DESIGN | WEB | VIDEO | SOCIAL

Monthly Media Retainer

A monthly design retainer is the perfect way to ensure that your business has marketing materials on an on-going, monthly basis without hiring a full-time employee. These marketing materials can be anything from Instagram graphics to brochures and are each custom created with your goals in mind.

Full-Time Designer Costs

Hiring an in-house designer requires careful budgeting, as the total cost goes beyond just their salary. According to Indeed, the national average salary for a US graphic designer is $56,599 per year, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a higher figure of $64,500 annually. However, when factoring in additional expenses such as paid leave (vacation and sick days), administrative overhead, and mandatory taxes, the total cost of employing a full-time designer can quickly rise by 20–30% or more.

For example, taking the average salary of $60,000 as a midpoint estimate, here’s a breakdown of potential costs:

  • Base Salary: $60,000
  • Taxes (Payroll, Social Security, etc.): ~$6,000–$8,000
  • Benefits (Healthcare, Paid Leave, etc.): ~$12,000–$15,000
  • Workspace & Equipment Costs (if applicable): $2,000–$5,000

Total Estimated Cost of Employment: $80,000–$88,000 per year.

MMC Retainer Benefits

Predictable Costs

Businesses know what to expect for an invoice every month for services. This allows for better budgeting and forecasting. It also grants the flexibility to amortize short-term marketing campaigns over longer periods of time.

Priority Service

As a retainer client, a company can expect a bit of “line jumping” when requests are made. An agency will usually try to shuffle requests around if possible to accommodate its long-term retainer clients. It also knows that it needs to set aside an allotted amount of resources every month to dedicate to a specific client.

Front of Mind

More important than being front of the line is being front of mind! In a retainer relationship, a marketing agency moves from simply taking orders to coming up with new ideas and ways to help move their client’s business forward.

We love crafting beautiful, smart and inspired work that is focused on a business’s goals and their circumstances.

Retainer

A monthly design retainer is the perfect way to ensure that your business has marketing materials on an on-going, monthly basis without hiring a full-time employee. These marketing materials can be anything from Instagram graphics to brochures and are each custom created with your goals in mind.

Retainers are based on 12 month contracts. MMC will advise you on how to get the best value each month and we will act in good faith to use the time efficiently. Further, we will notify you if we expect the monthly project to be especially short and recommend how we can accomplish the most together each month.

BASIC

$ 1,500

Per Month
  • 20 hours per month
  • 8% discount
  • Priority service in projects
  • 1 call per month to review project list

DELUXE

$ 2,040

Per Month
  • 40 hours per month
  • 15% discount
  • Priority service in projects
  • 2 calls per month to review project list

PREMIUM

$ 2,880/month

Per Month
  • 60 hours per month
  • 20% discount
  • Video Production
  • 2 calls per month to review project list