FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

If you're new to working with a creative studio or just want clarity on timelines, process, or pricing, you’re in the right place.

What is a creative retainer?

A creative retainer is an agreement between your business and our agency that allows you to contract for as few as 20 hours/month. A creative retainer locks in the amount of time we have reserved for you throughout the month at a fixed price, eliminating the overhead of hiring a full-time employee.

Why choose a creative retainer plan?

Priority. With a creative retainer, we reserve time exclusively for you during the month. Your projects are given priority over non-retainer clients.
Consistent & High Quality Work. With retainer based packages, you avoid the need to find available freelancers, conduct interviews, manage multiple contracts, and deal with project-based estimates and invoices. Our team will handle your projects and make sure quality and style stays consistent across all of your projects.
Simplify Your Accounting. Retainer plans make tracking your graphic design budget and invoice management easier. The amount you pay stays the same each month of your contract.
No employee overhead. You get professional design services without the overhead hiring a full-time employee.

What type of services are included in the creative retainer plans?

All plans include the same design service options.

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Retainer Packages Include:

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Ad Design – display ads, banner ads, HTML5 ads, print ads, social media ads, and web ads
Digital Materials – social media graphics, blog banners and other web graphics/updates. social media graphics, blog banners, website updates, eBook covers and layout, promotional images, t-shirt designs, flyers, signage, brochures, press kits, direct mail
E-commerce Graphics – advertisements, web graphics
No-Code Email Design – design for emails and newsletters
Packaging Design – boxes, packaging, shipping materials (dielines must be provided by manufacturer)
Podcast Graphics – podcast covers, episode covers, etc
Presentation Design – presentations, pitch decks, and slideshows
Print Materials – business cards, brochures, direct mailers, event programs, flyers, one pagers, manuals, menus, sales sheets, signage, stationery, etc
Social Media Design – graphics for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
UI/UX Design – mobile apps, landing pages, and websites
No-Code Web Development – for Squarespace, Webflow, Wix, and WordPress

Retainer Packages DO NOT Include:

Domains or Web Hosting
HTML Email Templates
Logo Design or Branding
Printing or Production
Video Editing
Coded Web Development
Additional assets like stock photography or fonts. We will let you know before beginning your work if we aniticipate any additional fees or costs. These will be billed the following month in addition to your creative retainer plan.

If you don’t see a service listed above, please feel free to send an inquiry, and we will let you know if it is included in our plans.

How do I choose and pay for my creative retainer?

You’ll choose a plan that best fits your monthly design needs. Retrospective Media offers plans ranging from 20 hours to 80 hours per month (that’s 5 to 20 hours a week). Payment for your creative retainer is due on the first of each month.

How will I know how my hours are being used?

With your monthly invoice, you will also receive a summary for the previous month, detailing the projects worked on and the hours spent on them.

What if I don’t use my hours?

Unused hours will expire at the end of each month (they do not roll over). This is to ensure that we have enough time allotted for your projects in our schedule.

Your dedicated design partner

Our retainers give you consistent, high-quality design support every month — perfect for brands and agencies that need reliable, ongoing creative. For larger one-off projects, we can discuss custom scopes based on your needs.

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Ad creative Branding & identity Email design Event & conference collateral Illustration Packaging & merchandise design Presentation & pitch deck design Print design Social media creative Web design Whitepaper & report design

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Resources

FAQs