FAQ
What does FIFO mean?
FIFO (pr. fye’foe) is an acronym for First In, First Out and pertains to the way items and priorities are handled. We chose this for our name as we found it unique and expressed our desire to treat all clients equally, thus, First In, First Out. You will never get put on the back burner for a bigger client!
Can I see a client list and references for work you’ve done?
Of course! We have provided some references on the testimonials page, along with links to their sites and contact information
What is your background? How long has FIFO been creating Websites?
FIFO Studios as a company started in late 2008, but its members have been creating websites and applications since 2000.
Do you have a portfolio of your work for review?
Of course! Our portfolio is easily found here on our site in the portfolio section.
Can design changes be added later in development, or even well after a project is completed? What do you provide as far as post-sale services, such as website maintenance?
We do offer ongoing maintenance plans as well as per-update plans. We retain our clients’ files and information to ensure we can quickly get back into the site and help you with updates or other requested changes.
Do you do your own design and development? Or does it get outsourced?
We do all our own site design and development. This ensures timely development and fast iteration. Your site design and development will not be making a trip around the world before it’s complete.
What is the average turnaround time for a project?
Turn around time can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the project. Though we do work within the philosophy of the company: (First In First Out) and focus on our clients in the order in which they arrived. As opposed to some studios who put the “little guy” on hold to cater to a larger, possibly more profitable client.
Do you design from scratch or from pre-made templates
Our main focus is on providing our clients with 100% original designs which are built around their specific needs. We do have an ever growing library of templates we have created ourselves which clients may choose from if they wish to keep costs as minimal as possible. No site will be built with a template design unless specifically requested by the client.
Will you provide me with the original graphics files?
We can certainly provide you with the original graphic files for your project upon request. Unless the imagery we are using has other 3rd party copyrights on them (though we do prefer to use all our own imagery if at all possible).
Do you test your designs for multi-browser /cross platform compatibility?
Certainly! We test our sites with Firefox, IE, Opera, and safari.
What do I need to supply you with in order to get things started?
To begin the process we would love to have an in person meeting with you if you are local to our studio. If not, we do have a questionnaire for you to fill out that will help provide us with all the information we will need to provide an accurate bid and begin the design process. Please contact us to set up a time!
Is this your full time job?
Yes. We are dedicated to the studio, which in turn means we are dedicated to providing you the service you deserve.
Do you offer only website design
Web design is our primary focus, although we do offer a number of other services including application development and corporate identity packages. Please see our “services” section for more information.
Will I talk to my designer directly? Or will I be working with a project manager?
You will be talking directly to the developers involved with your site. There are no middle men in our studio. This ensures smooth communication between us and the client as well as rapid turnaround times.
Will you create a logo for my site too?
We do provide logo design services. A well designed logo can make a big difference in the portrayal of authenticity for your site. For more information, please check out our “services” section.
Will you provide photos for my site?
We can certainly do the leg work in finding the appropriate stock imagery that fit the needs of your business. For local Austin TX area clients, we can also provide custom photography options. Please see the services section for more information.
Who owns the site when it’s done?
The assets used to create the site are the property of the client unless otherwise stated. FIFO Studios does retain the rights on any custom code / applications we create
Do you offer maintenance training
Certainly. If we create a site using a technology such as Wordpress, we will provide you with the information necessary to make your own basic site updates.
Do you charge by the hour or by the projects?
We prefer to charge by the project. We can set up hourly rates for some projects if it seems appropriate, though a fixed fee tends to be the best solution for both parties.
Do you write your code by hand or with WYSIWYG editors?
Our code is written by hand to ensure it’s clean and easy to edit. We do not use WYSIWYG editors since they tend to leave you much more code then is necessary.
Do you work with table-less design?
Yes, we prefer separating the design of the site from the content of the site in every way possible.
Do you validate your code?
Yes we maintain w3c validated code.
What are your preferred development tools?
We use Photoshop and illustrator for image editing and logo design, 3DSmax for 3D images, and Dreamweaver for it’s ease of previewing and updating sites (though if we code in it, we do so in the “code” view, and not using WYSIWYG features since they tend to leave you with far more code than you’d like).
What is your preferred development language and technologies?
Our main focus is on PHP development.