Your brand needs design work every month. So do we.
Most graphic design problems are not design problems.
Most businesses scramble. A deadline hits, someone spins up Canva, the CEO has a crack, and the brand quietly starts looking like three different companies. A retainer fixes that. One designer, already across your brand, ready to go before you've finished writing the brief.
Graphic Design Retainers are a flexible, ongoing design partnership for businesses that need high-quality creative support without the hassle of hiring.
From our studio in Newcastle, Australia, we bring over 20 years of experience in print and digital graphics to strengthen your brand. We’ll use your brand guidelines and past work to craft consistent, engaging visuals that connect with your audience.
Why do I need a monthly graphic design services?
For too many businesses, design becomes a scramble! How do you stay ahead of design trends without losing the brands soul? We've even seen CEOs picking up pro design software!
You likely need assets turned around quickly. You need to keep your brand consistent, not see your CEO flexing their Canva skills.
But hiring a full-time designer doesn’t make sense, and juggling freelancers is a headache.
Our design retainer services give you priority access, predictable monthly costs, and creative output you can rely on.
Within the studio, we can also help out with photoshoots and build you your very own photo library. Making this one of the most flexible graphic design package in the world.
Brief me at the end of your day. Wake up to progress.
Working across time zones isn't a hassle - it's an advantage. I design while you sleep, you brief me while I sleep. This means genuine overnight turnaround on most assets, keeping your projects moving without the typical back-and-forth lag.
How it works:
- Brief me by 9am AEST (6pm UK / 7pm CET / 5pm US East / 2pm US West the previous day)
- I work through my Australian day
- You wake up to completed work or significant progress
What suits overnight turnaround:
Social media graphics, ad variations, presentation slides, stationery edits, website updates, and single-page assets.
Larger deliverables like pitch decks, brand guidelines, and multi-page brochures are broken into phases across multiple days.
Who we work with
Marketing teams that need help
You’ve got plans, campaigns and deadlines to hit. Butyou’re short on design capacity.
With a retainer, you get:
Overflow support for your in-house team
Consistent campaign assets
Rapid turnarounds when things hit crunch time
A partner who learns your brand and plugs in smoothly
Think of us as your very own design department, without the HR paperwork.
Businesses who need ongoing design support
You launched the brand, or even rebranded, and didn't gel with your agency, then remembered you have a Mount Everest-sized pile of documents to reformat to the new identity.
You still need:
New templates
Collateral that was missed in the original scope
Social graphics, eBooks, case studies
Packaging and signage updates
Website tweaks
We’ll bridge the gap and keep your brand consistent long after the initial rollout. It's the perfect design retainer after rebrand.
What’s included in a Graphic Design Retainer?
Our retainers are tailored to your needs. But we specialise in the following:
- Social Media templates - posts and content graphics
- Brochures and flyers
- Posters
- Email campaign design
- Master Pitch Decks and Sales Materials
- Ad campaign assets
- Packaging Tweaks
- Website updates (not development, but we can also do that)
- Brand Refinements
- Template Creation
How our Retainers work
Our retainers work well for both of us, you get what you need, and we fill tricky, big project gaps with some of our favourite work.
Get to know each other
We get to know your goals, monthly needs and priorities. And you can ask us anything.
Choose how much support
Typically, you'll need something in the range of:
Anchovy - 10 hours per month
Trout - 20 hours per month
Kraken - 40 hours per month
Submit briefs anytime
9-5, 5-9, 3am, it doesn’t matter. You can submit requests in the following ways.
Email (preferred)
Briefing form in our client portal
Slack, project management tools, or spreadsheet if that's your workflow
A good brief outline what the content is and what it's for. We'll need links to past projects that were similar and a deadline. We also need to know output requirements and any budget for printing / special finishes.
Quick Turnarounds
Social media templates: 4-5 hours
Single-page flyer/ad: 2 hours
Multi-page brochure: 1-2 days
Presentation master deck: 1 week
Website page updates: 1-3 hours
Same-day revisions*: Brief me before 11am AEST and you'll get revisions back the same day.
*Availability dependent.
Monthly momentum
Your hours are PDF (pretty damn flexible), and can:
Rollover! Any unused hours roll over for up to 2 months (available on 3-month minimum contracts).
Be borrowed! We get that you'll need extra capacity occasionally. So you can borrow hours from next month to top up when things get busy.
All retainers require a 3-month minimum commitment to activate rollover and borrowing terms.
Scale up or down
If your needs change, we can adjust the monthly package.
Why should you partner with Snapper Studio?
If we haven't already met, I'm Martin Sully. I gather research, run workshops, and deliver strategies before using my design skills to find the right solutions. I use a unique blend of experience in branding, graphic design, and marketing to improve brand presence. What you actually get:
A designer who thinks strategically, I'm not here to make it look pretty (although I am good at that).
A consistent, tight and intentional brand.
Continuity! Not a new freelancer for every project.
The option to add extra services – like photography and videography
Less stress, more clarity
We lead with strategy, not just execution
Here's the difference between a designer and a strategic graphic designer in Newcastle:
The problem
A recent client, Beneco, had rebranded a few years ago with another agency. Their hero colour was an unprintable neon green. It looked brilliant on screen but caused constant headaches in print. But after 3-4 years, the green has built significant brand recognition.
A usual approach says change that colour palette
Our strategic graphic design approach means we keep the green, but worked out a way to use other colours without impacting the brand recognition. Here's what we suggested:
Critical brand awareness projects use PMS neon green (higher cost, perfect consistency).
Standard printed materials use printable safe alternatives.
Digital work sticks with the original neon
Our pricing & packages
Wondering what 10, 20, or 40 hours looks like in practice? Here's what clients typically get each month:
Is a graphic design retainer right for you?
A retainer is perfect if...
You need ongoing creative execution
There’s regular work to get through each month, and you’d rather hand it to someone who already understands your brand.
You want consistent output every month
You’d like design delivered regularly without scrambling to brief someone new every time. We're a reliable creative support that keeps your brand visible and active.
You’re running campaigns or frequent content marketing
If your business publishes content or launches offers often, having design support ready to go keeps things moving.
You don’t want to manage multiple suppliers
You’d prefer one partner who knows your goals, rather than coordinating several designers and explaining the same details repeatedly.
Your brand is new and evolving
After a rebrand, you still discover new assets and touchpoints that need updating. Ongoing support keeps everything aligned.
It may not be the right fit if:
You only need one-off projects
You might be better off with a one-off design project. We can still chat about that.
You’re still figuring out who your brand is
Moving through the early stages of brand discovery is what we specialise in; you'd be better off looking at branding.
You can’t commit to monthly work
There's still other ways to work together, but perhaps this is better saved until you grow a little more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you turn around design work?
Turnaround times depend on the asset type. Social media templates take 4-5 hours, single-page flyers take about 2 hours, and website updates take 1-3 hours. Multi-page brochures typically take 1-2 days, while a full presentation master deck takes around 1 week. If you brief me before 11am AEST, you'll get same-day revisions.
Can I get overnight turnaround if I'm based in the US or UK?
Yes! This is one of our key advantages. Brief me by 9am AEST (which is 6pm UK, 7pm CET, 5pm US East Coast, or 2pm US West Coast the previous day), and I'll work through my Australian day while you sleep. You'll wake up to completed work or significant progress on most assets like social graphics, ads, presentations, and website updates.
What's included in each retainer package?
Anchovy (10 hours/month) typically includes presentation refinement, minor website updates, 2 flyers, and signage updates. Trout (20 hours/month) covers 2-3 presentations, campaign development, brand guideline updates, printer liaison, and core stationery updates. Kraken (40 hours/month) includes everything in Trout plus social media template building, multi-channel campaign development, and capacity for larger projects.
What happens to unused hours each month?
Unused hours roll over for up to 2 months on all 3-month minimum contracts. If you need extra capacity in a busy month, you can also borrow hours from the following month. And if you hit your monthly limit and can't wait, you can purchase additional hours at your package rate.
How do I submit design requests?
You can submit requests via email (preferred), the briefing form in our Bloom client portal, or through Slack, project management tools, or a spreadsheet if that suits your workflow better. A good brief includes what the content is for, links to similar past projects, who needs to approve it, the deadline, final output requirements, and any print budget considerations.
Do you work with clients outside of Australia?
Absolutely. I work with clients across the US, UK, and Europe. The time zone difference actually becomes an advantage with overnight turnaround on most design assets. You brief me at the end of your workday, I work through my day, and you wake up to progress.
What if I need more hours than my package includes?
You have three options: borrow hours from next month if you're in a crunch, purchase additional hours at your package rate if you can't wait, or upgrade to the next tier (Anchovy to Trout, or Trout to Kraken) if your needs have consistently grown.
Can I cancel my retainer?
All retainers require a 3-month minimum commitment to activate rollover and borrowing terms. After that, you can cancel with 30 days notice. If your needs change, we can also scale your package up or down to better match your workload.
How many retainer clients do you take on?
I work with a maximum of 3 retainer clients at a time. This ensures you get proper attention and strategic thinking, not divided focus across a dozen accounts. Current availability changes as projects come in, so book a discovery call to check capacity.
What makes you different from other graphic designers?
I'm a strategic designer with over 20 years of experience in branding, not just execution. I push back on briefs when needed, suggest better approaches, and solve problems you might not see coming. For example, when a client had an unprintable neon green as their hero colour, I created a tiered colour system that balanced brand consistency, printability, and budget across different touchpoints rather than just executing orders.
Our Best Graphic Design Projects
Graphic Design Insights
Website Client Feedback
"The brand situation before we started working together was pretty dismal. We had a vision but it just wasn't quite there yet... until Martin! Previously everything was inconsistent and misaligned. Infuse Health became a recognised brand once it was all pulled together and brand consistent. In our experience, stay away from anyone with a sales team. Working with Martin was flexible and relaxed. He is an excellent listener and willing to do the work with you, making dreams into reality."
"Working with Snapper Studio for our branding was so easy. Martin put together our strategy and created us a brand that looks rad. He guided us through every step and built us an identity that reflects our values and our target market. If you need a brand that makes your customers dribble, call him."
"Before reaching out to you, I was worried about the cost and being able to establish a usable brand in the time I had budgeted for. But, I felt supported in the process, and you got back to me quickly and efficiently, which suited me well. You were responsive to my suggestions and were open to the evolution of the brand. It has been great working with you, and I love what we have developed. I have loved working with you so much. I recommended you recently to a colleague in NZ. You are prompt, no fuss, effective, supportive, creative and intuitive. You and your service is worth every cent. Thank you SO much Martin. The working relationship with you makes me feel really supported. I don’t think I could have gotten to this stage without being able to bounce business stuff around. What you do is very specialised!
Hire a graphic designer
A mix of self guided brand discovery tools, fonts we've designed, graphic design tasks
Book a discovery call to bring your vision to life.
Reach out today to start your branding journey with our expert team at Snapper Studio.
