New · Complete Graphics Retainer
Your Own Design Studio, for an Hour Every Day.
Everything we do in one monthly fee: graphic design, DTP, web design and website care, social media, copywriting and custom apps. Up to one hour of professional work every business day, Monday to Friday, on whatever your company needs most. It's the best value we have ever offered.
Prices in your currency
Limited capacity: one fixed hour a day per client
7 of 10 retainer slots are still open.
Compared with our standard hourly rate, and our standard prices already sit well below the market median, the retainer is 44 % cheaper, or 48 % cheaper with the annual contract. Need more or less work? We agree a bigger or smaller volume individually. Prices are final; MalbarDesign® is not a VAT payer.
Everything we offer
One fee, every service in our studio
For companies that have decided to handle design like professionals, and hand it to professionals. You set the priorities, we deliver.
Graphic design
Key visuals, illustration, infographics, presentations, ads and campaign graphics.
Service detailsDTP and print
Leaflets, catalogues, roll-ups, packaging, signage and print-ready files.
Service detailsLogo and brand care
Logo variants, brand guide updates, stationery and templates for your team.
Service detailsWeb design
New pages, landing pages, redesigns and banners on your React or CMS website.
Service detailsWebsite care and admin
Content updates, hosting, backups, security and performance checks.
Service detailsSocial media
Post graphics, short videos, captions and publishing on your networks.
Service detailsCopywriting, SEO and GEO
Web copy, articles, product texts and optimisation for Google and AI search.
Service detailsCustom apps
Calculators, configurators, booking tools and small internal apps, built step by step.
Service details
How it works
A designer, a web developer and a copywriter on call
- 1
Send requests any time
By e-mail, WhatsApp or a shared task list. Each request gets a short confirmation and an estimate.
- 2
One hour every business day
Monday to Friday we work up to one hour a day on your tasks, by your priorities.
- 3
Bigger jobs in steps
A website or app is split into daily steps, so you see progress every week.
- 4
Monthly overview
A short report of what was done, what's next and how many hours were used.
Retainer vs. employee
What an in-house designer really costs
An average salary usually buys average skills, and a lot more than the salary itself: employer insurance, bonuses, benefits, equipment and software. An employee is paid for eight hours a day whether there is design work or not. If your company needs about an hour of professional work a day, the retainer gives you exactly that, delivered by a whole studio instead of one person.
Monthly cost in
| Per month | Employee, €2,000 gross | Employee, €2,500 gross | Retainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | €2,000 | €2,500 | €585 |
| Employer social and health insurance (33.8 %) | €676 | €845 | included |
| Annual bonus (one extra salary a year), monthly share | €223 | €279 | included |
| Benefits (meal allowance and similar) | €130 | €130 | included |
| Workplace, hardware and software (breakdown below) | €483 | €483 | included |
| Total per month | €3,512 | €4,237 | 585€€540 with annual contract |
| Total per year | €42,144 | €50,844 | €6,480 |
| The employee costs you | 6× more | 7.2× more |
What an in-house designer needs to work
A workplace, a graphic computer and a stack of paid software
An employee needs a desk with a powerful graphic computer, a calibrated monitor, often a graphic tablet, and professional software and subscriptions: Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, CorelDRAW, Microsoft Office, stock photos, AI models and the services needed to keep up with trends in design and web. With our retainer you don't buy, renew or maintain any of it.
- Software and subscriptions, per year
- Adobe Creative Cloud Pro for teamsPhotoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro and more€1,150
- CorelDRAW Graphics Suiteannual subscription€370
- Microsoft 365Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams€150
- Stock photo subscriptionabout 40 licensed images a month€900
- AI models and design servicestext, image and video AI, upscaling, trend tools€1,200
- Fonts, plugins, mockups and web tools€400
- Hardware and workplace, amortised per year
- Graphic workstationabout €3,000, written off over 3 years€1,000
- Calibrated monitorabout €1,200, written off over 4 years€300
- Graphic tabletabout €500, written off over 4 years€125
- Desk, chair and lightingabout €1,000, written off over 5 years€200
The workplace and tools alone cost almost as much as our whole retainer, and you haven't paid a single cent of salary yet. Add the salary, insurance and bonuses and the yearly bill for one designer is many times higher.
€4,500–€6,000
A top-level designer costs more like this every month. Yes, you would have them for 8 working hours every day. The real question is whether you could keep them busy for that long, month after month.
- No recruitment, onboarding or notice periods
- No paid holiday, sick days or downtime
- A whole studio of skills instead of one person
- A tax-deductible invoice instead of payroll
Indicative model for the Czech Republic in 2026: employer social insurance 24.8 % and health insurance 9 % of the gross salary, one extra monthly salary a year as a bonus, about €130 a month in benefits, and workplace, hardware and software as itemised above (list prices excl. VAT, hardware written off over 3 to 5 years). Other currencies at the Czech National Bank rate. An employee works full-time; the retainer covers up to one hour every business day. Our invoice is a tax-deductible business expense; for your situation ask your accountant.
Before you sign
Retainer questions
What exactly does the retainer include?
Every service we offer: graphic design, DTP and print, logo and brand care, web design, website care and administration, social media, copywriting with SEO and GEO, and custom apps. You decide what we work on; we spend up to one hour every business day on your tasks.
How much does it cost and how long is the contract?
€585 a month with monthly billing, or €540 a month with an annual contract (invoiced monthly). The minimum term is 3 months. Prices are final; MalbarDesign® is not a VAT payer.
How much do I save compared with your standard rate?
The same hours cost 44 % less than at our standard hourly rate, and 48 % less with the annual contract. Our standard prices are already below the market median.
What if I need more or less work?
We agree a bigger or smaller volume individually, for example two hours a day during a launch or a lighter plan for quiet months.
Is the retainer a tax-deductible expense?
Yes. Our monthly invoice is a business expense you can deduct from your taxable income, just like other services you buy. There is no payroll, no insurance returns and no holiday or sick pay to manage. For your specific situation ask your accountant.
Why are there only 10 slots?
Each retainer client gets a fixed daily hour, so the capacity is limited. When all slots are taken, new clients go on a waiting list.
Hand your design to professionals, for an hour every day.
7 of 10 retainer slots are still open. Get in touch and we'll start with a short call about your priorities.