 hours of my time for development, which generally leaves us enough room for two rounds of revisions on each customization. If you paid extra for a custom color palette or another non-standard customization, additional hours are added to the total hours included.
I’ll have the website fully developed & set up within 7 days. It should be ready to launch within a 1-3 days after that if we stay within the included revision limit. The exact amount of time varies, as it depends on revision requests, response times and delivery of materials.
Because templates only include 15 hours of development time, clients will be asked to perform the following tasks after their website is set-up. This also provides an opportunity to get familiar with the editing tools you’ll have access to:
- Text Edits
I’ll do the initial insertion and formatting of your content as long as it’s submitted before the initial draft of the website is ready. However, I ask that ladies perform any text changes they need beyond that point - Booking Form Changes
A sample booking form will be automatically created for you. You’ll have the ability to adjust the fields using an editor within your Form Sentry account.
To order, please visit my contact page and fill out a request form. If you’re certain you want to work together and would like to schedule immediately, visit the Getting Started page and follow Step #1 to confirm the next open spot in my calendar..
Custom Design Costs:
Custom From Scratch designs are 1055€ and Custom Prebuilts are 750€. Both require a 50% deposit to confirm scheduling & secure an opening in my calendar. Visit the Features & Pricing page for detailed information about what’s included within each package.
Scheduling Priority:
Scheduling priority is given by payment date. Regrettably, I’m unable to hold an opening in my calendar without payment.
Custom designs built from scratch are those that use whatever colors, fonts, layout & graphical elements you want. Although custom designs can end up with similar looking layouts due to a finite number of layout variations possible, the base graphics are entirely unique. The design is built entirely to your specification and is intended for those who don’t mind paying a premium for a completely unique design.
Prebuilt custom designs are those I’ve already created, but am only offering for sale to a single person. These are designs that I’ve either developed in my spare time or were originally created for someone else, who was cancelled for non-payment. Custom prebuilt designs can be revised in any way you want as long as we don’t exceed the 25 total hours of development time included.
Custom designs built from scratch take significantly longer to create than Templates or Prebuilt Custom designs, which already have the layout code developed. Although it varies depending on the type of design and the number of revisions we do, custom designs built from scratch generally aren’t ready to launch for at least 2-4 weeks from our start date. That includes the initial design stage, revisions based on your feedback, development and final testing.
Regrettably, my availability for custom designs built from scratch is very limited. Because I am only able to schedule these once every 4-6 weeks, I tend to book out very far in advance. If you’re in a need of a website more quickly, one idea to consider is going with a template design and ordering non-standard customizations to give it more of a custom/unique look.
Custom designs have no limit on the number of revisions that can be done. However, all work must be completed within the 50 hours of total development time. If more time is needed to finish development, those additional hours will be logged and added to your final invoice. The same rule applies for Custom Prebuilt designs, but within a 25 hours timeframe instead.
We can change whatever you want as long as all work is completed within the total number of work hours included within my fee. Additional hours beyond that will be logged as ‘Extended Development’ time and added as a separate charge to your final invoice.
Photos to be used within the design are needed before I can start development on a custom prebuilt or built from scratch design. The reason for this the big impact photos have on how I create those custom base graphics. If your photos won’t be ready by our start date, it will be necessary for us to reschedule for whatever date you expect to have them back from your photographer.
Availability for custom design is extremely limited. Due to the time investment involved, I only take on one custom design built from scratch every 3-5 weeks. For this reason, I tend to book out several months in advance on built-from-scratch custom designs.
Although prebuilt custom designs have a much faster turnaround because the initial design phase is already complete, my schedule will depend on availability of designs.
Examples of previous custom design work can be found in my Portfolio.
To order, please visit my contact page and fill out the custom design request form. If you are requesting a prebuilt custom site, you can jump straight to the Getting Started page if you’d like to order & confirm scheduling immediately. However, if you are requesting a built from scratch custom design, I’ll need to correspond with you about the type of design you have in mind before scheduling can be confirmed.
Custom Designs:
Custom from scratch designs are 1055€ and custom pre builds are 750€. Both require a 40% deposit to confirm scheduling & secure an opening on my calendar. Visit the Features & Pricing page for detailed information about what’s included with each package.
Template Designs:
Template Designs are a flat 395€ unless you’d like to order non-standard customizations such as a custom color palette (88€ add-on) or layout changes (26€ per hour of extra development). Template designs require the full amount up front to confirm scheduling & secure an open spot on my calendar. For more information about add-on options contact us and ask for quote.
Paying Online:
Online Payments that we accept are Payoneer (only for USA companies) and Paxum.
Wire Transfer (email me for wire transfer info), Western Union money transfer, Money Gram.
I understand completely that plans can change and you may need to cancel.
However, because cancellations often result in a significant loss of income from having days blocked off on my calendar that could have been offered to someone else, I do require a minimum amount of notice for refund eligibility on a custom design. Please see my Cancellation & Refund Policy for specific time limits.
If you miss the cut off for a refund on a custom design, you’re welcome to request a development extension instead, which allows you to pause development on your website for up to six months from the originally scheduled start date. Please read the Development Extensions & Rescheduling section of my TOS for more info.
Contacts:
[email protected]
This is my general inbox address and is used for new design requests, general questions and to collaborate with new clients while their website is being developed. If you are an existing client whose website has been launched, please don’t use this email to submit support requests. Instead, you should contact me at the address below.
[email protected]
This is my help desk email, which is reserved exclusively for post-launch client support. Post-launch means we’re finished with development and it’s been launched publicly. Emailing this address will open a support ticket for you in my help desk. Please avoid using email if your website is still being developed or we haven’t worked together yet.
Phone Policy
Regrettably, I am not available by phone. Please do not ask me to call you.
Because my workload is very high and I need to multitask between many different people & tasks, it’s essential for me to have an email to reference so I don’t forget the details of a given project, support request or sales inquiry.
I understand that my ‘no phone’ policy is an inconvenience and realize that some people won’t be comfortable working with someone they can’t contact by phone. I do apologize for this, but will be staying firm on this policy for now.
To request a new website, please visit my contact page and follow the steps under the “Ordering a New Website” section.
If you are ordering a template design and would like to confirm scheduling immediately, you can jump straight to my Getting Started page and follow the instructions for submitting the payment. Once that arrives, you’ll be automatically confirmed for my next open template spot.
If you are interested in a custom design, it will be necessary for me to correspond with you before we confirm scheduling, as availability is much more limited and I’m more selective about the projects I take on.
Yes we do design for agencies, building custom control panels, options for site control, making sites with member area options for different purposes.
Yes, but only as a last resort and if the following conditions are met.
Custom Designs:
The full down-payment amount must be made to confirm scheduling. If you genuinely cannot afford to pay the full amount, we can split your deposit into two payments, but the 2nd half of the deposit must be made before I start development. When your website is finished, the final balance must be paid within two monthly installments.
Template Designs:
If necessary, the template fee can be split into two payments. The first is required to confirm scheduling, and the second would be needed before the website can be launched publicly.
Installment Request:
The request for an installment arrangement must be made before your project start date. Please try to avoid requesting installments after I’ve already started development.
Please understand that this is my income and provide me with the same professional courtesies you would expect of your own clients. To ensure that repayment of my services are kept a priority, I will temporarily disable any web site that is more than 30 days late in repayment. No exceptions.
Yes we do develop pay sites and membership systems, just need to contact us for additional info for your project so you get a quote.
Contact Info
e-mail: [email protected]
ICQ: 148-707-810
Skype ID: Rick.K
Currently available payment methods:
- Paxum (paxum.com)
- Payoneer (payoneer.com)
- Western Union Money Transfer
- Bank wire and PayPal (optional)