A design partner,
not a project.
Senior design and development on tap, for a predictable monthly cost. The consistency of a hire, the flexibility of a freelancer, the quality of a studio — as one person who knows your brand inside out.
Why a partnership
Senior, from day one
No junior tax, no ramp-up. The person doing the work has shipped for million-user products and zero-to-one startups — and it's the same person every time.
Design and build, together
One person across strategy, UI, and production code. No handoff gap, no “that's a dev question” — the thinking and the shipping are unified.
Predictable and flexible
A fixed monthly cost you can plan around, priority turnaround, and the freedom to scale up, down, or pause. Cheaper than a hire, without the commitment.
How it works
Low overhead.
High output.
Agree your days
Four or eight focused days a month, matched to what you actually need.
Plan together
A monthly call to set priorities, so the time goes where it matters most.
Priority turnaround
Your work goes to the front of the queue — fast, senior, and reliable.
Nothing wasted
Unused time rolls over one month. You're never paying for hours you didn't use.
Two ways to partner
Same day rate.
Pick your pace.
Design Partner
~4 days a month · rolling monthly
Keep your website and product sharp and growing, month after month.
- ~4 focused days of design and build
- A monthly planning call
- Priority turnaround on requests
- Unused time rolls over one month
- One person who knows your brand
Studio Retainer
Most embedded~8 days a month · 3-month minimum
Your embedded studio across the whole roadmap — the closest thing to hiring, without the hiring.
- ~8 days of design and build
- Roadmap and sprint planning together
- Priority response and fast turnaround
- A quarterly strategy session
- Your design system, kept consistent as you scale
Both tiers run at the same £500/day rate — the difference is pace and depth, not price per day.
The honest comparison
Why not just
hire, or use an agency?
| Partner with me | An agency | A full-time hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seniority | Senior, always | Juniors do the work | One person, one skillset |
| Design + build | Both, one person | Teams and handoffs | Usually one or the other |
| Speed | Fast — no handoffs | Slowed by layers | Weeks to hire, then ramp up |
| Monthly cost | £2k–£4k | £££ + management overhead | £4k–£6k+ salary, plus on-costs |
| Commitment | Rolling, flexible | Locked-in contracts | Permanent headcount |
| If it's not working | Stop any time | Notice periods | Redundancy |
Questions, answered
Is a retainer really cheaper than hiring?
Yes. A senior designer-developer costs £60k+ a year once you add NI, pension, kit, and the time it takes to manage them. A retainer is senior from day one, a fraction of that, and you can stop whenever you like.
What if I don't have a full month of work?
Unused time rolls over one month, so nothing's wasted — and we plan together each month so the days always go where they matter most.
Can I cancel?
Design Partner is rolling monthly with 30 days' notice. Studio Retainer has a 3-month minimum, then rolls monthly. No lock-in beyond that.
What kind of work does it cover?
Anything design or build — new pages, product features, iterations, a design system, fixes, experiments. Whatever's on your plate that month.
Design and development, or just design?
Both. The same person designs and writes the production code, so there's no handoff and nothing lost in translation.
Let's talk about
a partnership.
A 30-minute call to talk through what you need, how many days makes sense, and whether we're a fit. No hard sell.
Book a call