Deaken Design Studio

Ongoing Support & Retainer Philosophy

Many businesses continue working with Deaken Design Studio after their initial branding or website project. As businesses grow, websites evolve, campaigns launch, and new opportunities arise that require ongoing creative support.

Rather than starting a new project every time something needs updating, many clients choose to work together through ongoing support retainers.

A retainer simply means reserving a portion of the studio’s time and creative capacity each month.

This allows your business to move faster and ensures you always have a designer who already understands your brand, systems, and goals.

Why Businesses Choose Retainer Support

Retainer clients receive more than just design time.

They receive:

  • Availability — reserved time in my schedule

  • Priority support — faster response and turnaround

  • Strategic continuity — I already understand your brand and systems

  • Creative partnership — an ongoing relationship instead of one-off projects

This creates smoother workflows and often leads to stronger results because we are able to continuously improve and refine your digital presence.

Value vs Hourly Work

Many people think about design in terms of hourly time spent.

But the true value of design is rarely measured in hours.

For example:

If a landing page or funnel helps generate $20,000 in new sales, the value of that work is not determined by the number of hours it took to create.

It’s determined by the business impact.

This is why ongoing creative partnerships often work better than strictly hourly arrangements.

Retainer Investment

Monthly retainers typically begin around:

$750 CAD / month

Depending on the scope of support required.

Typical ranges may include:

  • $750 — light support & updates

  • $900 — moderate ongoing design work

  • $1200+ — more involved creative support and campaigns

Each retainer is customized based on the needs of the business.

What Retainers Commonly Include

Support may include:

  • website updates and improvements

  • landing page creation or optimization

  • campaign graphics and assets

  • funnel improvements

  • lead magnet design

  • brand asset creation

  • design support for launches or promotions

Retainers are designed to support ongoing growth, not full brand or website rebuilds.

The Goal of Retainers

Retainers are not about billing every minute of time.

They are about creating a reliable creative partnership so your business always has access to high-quality design support when it matters.

Personal Note (You Can Keep This Part Private)

This is important:

You do not need to suddenly believe your time is worth $150/hour.

The real goal is simply to avoid getting trapped doing endless work for unsustainable rates.

Retainers create stability for both the business and the designer, while allowing projects to evolve naturally over time.