How our design subscription works
You get the creative you need, when you need it
Professional design work on a subscription.
Our design subscription is for busy marketing professionals and business owners who want exceptional creative delivered on time at a fair price.
The subscription service we offer is for people who buy design regularly and want a reliable, creative partner to deliver.
Prices start at £240 + VAT for 4 hours of design time per month.
£60 + VAT per hour
Billed in advance, charged by the minute with a minimum of £240 + VAT per month.
Efficient & Effective work
Professional non-junior designer with years of experience who gets it right the first time.
Reliable & risk-free
Toast has been designing clever creative for over 25 years. We’re trusted by big brands and marketers with skin in the game.
The process
We’re more than just designers, where we can add value with strategic insight, we’ll do so
You submit a design request, in whatever way suits you.
You can call us, email us, use Basecamp, Trello or whatever else suits you. This is the brief for the project.
We ask questions.
We’ll clarify the brief and ask any questions where needed. We’ll also make suggestions to improve the brief if we think we can add value to your request.
When we know exactly what we’re doing, we book the job in.
As a subscription client, you get priority, but you don’t automatically get a same-day service. We’re busy because we’re great at what we do.
The right designer picks up the work.
Our team have broad skillsets, so we make sure the best person for the job does the work. This ensures it’s done properly first time.
We present designs for feedback.
We use Pastel – a quick and easy markup tool that allows you to give quick and precise feedback on the design work. You can see Pastel in action here (leave comments if you want).
We action feedback to approval.
Amends and alterations take time, which comes off your total for the month, so we’re happy to provide as many revisions as you need, but if the brief was solid, these should be minimal.
We send you the final artwork.
You can have this in whatever formats you need – we use all the Adobe suite of apps, Figma, Canva and a range of other tools.
Here’s what you will get from Toast
When working with a design team, it’s crucial that you know what you are getting and who is doing the work.
- Fast-turnaround design delivery without compromise for brands with existing corporate identities that need speedy, creative design for smaller design jobs
- A £60 + VAT per hour rate, with time billed by the minute: if a job takes 17 minutes, it costs you 17 quid + VAT
- Upfront charges so you can budget: a minimum of four hours per month, which is £240 + VAT
- Experienced creatives who know what they are doing: we’re not a studio full of rookies; our design team has years of experience
- Work delivered right the first time: only bad designers need to constantly revise things
- Design delivered on time: We know you have deadlines, so we don’t mess you about
- Communication how you want it: Phone, email, Basecamp, Slack – whatever works for you (we do prefer Basecamp)
- Extra-easy feedback: We use an online tool so you can swiftly provude pin-point feedback in a jiffy
- A team of 16: We have the capacity to handle high volumes of jobs
- A relationship: You’ll get to know our designers, you can talk to them on the phone or video calls, and more importantly, they get to know you, your creative preferences and your brand
Here’s what you won’t get from Toast
When working with a design team, it’s crucial that you know what you are getting and who is doing the work.
- We are not an unlimited design service: If you need unlimited revisions, the designer you are working with is not good enough, or the brief is sketchy
- We do not offer same-day service: Design that’s rushed is seldom effective
- We do not farm work out to underpaid freelancers or off-shore designers: our design team are all full-time employees
- Large projects are not a good fit for this service: If you want a 60-page brochure designed, we can do that, but we’ll quote it as a studio project rather than a small design job
The Toast Team
Aaron
Lead developer at Toast, works on all things web and WordPress.
Adam
Adam is a Creative Director at Toast and works across branding, logo and print projects.
Alex
Middleweight designer working across brochures, reports, infographics and graphic design
Anzonie
Designer who works across print work, infographics, decks, maps, brochures and print work.
Charlotte
Head of Digital, works across all things web, design, WordPress and SEO.
Chris
Creative Director, works on all print, branding, packaging and FMCG projects.
Dave
Managing Director, works on all things and then some.
Devan
WordPress Support Manager, works on all things internet related and fixes 100s of WordPress issues.
Janine
Keeps everything in order accounts-wise.
Justin
Senior designer working across print, reports, catalogues and clever InDesign stuff.
Kati
Works on WordPress front end and content management.
Kelly
Works on content, copy and SEO for clients.
Lilli
Works on content and copy, web design and WordPress builds
Mark
Design Director, works on larger brochure, report and print projects and manages the studio.
Max
WordPress developer, builds full sites, designs sites and helps with content.
Simon
Strategy, positioning and creative thinking for larger projects and brands.
Get on board
Onboarding is simple; getting started takes minutes.
First
Just fill in one of our forms, call us or send us an email
Or just go ahead and Book a meeting.
Second
We’ll have a chat about how we can best work with you
We’ll only need 15 minutes of your time.
Third
Choose your number of hours and pay our invoice
First invoice is payable on receipt, subsequent on 15 days, we do prefer a DD.
Then
Get started
You can send us your first brief.
Getting the best from our design subscription
Effective, fast design does have some prerequisites.
We work best with businesses that have existing marketing collateral or brand guidelines.
Small design projects can take a lot of time if we’re reinventing the wheel every time we design something for a brand.
In fact, one of the most common design jobs we do for clients is to create a set of brand guidelines to streamline their design requirements, making them quicker, more on-brand, and more effective.
Don’t have brand guidelines?
If you don’t have a set of brand guidelines or a corporate identity, we strongly suggest having something designed.
Without guidelines for your brand, your marketing collateral can quickly go off-piste.
We’ve created brand guidelines for all kinds of businesses, so it might be a good place to start.
Design subscription FAQs
What’s the turnaround time?
All projects are different, but for smaller requests, typically 1–3 days. Larger requests are booked into the studio’s run of work.
Do we do same-day?
Small requests are often turned around the same day, but we do not guarantee this. We’ll planned design work should not be rushed.
Can I give you more than one project at a time?
Yes, subject to scope and deadlines. We’re not a small team, so we can handle multiple requests.
What happens when I use all my time?
You can buy more in blocks of 30 minutes to top up your time whenever needed.
Do revisions use my design time?
They do, which is why we have a tight briefing process to get things done right the first time.
How do we communicate?
In whatever way is best for you – you can call, email or use Basecamp (preferred), our project management app.
How do I provide feedback?
We use an online tool where you can mark up the design directly on screen to create a list of amendments and tweaks; it takes seconds.
Who does the work?
Our own team of full-time employed staff work on your project: we don’t use freelancers or outsource work. You get to know our team, and we get to know you and your brand.
What happens if I don’t like the design?
Then the brief was incorrect. Our team is a professional, experienced design team, so the work will be on-brand. If you simply don’t like it, we can do it again, but it all takes time.
How long has Toast been in business?
We set up in 1997 and have been providing effective, creative design solutions for over 25 years. Toast is a solid, established agency.
Do I have to pay up front?
Yes, initially, we prefer a Direct Debit for monthly rolling payments to cover your design time. Please note that we do down tools if there are overdue invoices.
What happens if I want to cancel?
If you want to cancel, you can do so at any time – there are no long contracts. Any unused time can be refunded, or you can simply pause the subscription.
Some of our reviews
TOAST’s project management has been first-class, they have kept everything on track and clearly communicated at every stage. All the websites they have delivered exceeded expectations: beautifully designed, perfectly functional, and tailored exactly to our needs.
A special shout-out to Aaron (Lead Developer) and Charlotte (Head of Digital). Their friendly, approachable nature has been a massive help.
I can’t recommend Toast Design Agency highly enough—brilliant service, exceptional results, and a genuinely great team.
