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The Process

How does TDS Design as a Service work?

TDS works in three phases — a 5-day brand immersion, ongoing production with a 48-hour turnaround, and monthly strategic reviews. Every brief receives Creative Director input before production begins.

5 Day Onboarding
48h Turnaround
CD Every Brief
0 Lock-in
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Phase 01
Brand Immersion
Days 1–5. Deep-dive into your brand, stakeholders, and strategic context. Ends with an Alignment Brief that governs all production.
Phase 02
Ongoing Production
Brief in, creative direction applied, 48-hour delivery. Unlimited revisions. One active brief at a time, prioritised by you.
Phase 03
Strategic Reviews
Monthly Creative Reviews for Scale and Custom tiers. Assess output quality, align on upcoming campaigns, and recalibrate priorities.
Brand Immersion

What happens during
TDS onboarding?

Before a single production brief is run, TDS spends five structured days becoming fluent in your brand. This is not paperwork — it is the foundation that makes 48-hour turnarounds possible without quality compromise.

1 Day
Day One
Brand Intake

We collect everything that defines your brand — logo files, colour palettes, typography, brand guidelines, existing collateral, campaign history, and competitor references. Your dedicated Slack workspace is created with structured channels for briefs, feedback, and files. Primary contacts are confirmed and communication preferences established.

Asset Collection Slack Setup Brand Guidelines Contact Mapping
2 Day
Day Two
Stakeholder Interviews

Your Creative Director conducts 30-minute calls with key people across marketing, leadership, and sales. The purpose is not to review a brief — it is to understand how your company thinks, what you are trying to achieve commercially, where past design efforts have succeeded or failed, and what good looks like in your market. These conversations inform every brief we receive from you, permanently.

30-Min Calls Marketing Team Leadership Commercial Context
3 Day
Day Three
Brand Audit & Alignment Brief

The Creative Director synthesises Day 1 and Day 2 into a Brand Alignment Brief — a living reference document that captures brand voice, visual dos and don'ts, audience segments, key messages, competitive positioning, and execution standards. This document is shared with you for review and becomes the single source of truth that every TDS team member references before touching your work.

Brand Audit CD-Written Brief Visual Standards Positioning Reference
4 Day
Day Four
First Deliverable Kick-off

Production begins on 2–3 real deliverables — chosen to demonstrate range across formats. These are not samples or test pieces. They are live work you actually need, intentionally selected to prove the process across different brief types and to give your team early exposure to the TDS output standard.

Live Briefs 2–3 Deliverables Range Demonstration Production Begins
5 Day
Day Five
Alignment Review

We present the initial deliverables, walk through rationale, and use your feedback to calibrate the relationship. Revision preferences, sign-off processes, and output formats are confirmed. By end of Day 5, your subscription is fully operational — production-ready from Day 6 with a team that already understands your brand.

Presentation Feedback Calibration Workflow Confirmed Go-Live
Monthly Workflow

What does a typical month look like?

Every brief follows the same four-step cycle. The Creative Director sits between submission and production — ensuring what gets made is correct before time is spent making it.

01
Brief Submission

Submit your brief via Slack using a structured template. Include objective, format, audience, messaging, and deadline. No meeting required.

You → Slack
02
Creative Direction Review

Your Creative Director reviews the brief before production starts. They may sharpen the strategy, question the approach, or clarify execution. This step prevents expensive revisions downstream.

Same business day
03
Production & Delivery

Your designer produces the work, guided by the CD-reviewed brief and your Brand Alignment Document. Delivery to your Slack channel with a brief rationale note.

48 hours
04
Review & Revision

Provide feedback directly in Slack. Revisions are unlimited. Most briefs resolve in one to two rounds. Once approved, final files are packaged and delivered.

Until approved

Monthly Creative Review — Scale & Custom Tiers

Each month your Creative Director schedules a structured review session. Output quality from the prior month is assessed, upcoming campaign priorities are mapped, and the Brand Alignment Brief is updated where needed. This is where the relationship deepens from execution partner to embedded creative resource.

Communication

How do we communicate with TDS?

TDS is built for embedded, asynchronous collaboration. You never chase a freelancer on WhatsApp or wait for an agency account manager to relay a message. Communication is direct, structured, and always on record.

Dedicated Slack Workspace

Your own Slack workspace with structured channels — #briefs, #feedback, #files, #general. All communication is searchable and on-record.

Named Creative Director & Designer

You always know who you are working with. Your CD and primary designer are named contacts, not anonymous queue members.

Weekly or Bi-Weekly Check-ins

Scheduled calls with your Creative Director — weekly for Custom tier, bi-weekly for Scale. Core and Starter tiers communicate async via Slack.

Email Support

A dedicated email address for billing queries, file requests, and anything that sits outside of the design workflow.

Response Times

Brief acknowledgement within 4 business hours. CD review completed same business day for briefs submitted before midday AEST. After-hours submissions are reviewed first thing the following morning.

Brief Format

TDS provides a brief template inside your Slack workspace. It takes 3–5 minutes to complete. The template captures objective, format, dimensions, audience, key message, tone, and deadline. The more context you provide, the better the first draft.

File Delivery

Completed files are delivered directly to your #files Slack channel. Each delivery includes a short rationale note from your Creative Director explaining key decisions. Source files are packaged and available on request.

Escalation

If a deadline is critical or a brief is urgent, flag it with the 🔴 emoji in your #briefs channel. TDS operates an escalation protocol that brings the CD into direct oversight of that brief immediately.

Differentiation

How is TDS different from other
design subscriptions?

Most design subscriptions sell production capacity. TDS sells production capacity plus strategic direction. The difference is significant when it matters.

01

Strategic input on every brief

Every brief is reviewed by a Creative Director before production begins. They challenge vague objectives, sharpen messaging, and ensure executional decisions serve your commercial goals — not just the brief as written.

TDS
Other DaaS
02

Creative Director before production starts

In most subscription models, a brief goes directly to a designer. At TDS, the CD reviews and approves direction before a pixel is placed. This is the mechanism that makes 48-hour turnarounds reliable — less guesswork in production means fewer revision cycles.

TDS
Standard Agencies
03

Photography included

TDS includes brand, product, lifestyle, and headshot photography in Scale and Custom tiers. Sessions are planned and directed by your Creative Director against your Brand Alignment Brief — not independently briefed shoots that look disconnected from the rest of your collateral.

TDS Scale & Custom
Most DaaS
04

No annual lock-in

TDS operates on a month-to-month basis. You can pause for up to 30 days or cancel with 30 days' notice. No minimum commitment. No cancellation penalty. The relationship continues because the output is good, not because a contract forces it.

Month-to-month
Annual retainers
FAQ

Common questions about the TDS process

If your question is not answered here, book a 20-minute discovery call and we will walk through it with you.

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How fast is the 48-hour turnaround?
48 hours applies to standard production briefs submitted before midday AEST on a business day. Complex multi-asset projects are quoted with a clear timeline upfront. Rush turnarounds can be arranged for Scale and Custom tier subscribers.
What is a "brief" in TDS's system?
A brief is a single, scoped piece of work — for example, a social post set, a landing page design, a pitch deck, or a brand asset. Briefs are submitted via your dedicated Slack channel using a structured template. There is no limit on the number of active briefs, though TDS works on one at a time per subscriber.
Do I get the same designer every time?
You have a named Creative Director assigned to your account who reviews every brief before production. Your primary designer remains consistent. In some cases a specialist — such as a motion designer or photographer — may be brought in for specific deliverable types, always briefed by your CD.
Is there a limit on revisions?
No. TDS operates on a revise-until-right basis. In practice, thorough Creative Director review before production starts means major revision rounds are rare. Most briefs are resolved within one or two rounds.
Can I pause or cancel my subscription?
Yes. TDS operates on a month-to-month basis with no annual lock-in. You can pause your subscription for up to 30 days or cancel with 30 days' notice at any time.
What types of files and source assets do I receive?
You receive all production files — print-ready PDFs, web-optimised formats, source files (Figma, Adobe CC), and any photography as high-resolution RAW + edited exports. You own everything TDS produces for you.
Does TDS handle photography?
Yes. Photography — including product, lifestyle, team headshots, and brand photography — is included within Scale and Custom subscription tiers. Sessions are planned and directed by your Creative Director to ensure brand consistency.
How is TDS different from hiring a freelancer?
A freelancer provides execution. TDS provides execution plus strategic direction — a Creative Director reviews every brief, challenges assumptions, and ensures the work serves your commercial objectives. You also gain access to a full team (designers, photographers, motion specialists) under one subscription, without the overhead of hiring.
Further Reading

Deep-dive resources on how DaaS works

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Book a 20-minute discovery call. We will assess your current output volume, map the right subscription tier, and answer every process question you have — no sales pressure, no deck.

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