Design retainer
For teams that need design work every month. Daniel leads it and specialist designers handle production.
From $6,000/month
about 25 hours of design
Three-month minimum
then monthly, with 30 days’ notice
How a retainer runs
01
Send requests as they come up
Post them in Slack or in a shared request queue.
02
We prioritize every week
We agree the order with you each week, and finished work goes out as soon as it’s ready.
03
Review the month
Once a month we look at what shipped and what’s next.
What’s included
About 25 hours a month
$6,000/month
About 32 hours a month
$7,500/month
About 40 hours a month
$9,000/month
Requests
Slack or a shared request queue
Rhythm
Weekly prioritization, continuous delivery and a monthly review
Minimum term
Three months, then monthly with 30 days’ notice
Unused hours
Don’t roll over
Extra capacity
$185/hour, quoted before it starts
Billing
Monthly
Who leads it
Daniel, with specialist designers and developers
Retainer or project?
How you pay
Billed monthly: $6,000, $7,500 or $9,000/month
One flat fee, 50% upfront and 50% on completion through Contra escrow
Scope
About 25, 32 or 40 hours a month, prioritized weekly
Agreed before work starts, with acceptance at handover
Minimum term
Three months, then monthly with 30 days’ notice
Ends when the agreed scope is complete
Work outside scope
Extra capacity at $185/hour, quoted first
$185/hour as an exception, quoted first
Suits
Design work that keeps coming, month after month
One defined piece of work, like a launch or a new site
Other monthly work
Social Media Management
12 to 16 posts a month across 2 to 3 platforms, with a 3-month minimum.
From $5,000/month
Paid Ads (Meta + Google)
Quoted separately and billed monthly. Ad spend is paid by the brand.
From $6,500/month
Alastair Frankl
Marcura
Questions about the retainer
Daniel G. Bright
Founder, BrightStudios
Retainer or project?
Book a call with me and we’ll work out which one fits the work you have coming.
What’s the minimum term?
Do unused hours roll over?
What if we need more than the retainer covers?
Who does the work?
Can we start with a project instead?
Talk through a retainer
Tell us what your team needs each month. We’ll suggest the tier that fits.