How long does design work take? Realistic turnaround times

“How long will this take?” is the question we're asked most, usually with the deadline already a little too close. Here are the benchmarks we work to after more than ten years and 700+ client teams. Your own team or agency will vary, but these are fair.

Typical turnaround times

• Quick requests and revisions: 24 to 48 hours. Resizes, copy changes, social graphics.
• Typical design tasks: 1 to 3 days. Ads, flyers, one-pagers, email designs, simple pitch decks.
• Revisions to complex work: up to 4 business days.
• Advanced work: about 5 business days. Brochures, longer decks, video edits, illustration.
• Complex projects: about 10 business days. Landing pages, campaign set-ups, multi-asset launches.
• Full websites: up to 30 days, depending on pages, content and integrations.

Across everything we deliver, the median turnaround is 3 days. All of these start from a complete brief, which matters more than any number on the list: 60% of the briefs we receive arrive incomplete, and every gap adds time.

Where the time actually goes

When work is late, people assume the designer was slow. It's rarely that. The copy is “coming”. The logo is in someone's inbox. Feedback arrives by email, WhatsApp and voice note, plus a “quick thought” from the CEO after round two. The work is ready on Tuesday and the person who signs off is travelling until Friday. Nobody counts those days as design time, but your launch date does.

How to set a deadline that holds

1. Start with the date the work has to be live.
2. Take off a day for final checks, uploading and scheduling.
3. Allow at least one feedback round, plus the time your approver needs to respond.
4. Take off the turnaround for the request type above.
5. What's left is when the brief needs to be in. If that date has passed, simplify the request or move the launch.

How to get work back faster

Send a complete brief once (here's a template), name one person to give feedback, and batch comments into a single round. That alone can take days off every request.

It's also why the Workspace app works the way it does. AI helps write the brief, every request moves through a four-stage tracker, and comments and approvals live in one place. If you'd like to see it, book a call.