I have worked with iCreate on a number of projects and the whole team at iCreate are a pleasure to work with. They provide cutting-edge graphics to suit whatever budget constraints we have and always deliver on-time. They go the extra mile to ensure we are completely satisfied and I thoroughly...
Director, Function Films View more
Working with iCreate - Frequently Asked Questions
This section of the website is designed to answer any questions you may have about working with iCreate. If we've missed something, please email your question to us and we'll answer it as quickly as possible!
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Where do I start? How do I request a quotation?
Can I see/request samples of your work?
Will the quotation price (project cost) ever increase?
Do you ever undertake work on an hourly rate?
What levels of service do you provide?
What is the typical turnaround time?
Help! I have a very tight deadline, can you deliver in time?
I'm happy with your proposal, where do we go from here?
Do you require a deposit? What are your payment terms?
Which is the best way to pay?
If I have any concerns during the project, who should I contact?
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Where do I start? How do I request a quotation?
If you're after a quote for an upcoming project, we would love to hear from you! The first step is to give us a call to talk it through – it is definitely beneficial (though not always essential) to discuss your needs before we provide a quote, so that we understand exactly what your requirements are from the outset and can give you more accurate prices.
For all UK enquiries, please call 0845 867 9849 – this call will be charged as a local call, wherever you're located in Britain. If you're calling from overseas, call our London number on +44 207 099 0447.
If you haven't got much time, if you're a bit shy, or if you're trying to reach us outside our normal office hours (9am – 5:30pm GMT, Monday to Friday), we suggest you send us an email via the Enquiry Form on our website or submit a Call Back Request using the tab on the top right of our home page.
Try to provide as much information as possible about your project and how you think we could help. Is the development residential, commercial or public? What stage are you at – planning, marketing, public consultation...? And which of our services are of interest – 3D renderings, animation, sales brochures...? Our Enquiry Form also includes the capability to attach a file to your message, so you can send us your architectural plans or a document detailing your requirements in more detail. The more we understand about your project and your circumstances, the more we are able to advise on the options that would work for you.
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Can I see/request samples of your work?
Of course! Just use the Brochure & DVD Request Form on our website to Submit your details, and we'll send you a package of samples of our work, along with a brochure about our services. Please ensure you provide a company name, even if you would like the samples sent to your home address. This is so that we can identify the most relevant information to send you.
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Will the quotation price (project cost) ever increase?
We usually offer a fixed price quotation based on our assessment of your architectural drawings or detailed brief. We use past experience to accurately estimate the time that it will take for our studio to deliver your requirements to a high standard of quality, and in 90% of cases, the price we quote at the outset is the price you pay – no hidden extras, no surprise charges.
There are some occasions when, during the course of your project, we may have cause to discuss additional fees with you. For example, if your CAD drawings change or differ from the versions we based our quote on, or if the scope of your project turns out to be beyond the scope of our quotation.
It is important to note that any additional fees that may arise during the course of your project will always be optional. If you don't want us to do the additional work, no additional charges will be payable. We guarantee that we will always offer an alternative solution which will enable us to deliver your project without any additional charges, meaning we will never hold your project to ransom and we will stand by our quotations, whatever happens.
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Do you ever undertake work on an hourly rate?
We are always happy to undertake projects without a fixed quote, keeping track of our hours worked and billing for these retrospectively. Indeed, this is how we work with many of our ongoing clients – house builders in particular – who use our services a lot and on an ad hoc basis. In this way we are able to operate more as part of our client's in-house team than as an external consultant, offering 'design on tap' whenever they need it, without the necessity for time consuming paperwork at every turn.
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What levels of service do you provide?
We provide an exceptional level of service! We are determined to offer the highest levels of customer service to every client, no matter the size of the project or the value of the job. Similarly, we will always deliver work of the highest quality – work that we can put our name to – whatever the brief. All our 3D architectural models are accurate to your CAD drawings, and all our renderings are realistic and attractive.
But we sometimes talk about our work in terms of Gold, Silver and Bronze service levels, which are designed to suit different types of client or project. It's not necessarily about price, and it's not about the visual quality of the finished imagery. It is more about the level of complexity and “bespokeness” of the project. This is largely a question of whether we can simply use items from our extensive library to populate the scene – trees, plants, props, fixtures, furnishings and so on – or whether your project is really something very unique that calls for bespoke modelling to meet your unusual and precise specifications. Put simply, it relates to the 'fussiness' of the client – where 'fussiness' is a good thing! We'd love to create a unique, bespoke virtual world for your project, detailing every single element of your CAD drawings and specification... but it takes time to achieve these high levels of custom modelling. In order to remain competitive – and because some projects don't call for this Gold level of bespokeness – we offer clients our Silver and Bronze service levels, which can be sufficient for some requirements.
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What is the typical turnaround time?
The turnaround time will obviously depend on the size of your project, and we can be more specific at the time of quoting. But for guidance purposes, you can reckon on: 2 – 4 weeks for a set of static images 4 – 6 weeks for around five minutes of flythrough animation 6 – 12 weeks for a property marketing package – CGIs, DVD, Brochure, Website
Also bear in mind our lead time – the delay before we can start work on your project. It is usually advisable to book your project into our schedule around a month before the start date, particularly for large projects. This time can still be used productively though, as there is usually lots of information and reference material that we need to collate before the studio starts work – your up-to-date CAD plans, your finalised specification, landscaping plans, kitchen/bathroom plans and so on. The more organised we are when your project starts, the more quickly we'll be able to deliver the finished product, so please do make time to work with us to gather your Specifications in the run-up to your start date.
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Help! I have a very tight deadline, can you deliver in time?
We don't believe that rush jobs are in anyone's interest – you get a much better finished product, and much better value for money, when you allow enough time for us to do our work properly. We genuinely feel that you will be better served by patience than panic. It's important to factor in time for a round of feedback and amendments in our workflow – you will undoubtedly want to be able to review and give feedback on our preview imagery, and there will potentially be changes arising from this process that may take time for us to complete – and then re-submit for approval prior to delivery.
However, if your project is genuinely time critical and really urgent, we can sometimes accommodate your requirements – depending on our current schedule. If we can fit in a rush job without compromising our commitment to other clients, we will charge a premium on our normal fees for rush delivery.
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I'm happy with your proposal, where do we go from here?
Great news! We are looking forward to working with you! If you're happy with our quotation proposal, simply request a copy of our Service Agreement and Proposal Acceptance Form (SAPAF for short), which we will ask you to sign and return to confirm your decision to proceed with the project. This officially books your project into our schedule, and is the signal for our Project Managers to start working with you to plan and prepare your project for the Studio.
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Do you require a deposit? What are your payments terms?
We usually ask for an initial payment of 25% of project value before we start work. We invoice for this as soon as we receive your signed Service Agreement and Proposal Acceptance Form. This is a non-refundable deposit. Following this, we invoice in stages throughout project development, usually tied to milestones in your Project Plan – for example 25% when we send through the previews, 25% when we submit the proofs, and 25% upon delivery of the finished product. For small projects, we will sometimes waive the deposit but ask for 100% of the project value prior to release of the final files.
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Which is the best way to pay?
Promptly! Clients who pay on time benefit from our most favourable prices and the very best of our goodwill!
Apart from this, we would be grateful if you would pay by bank transfer, BACs or via online banking. This is the quickest and simplest way to pay us, and saves us a walk into town to go to the bank! Of course, we're happy to accept payment by cheque if you are unable to pay us directly. Please send all cheques to our Accounts Department, located at our Swansea office address.
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If I have any concerns during the project, who should I contact?
At the outset of your project, you will be introduced to your Project Co-ordinator, who will usually be your main point of contact – along with your sales advisor – throughout the project. He or she will be keeping in touch with you regularly – and chasing you up for information and Feedback at regular intervals – so you will get to know them well. We think it's important that you develop a good relationship and a clear understanding with your Project Co-ordinator, to ensure your project runs smoothly and you always know who to talk to with any concerns.
If you have any concerns or queries about invoices or payments, please give Sarah a call. Sarah looks after all our invoicing and banking, so she's the best point of contact for any such enquiries.
Ultimately, it is your sales advisor who has made a commitment to you to deliver your project, and it is them that you entrusted with the responsibility. This commitment is important to us, and we're relying on you to come straight to us if you have any concerns which your Project Co-ordinator can't resolve.
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Contact Us
Call us now on +44 207 099 0447
Why not get in touch to discuss your project? Call Dawn or Kyle, or click here to complete our online enquiry form and we will respond as soon as we can. We will be pleased to discuss your project, receive your instructions and review your drawings so that we can provide a bespoke and detailed quotation for your requirements.
