Bartels Creative Co. is the moniker of freelance graphic designer Logan Bartels (me).

+ Do you only work with musicians?

Nope! Although I love music and work with a lot of musicans, I frequently work with small businesses. If you have a project that you're passionate about, I'd love to hear about it!

+ Why should I work with you?

First and foremost, I want to work with people who think we are a good fit — that ultimately allows for the best work to be done for you, myself and your audience. From there, I have over seven years of professional design and over three years of Squarespace web development experience that I will put to work for you.

I'm honest about what I believe the best solution is for your project, and I openly communicate how things working. I pride myself on my work ethic and doing what it takes to authentically communicate your brand. Your project's end result is a reflection of both your and my business, and I strive for nothing less than a "job well done".

+ What is your payment policy?

Before officially starting a project, I require a 50% down payment to reserve your spot on my calendar and secure the work. The remaining balance is paid prior to final file delivery and/or website launch.

The exception to this policy is for t-shirt and apparel art, where I require a $75 non-refundable deposit before beginning and then payment for each chosen design prior to file delivery.

+ How far in advance should I book a project?

I am capable of handling several projects at one time, but I do work on a "first-come" basis, so booking further in advance is to your advantage.

For branding and websites I recommend reaching out a minimum of one month, preferrably six weeks, in advance to your desired deadline. This allows suitable time to explore options, gather content, make revisions and test accordingly.

For t-shirts/merch designs, posters, and promotional items I recommend a minimum of two weeks lead time, but because of the nature of the music industry, I can usually accommodate requests in as little as four days.

When in doubt, send me an email and I will let you know my availability.

+ Is Bartels Creative Co. your full-time gig?

In short, no, but I am a full-time designer. While I devote a large portion of time to my freelance clients, I am also currently employed full-time as a senior designer at a Nebraska based advertising and branding agency. Working in both agency and freelance capacities has been a huge benefit in growing my abilities and knowldege of design.

+ Are you also a musician?

Heck yeah! I picked up a bass guitar when I was 15 to start a band with my brother, Evan Bartels. Since then, I have continued to play with him as his bass guitarist and have sat in with several country/americana acts. Having that music background is what really fostered my love for designing for bands and artists. I feel it helps my design, knowing the struggles and needs of those in the industry.

+ What is the difference between brand identity systems and a logo?

Excellent queston. Brand identity systems create a visual language to envoke the emotional and experiential qualities that your audience associates with your business or person. Graphic elements such as, fonts, textures, colors, and imagery and how they are all used together help set a consistent tone or visual voice that authentically represents your brand to the public.

A logo is an easily recognizable graphic mark that quickly identifies your business, product, event or organization — it's the door to your brand. A logo is part of your overall brand identity, and works best when supported by a system.

+ Can I get just a logo?

I will make "just logos" from time to time; however, I highly encourage clients seeking logos to pursue a full brand identity package. While logos are the door to your brand, they lack the necessary qualities to successfully communicate all aspects of your business, product or person. The most memorable brands, big and small, visually communicate their values and personality through identity systems using colors, textures, typography and images. These systems include your logo, and give your brand more versatility to live on websites, printed materials, apparel and more.

+ What is your merch design process?

Before officially begining the design process, I require a $50 deposit for all t-shirt and apparel related designs.

From there I like to chat with the client (usually musicians) about their sound, upbringing, influences, audience and if there is a theme to a tour or album—I'm looking for something unique and unexpected. If the client has a specific vision I work to implement that into the final design.

Once the design direction is established, I usually work up two or three options for review and make necessary revisions to the options chosen. When all options are finalized, I request payment for each chosen design prior to file delivery.

+ Why do you use Squarespace?

Squarespace is a nice one-stop shop that allows me to build budget-friendly sites using custom coding to break templates and make unique, fully mobile responsive experiences that fit my clients' needs and branding. Because of Squarespace's intuitive content management system (CMS), my clients can easily look after their site themselves if needed. And, unlike other sitebuilders, you never have to upgrade plugins or be constantly worrying about your site's security.

Subscriptions also come with:

• hosting
• e-commerce features
• outstanding customer support
• and a domain name (if needed)

Additionally, if you prefer using Shopify's ecommerce platform, their 'buy buttons' can easily be integrated into the Squarespace platform.

+ Can you help me if I have a website on a different platform, like Wordpress?

Yes. However, it would require transferring your current site to the Squarespace platform. I do not use Wordpress, Wix, or any other platforms. My proficiency with Squarespace allows me to work efficiently and produce visually beautiful, highly functional, and easily manageable websites for my clients.

+ Couldn't I make my own Squarespace site?

The platform is definitely intuitive enough for a non-designer to construct a website using one of their templates; however, there is a lot more that goes into making a site than plugging in logos, text and images.

Many years of design experience come into play when I sit down to build a website. I consider content hierarchy and how your site will flow and function so that it best communicates your message and provides a pleasurable experience to your audience. In order to give you a non-templated look that is catered to your brand, I implement custom coding that makes your site look and function better than those that DIY.

In addition, I use my knowledge of web best practices to make sure image size, content tagging and more are optimized for fast page loads and better Google results.

+ Can you implement ecommerce onto my site?

You bet, there are several ways we can implement ecommerce on a Squarespace site. If you have interest in ecommerce functionality, please contact me so we can discuss your project and determine if I can provide what you need.

+ Do you charge more for sites with ecommerce features?

Yes, I charge slightly more for sites that incorporate ecommerce. This is because there is added time and considerations when setting up product pages and functionality.

+ Will I be able to update content on my website on my own?

Yep! After your website is complete, you and I will have a digital video training where I'll walk you through the basics of changing content on your site. Afterwards, you'll receive a recording of our training session and a PDF document with helpful tips.

If you prefer not to make your own content updates, I offer monthly subscription website management packages that encompass basic content updates.