Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about my Adoption Profile Design Services. If you don’t see your question listed here, please don’t hesitate to Contact Me!

What is an adoption profile?

Adoption profiles are printed books made by people who want to adopt a baby, to be handed out to potential birthmothers. They usually consist of about 12 to 18 pages, are often double sided, and contain lots of photos and descriptions of the adoptive family so that birthmothers can learn about their lives. Most adoption agencies require some sort of profile or “dear birthmother” letter so that each woman can truly get a good idea of each adoptive parent before she makes her choice.

What can you help with?

Using my extensive design knowledge along with my editing skills and my own experience in the world of adoption, I can help take some stress off the profile process and help you create a profile you’ll be truly proud of. Here’s some of the things I can do:
– Give you an honest opinion on what photos you should or shouldn’t include, help narrowing down your choices and scanning them in if needed, and creating eye-catching captions.
– Photo retouching. No, I’m not going to airbrush you until you look like a model (I COULD, but we want a birthmom to identify with the REAL you!), but rather make your pictures look the best they can. That means things like adjusting colors and lighting, fixing glares and red eyes, and cropping and resizing your pictures.
– Experienced editing. Having done professional editing work for court cases and children’s books, I have unique knowledge about grammar and spelling, and will make sure your letter is correct and easy to read.
– Advice and referrals on finding deals with photographers and printers.
– Give you a custom design that matches your personality. I strive to make sure that with each profile I create, your unique style shines through. If you’re not a “crafty” person, no worries! Let me take the hard part off your shoulders so that you can focus on the fun stuff.

Do you write my birthmother letter?

No, because I believe that it’s important for your own words to shine through and give the reader a feel for who you are. But I will certainly help you out by offering constructive criticism, editing, and advice!

How do I know I’ll like your design?

Before any design work begins, I first will ask you questions about your life, interests, and favorite things. Building a relationship is the best way to represent you in the design. I’ll also give you color options, font options, and show you some example layouts so that I can narrow down the direction I’ll take with your design. I will communicate often at each step along the way, getting your input and allowing you to ask for revisions as necessary. It’s important to me that you’re 100% satisfied with your profile!

What form does it come in?

It is up to you to get the requirements from your agency to me to make sure that I create your profile to their specifications. Most printed profiles are 8.5” by 11,” printed double sided and bound with ribbon or decorative elements. I will provide your profile in a digital form, as a print-ready pdf that you will be able to give to the printer of your choice. If you like, I can order the printed copies myself and assemble them for you, but I will need to charge extra for that service. I will also provide a lower resolution pdf for you to attach to your website or emails if desired. Finally, I will save out the images I use in your design and provide them to you in a .zip file for you to be able to use if you want to create a website that matches your design. (I can not provide this service, but you can always pass my files along to your web designer)

How long does it take?

That will depend on how fast you’re able to get your pictures and text ready…the quicker you (and your reference letter writers) are and the more choices you can provide me with, the faster your design will be finished. It is also important to respond to my emails and provide your feedback in a timely fashion. When we first begin working, I will provide a time estimate based on how complex your profile needs to be. Generally, profile design takes anywhere from two weeks to a month.

What is the process?

1)    Initial consultation
2)    Pay initial deposit of 1/3 total cost, sign design contract
3)    I’ll send you a list of things needed and “style/color choices” sheet
4)    Editing of birthmother letter
5)    Finalize color schemes and photo choices
6)    2^nd payment (1/3) is due
7)    Profile design
8)    I send profile to you for review
9)    You send profile to your agency for review
10)  Profile is finalized.
11)  Last payment (1/3) is due
12)  Digital files are delivered to you!
13)  A birthmother chooses you and we do a happy dance. 🙂

Do you offer any additional services?

Sure! I’d love to be able to design things like outreach business cards for you, car magnets, postcards, birthmother gifts, and even your future child’s birth announcements.

What do you charge?

Of course, each person and agency might have more or less needs than another, so I will provide you a custom price estimate at our first consultation, but here’s a general range. As I am building my profile design portfolio, I’m offering a special discounted price of $500 for a full profile design. That includes everything I’ve already mentioned above, and a profile designed with up to 16 pages (8 pages front and back). That also includes 3 revisions as well as a final agency revision round. Any additional work, such as assembly or extra pages, will be billed at my hourly rate of $50. If your profile is under 6 pages or you only require a “Dear Birthmother” letter designed, I will discuss lower rates.