Is a studio more expensive than a freelancer?
Studio pricing reflects combined scope and senior attention. HEM's published prices start at $4,000 one-time for identity and $8,000 one-time for a custom website, so you can compare directly.
Answers · Deciding
When should you hire a studio instead of a freelancer?
Hire a freelancer for one defined task you can brief and check yourself. Hire a studio when the work spans strategy, identity and a website together, when you want one accountable lead across all of it, and when decisions need to be made for you, not just executed. HEM Studio is an independent studio: every engagement is led directly by its founder.
Signs a studio is the better fit
The work crosses disciplines
If the brand, the website and the content need to come out as one system, splitting them across freelancers means you become the project manager. Signature Brand + Website ($10,000 one-time) exists for exactly this.
You want judgment, not just hands
A freelancer typically executes your brief. A studio helps you decide what the brief should be — positioning, structure, what to leave out — then builds it.
You need accountability in writing
Every HEM engagement starts with a written proposal: deliverables, revision rounds, timeline, price and boundaries. That structure protects you when scope questions come up later.
When a freelancer is genuinely enough
A single illustration, a photo edit, a small fix to an existing site — defined tasks with clear done states. HEM will say so if your project is smaller than a studio engagement.
What a HEM Studio engagement includes
- A senior lead on your project from inquiry to launch
- Strategy before design
- Written proposal before work begins
- Defined approval stages
- Post-launch support period on website work
Boundaries
- HEM is an independent studio, not an agency with departments; scope is focused, not infinite.
- Ongoing channel management is a separate monthly service, not assumed.
- Large production needs (photo, video) are quoted separately with specialists.
Related questions
Who will I actually work with?
Samantha Rosenberg, founder and creative director, leads every engagement personally.
Can HEM work alongside my freelancer?
Yes. HEM often sets the strategy, identity and site while a client's existing collaborators handle their specialties.
Next steps
- Compare every scope and price on Services.
- Send an inquiry with Help me choose / custom scope preselected.
- Receive a written proposal confirming deliverables, revision rounds and schedule before work begins.
Exact deliverables, revision rounds and schedule are confirmed in a written proposal before work begins.