Web Design Procedures

Guidelines for Project Design / Re-Design

Use email. Email is the most effective method for communicating with us, particularly because it gives both of us a a written record of our interaction. Be efficient with your emails. Try to group all your questions/answers into one email message to keep everything as organized as possible.
Be clear on goals. Let us know what you want your website to look like and what you hope to get from it.
Decide what content you want to present on your website. We will be in charge of the design and coding of the site.
Deliver content to us in an organized manner. If you are submitting website content text, please proofread it first so that it's ready for publication to the website. Graphics should be named correctly so that we have no problem determining which graphic goes with which content. You can email graphics, or we can provide you with an FTP site, or you can use DropBox.
Offer clear, helpful feedback which helps us with design draft(s). Remember that the process consists of only 2 free rounds of revisions from the initial layout you select. So try to be as accurate as possible when describing what you want.
Leave it to us to produce a professional website. Please keep in mind, if you fail to produce the items we need to build your project within the set time frame, the completion date/time may be extended.

Design Process Steps

Step 1 - Initial Design / Layout Phase:

Once you have approved a custom quote prepared especially for you, and paid the down payment, we'll ask you for several items so we can move forward. A design consists of the color scheme and overall graphical layout of what your new website, or re-design, will look like ... how it is arranged and such.

The items we'll need from you to prepare your sample design are:

Any existing logo that you have or currently use (if any);
Any color schemes that you would like to use on your new, or re-designed, website; and
Other websites that you have seen which you like the look of ... so we get a visual idea of what you're looking for. Please search for a couple if you do not already know of a couple.
We will also need the name of the domain you are wanting us to purchase on your behalf (if we are purchasing a domain for you), and the mailing address and phone number you wish to publish to this domain.

Before we begin creating a design for you, please make sure that you know what you want. It is imperative that you have some idea of the way you want your website to look as we do not provide endless design samples for free. Take your time and determine what you like. If we have to prepare more than 3 design samples for you, you may be charged an additional fee for the extra time.

Once we have all the information that we need, we will then prepare a design sample. We may prepare one sample or several, depending on what information you provide and if we think more than one is necessary for your type of project. You will then be presented with a link to the sample(s) for your review. This process consists of only 3 free rounds of revisions from the initial design/layout you select. Again, just make sure you know what you want before we get started.

Finalizing and signing off on your design will be completed in this step so that your site can begin to be coded. No website, or redesign, will be coded until the final design is complete and approved.

Step 2 - Site Content and Navigation:

In this phase of your project, we ask you to provide us with the navigation, or sitemap, of your website. This means that we'll need each page link that you plan to show on your website. At this time, you should also gather up and forward to us all site content in standard text format, i.e., MS Word file, text file, standard email message, etc. Site content is the information (text and graphics) that each page of your site will display. The content should be organized with easy instructions as to what information goes where on your site.

Step 3 - Site Coding and Content Implementation:

In this phase of your project, your site's coding will be implemented and the site fully constructed. We will create and code all pages of the site, the navigation, and any other coding aspect of your site. We will place all content that you have forwarded to us on the pages and construct the site in its entirety. This phase will consist of up to 2 free rounds of revisions to the content of the site only; no design changes can be made at this point ... without extra fees.

Step 4 - Completion of Site:

Upon completion and approval of the site, the final remaining balance on your account is required. All websites remain on our web servers until the account is paid in-full. No domain rights, nor passwords to website hosting nor any other items will be turned over until the final invoice is paid in-full.

After Project Completion - Changes/Updates

We can provide you with a maintenance and support package for you if you desire us to maintain your project after it is complete.

Copyright Information

Contrary to popular belief, websites are not automatically copyrighted by affixing the Copyright symbol to your website without properly obtained authorization from the Library of Congress ... in fact, it is illegal. You can obtain copyright approval from the Library of Congress on your own using the following information:

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington DC 20559 (202) 707-3000

Here are some excerpts from the Library of Congress regarding websites:

The original authorship appearing on a website may be protected by copyright. This includes writings, artwork, photographs, and other forms of authorship protected by copyright. Procedures for registering the contents of a website may be found in Circular 66, Copyright Registration for Online Works.
Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. In some cases, these things may be protected as trademarks. Contact the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 800-786-9199, for further information. However, copyright protection may be available for logo artwork that contains sufficient authorship. In some circumstances, an artistic logo may also be protected as a trademark.
Copyright law does not protect domain names. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a nonprofit organization that has assumed the responsibility for domain name system management, administers the assignation of domain names through accredited registers.

You can obtain additional information by visiting the Library of Congress's website at: www.copyright.gov

Statement of Liability

In no way should you advertise or promote your website or project until it is complete. Completion is defined as the final review of your website/project, and final payment on your account.

Designs by CM will make every effort to have the project finished by set time frame; but in no way will Designs by CM be held liable for any loss of advertisement nor profits to you, nor any third party, for not meeting the exact set time frame. Situations beyond our control sometimes affect us being able to work on projects, i.e., winter storms, loss of power, thunderstorms, natural disasters, the internet goes down, web hosting outage, etc. The completion time frame is an approximate time and should never be confused with any other meaning.

The entire risk as to the quality and performance of any project provided by Designs by CM rests with you and your ability to maintain the website. In no event will Designs by CM be held liable to the you, nor any third party, for any damages, potential or lost profits, including, but not limited to, service interruptions caused by acts of God, the hosting service or any other circumstances beyond our control; any lost profits, lost savings or other incidental, consequential, punitive, or special damages arising out of the operation of, or inability to operate, any scripts or custom development; failure of any service provider, or any telecommunications carrier, or the internet backbone, of any internet servers, you or your site visitor's computer or your site visitor's internet software. Any damages done to the coding or site files or project files by you from file alterations, shall rest on you and you may be charged an additional fee to restore the original files. By contracting Designs by CM to provide any web-related service, you agree with all terms outlined here.