[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":80},["ShallowReactive",2],{"journal-between-hello-and-launch":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"pageTitle":6,"metaDescription":7,"heading":8,"displayDate":9,"publishedAt":10,"category":11,"readTime":12,"heroImage":13,"body":17,"next":77},"between-hello-and-launch","What actually happens between 'hello' and launch","What actually happens between 'hello' and launch · Maarifa","A step-by-step account of working with a small studio — from the first email to launch day — so you know exactly what to expect before you commit.","Between hello,\u003Cbr\u002F>and \u003Cem>launch.\u003C\u002Fem>","Jun 2026","2026-06-01","Process","7 min",{"url":14,"alt":15,"warm":16},"\u002Fphotos\u002Fprocess-sketch.webp","Hands sketching in a notebook with drafting tools on the desk",true,[18,21,23,26,28,30,32,34,36,38,40,43,45,47,49,51,53,55,57,59,61,63,65,67,69,71,73,75],{"type":19,"html":20},"p","One of the hardest things about hiring a design and build studio is that you often don't know what you're saying yes to. The proposal says 'design phase' and 'build phase' and 'launch', and none of those phrases actually tell you what your Tuesday is going to look like six weeks from now.",{"type":19,"html":22},"So here's what happens, in real detail, when you work with us. We're going to talk about a typical website project because that's the most common — but a brand or software project follows roughly the same shape.",{"type":24,"text":25},"h2","Before you send us anything",{"type":19,"html":27},"You look at our site. You get a feel for what we do. Then, if it feels like a fit, you send us a message through our contact form.",{"type":19,"html":29},"The form has a handful of questions on it — what you're looking to make, who it's for, what you're hoping will be different when it exists. This isn't a filter. It's a warm-up. \u003Cspan class=\"hl\">The questions we ask are the ones we'd ask on the first call anyway\u003C\u002Fspan>, so by the time we talk, we've already thought about your project properly.",{"type":24,"text":31},"Week zero: the first email back",{"type":19,"html":33},"We reply within a day, usually the same one. The reply is a real reply, not a template. We tell you what we heard, what we'd want to know more about, and whether we think we're a good fit.",{"type":19,"html":35},"Sometimes the answer is no — either the project isn't a fit for our size, or a different studio would serve you better. When that happens we say so, and where we can, we point you somewhere else.",{"type":24,"text":37},"Week one: the first call",{"type":19,"html":39},"If we're both interested, we jump on a call. Usually about 45 minutes. We ask more questions. You ask us anything. By the end, one of three things happens: we agree to work together, we agree we're not the right fit, or we agree we need one more conversation before deciding.",{"type":41,"text":42},"blockquote","We'd rather have three careful conversations before saying yes than sign a contract we're not sure about.",{"type":24,"text":44},"Weeks two and three: the proposal, then the plan",{"type":19,"html":46},"Within a week of the call, you get a proposal. It's short. It says what we're going to make, what it costs, when it'll be done, and what we need from you along the way. If anything in it surprises you, we rework it — the proposal shouldn't be where we find out we disagreed about scope.",{"type":19,"html":48},"Once you sign, we send an invoice for the first bit of work. We usually work in thirds — a third to start, a third at a review point, a third at launch.",{"type":24,"text":50},"Weeks three to six: the design half",{"type":19,"html":52},"This is where most of the thinking happens. We're not going to bore you with process diagrams. In real terms: we go away, we do a first pass, we come back with something to look at within about ten days.",{"type":19,"html":54},"That first pass is deliberately not perfect. It's the fastest way to find out whether we've understood you correctly. \u003Cspan class=\"hl\">Better to discover we've gone the wrong way in week three than in week nine.\u003C\u002Fspan>",{"type":19,"html":56},"From there it's iterations. Usually two rounds — a bigger revision after the first, a smaller polish after the second. We share things in Figma, or as a live preview link, or occasionally as PDFs if that's easier for you. Whatever gets us to real feedback fastest.",{"type":24,"text":58},"Weeks six to nine: the build half",{"type":19,"html":60},"The design goes into code. This is the quiet stretch of the project. We're heads-down and you'll hear from us maybe twice a week — enough that you know it's moving, not so much that you feel bothered.",{"type":19,"html":62},"Around week seven, you get a preview link. A working version of the site, on a staging address. You can click around, break things, forward it to friends, get feedback from the people whose opinions you actually trust.",{"type":19,"html":64},"Feedback from that phase gets folded in. Content goes in properly, either from you or written by us if that's in scope. Everything gets tested — speed, mobile, all the browsers, accessibility, forms, links, the small print.",{"type":24,"text":66},"Launch day",{"type":19,"html":68},"We agree a launch date together, usually a Tuesday or Wednesday morning (never a Friday). We do the domain switch. We watch the analytics for the first hour to make sure nothing broke. We're on hand for the rest of the day for anything that comes up.",{"type":19,"html":70},"You get an email at the end of the day with everything you need — logins, documentation, the invoice for the final third, and a plain-English summary of what to do if something goes wrong.",{"type":24,"text":72},"After launch",{"type":19,"html":74},"The month after launch is included in the price. Small tweaks, small fixes, things you spot once it's live — we handle those, no charge. After that, we're still around, and most of our clients come back for the next thing eventually.",{"type":19,"html":76},"That's it. That's the whole shape. No mystery, no jargon, no giant deck about our proprietary methodology. Just a small team, one project at a time, and a real launch at the end of it.",{"slug":78,"title":79},"on-staying-small","Why we stay small",1783467735595]