What Should You Ask a Design Studio Before Signing?

The short answer

Ask five questions: who will do the work, what have you shipped for a company like ours, how does the process run, can you hit our date, and what do we own at the end. Good answers are specific. Vague answers before signing usually mean vague delivery after it.

The five questions at a glance

• Who: The names of the people who design and build
• Proof: Recent work for a company at your stage
• Process: Stages, review rounds and what they need from you
• Date: A timeline that works back from your launch
• Ownership: Files, accounts and licences at handover

What a good answer sounds like

• Who will do the work? Names and roles, and the same people in the pitch and the project.
• What have you shipped for a company like ours? A case study with the brief, the timeline and the result, plus a client you can call.
• How does the process run? Clear stages, a set number of review rounds and one point of contact.
• Can you hit our date? A plan that starts from your announcement or launch and shows where your feedback is needed.
• What do we own at the end? Source files, the website in your own account and written transfer of ownership.

Answers that should worry you

• We will figure out the team once we start.
• No recent work that looks like your project.
• A start date that keeps moving.
• Nothing in writing about scope or ownership.

Related reading: Questions to Ask a Webflow or Framer Agency, Hiring a Design Agency as a VC-Backed Startup

FAQ

Should we ask for references?

Yes. Ask to speak to a client from the last year, ideally at your stage.

How many studios should we talk to?

Two or three, with the same brief. More than that slows the decision without improving it.

What should we send before the first call?

A one-page brief with the goal, the date and the audience. We reply to a brief with a scoping doc and timeline within 48 hours.

Ask us all five. Book a call and bring your date.