A design partner on call, not a project every time.
At some point the problem stops being one website and starts being the twenty small things a growing business needs designed each month. The retainer is for that: one active request at a time, 48-hour turnaround, unlimited requests and revisions, and no meeting in the calendar.
What is included
Everything the studio does, on tap.
- Landing pages and new site sections — designed and built, not just mocked up.
- Paid ad creative and campaign sets — variations built to test, in every placement ratio.
- Brand extensions — sub-brands, event identities, new product lines inside your existing system.
- Packaging updates — new flavours, sizes and SKUs inside an existing range rule.
- Pitch decks, one-pagers and print — the things that always come up and never get scoped.
- Site maintenance and tweaks — copy changes, seasonal promos, speed passes, new pages.
- Unlimited revisions — on every request, not two rounds and then a change order.
Out of scope: media buying, photography and video production, ongoing hosting, and custom back-end application development. We will tell you when a request is one of those rather than doing it badly.
How it works
Four moves, then it just runs.
- STEP 1
Queue it
You send requests whenever they come up — email or a shared board, whichever you prefer. Queue as many as you like.
- STEP 2
We work one at a time
One active request, finished properly, rather than five things stuck at 80%. Larger pieces get split into stages so you still see progress every 48 hours.
- STEP 3
Revise until it is right
Unlimited revisions on each request. There is no round two, round three, then an invoice.
- STEP 4
Pause when it is quiet
Cancel or pause any month, no penalty and no exit conversation. Files transfer as they are delivered, not at the end.
Versus the alternatives
$299 against what you would otherwise do.
| What matters | Markora retainer | In-house designer | Freelancer | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | ✓ $299 flat | $5,000–$9,000 loaded | $2,000–$6,000 variable | $5,000+ retainer |
| Turnaround | ✓ 48 hours | Depends on workload | Depends on their other clients | 1–2 weeks |
| Range of skills | ✓ Brand, web, packaging, ads | One person's strengths | One person's strengths | ✓ Broad |
| Revisions | ✓ Unlimited | ✓ Unlimited | Usually capped | Capped, then billed |
| Meetings | ✓ Zero | Daily | Ad hoc | Weekly status calls |
| Cancel anytime | ✓ Yes | ✕ Notice period | ✓ Yes | ✕ 3–12 month term |
| File ownership | ✓ Yours as delivered | ✓ Yours | Usually yours | Often on final payment |
Who it suits
It is not right for everyone — here is when it is not.
Do not take the retainer if you need one website and then nothing for two years. Buy the website at $299 and keep your $299 a month. We will say the same thing if you ask us on a call.
Do not take it if what you actually need is a media buyer, a photographer or a developer building a custom application. Those are real jobs and they are not this one.
Take it if design has quietly become a bottleneck — if there is a landing page you have not launched, a campaign you keep postponing, and a list of site tweaks that has been open for three months. That list is what $299 buys back.
FAQ
The retainer, answered.
How much is the design retainer?
What does “one active request at a time” mean?
What counts as a request?
What is the turnaround really?
Can I pause it?
Is a retainer cheaper than hiring someone?
Do I need to have worked with you before?
Clear the list that never gets done.
Tell us what has been sitting in the backlog. If a retainer is the wrong answer we will say so and point you at the cheaper option instead.
Start a retainer → See all pricing