It's secret time. We do not have a client open-door policy like Ellis Island circa 1892. We qualify potential projects because we're looking for business partners, not just clients. Most companies would choose to keep this secret. We probably should, too, but we probably should also shower daily.

We evaluate all potential clients by three criteria:

Does the project provide a creative opportunity?
Creating the unprecedented excites us, and when a client approaches with the same lofty goal, we're ecstatic. However, sometimes, we're asked to regurgitate uninspiring and tired design … and with extra sassiness, we extend a waving hand in front of our face and say, “No You Di 'int, girlfriend!” If we wanted to work inside the box, we'd be accountants. No offense to accountants. Ours helps us “save” money every year. Wink Wink. We prefer to make the box into a castle, with a long spiral staircase leading to a princess, and a kick-ass trebuchet out back. Yeah, we're awesome.

Does the project provide a financial opportunity?
We do need to eat and compensate for our expensive taste in clothing and Star Wars figurines, but this isn't the point. Our project rates ensure we have enough time to deliver our best work. Making things pretty is just the tip of the iceberg. Effective brand building takes plenty of discovery before we begin creating. If we aren't able to create our best work for your project, we both lose. We can no longer supplement our pay with donations from the tooth fairy or the “stealing from Dad's wallet while he is sleeping” fairy.

Is the Client interesting and enjoyable to work with?
We like being creative and getting paid, but if you are a Richard Crania, we won't work with you. There are plenty of firms that will gladly take your money. We're not that desperate. We wouldn't enjoy our work if we weren't able to interact with good people. We want to build strong partnerships, and hell, maybe even make some friends along the way. At the end of the day, a smile on our face is much more valuable than a dollar in our pocket. We just assured ourselves a backup job with Hallmark if this design thing doesn’t work out.