Finding treasures in Digi Design Resort

Q:: Your website is called Digi Design Resort, a very inviting page but the name is rather unusual and unique. Why did you use the term resort in your store name?
Monja::
We thought about a place where one would like to go to, where everything is clear and simple and not overloaded with impressions and where one would feel well. We immediately thought of a wellness resort and so the idea came with the resort as a place one would like to go to.

Q:: Is that also the philosophy behind the store?
Monja::
Actually the philosophy is to keep everything as simple as possible. Most of all the: “Terms of use,” which are often ardently debated. Every designer seems to have different terms of use and we try to keep everything as simple as possible, in order to provide the customer as much as possible freedom to use the graphics.

Q:: Is there something in your store you would say you have specialized in?
Monja::
No, we have not specialized in anything. The opposite. I accept every designer with her own personality or mentality who has found her own style, and most of all who is also willing to be different from others. We are not as streamlined but try to offer as much as possible choice. So that you have a wide range of choices, not only for commercial use but also for personal use, a good mix of both.

Q:: Tell us about your collaboration kits. How often do you do that and how much work is involved each time?
Monja::
Well, we have a very active and beautiful team. We have a designer area within our forum and talk to each other every single day. There are always new threads and we speak about one another. Every month there is a collaboration kit and a commercial use grab bag, meaning we have two projects every month. It is quite a big effort, but it is worth it, because of the fun we have with it.

Q:: And the commercial grab bag, can it be used for personal use as well?
Monja::
Of course! Everyone can use it for everything.

Q:: So this grab bag is simply an extended license?
Monja::
Exactly, simply for a customer to try it out. Designers who have registered for the commercial grab bag simply contribute a commercial usable product and so customers can try out what we offer, always everything with a high quality. We do this for some time now and the grab bag is very popular. With the grab bag customers can see for a rather little price what a designer has to offer.

Q:: How long has the Digital Design Resort been online?
Monja::
The resort is online since August 1, 2008.

Q:: Is your experience so far positive? How would you see the store at this moment?
Monja::
Actually we are very lucky so far. Especially now in this economically so difficult times, we would have thought that the site would not grow as fast as it did. But we are lucky to have a good team, that works a lot together and advertise a lot. I think that is also a reason why we could grow so fast and can already look back on a rather big customer base.

Q:: What is different in your store from others? How would you describe this? What are the main reasons why you could grow faster than anticipated?
Monja::
I think one reason is that we made customer satisfaction a top priority and therefore reply to any request within a day, most of the time even within hours. Another reason is definitely the easy accessibility of our terms of use, designers who are very approachable and as little as possible restriction for the customer. I think customers want a kit and want to be able to use it as much as possible. Maybe they do not only want to create a layout but also a blog design for example, or scrap something for others. And if you find out that you are not able to do this or that than customers simply do not buy.

Q:: How many designers are currently with Digi Design Resort?
Monja::
We are almost thirty designers now, but I have to say this always changes. Sometimes we have an official designer call and I review every application myself. Everyone receives a reply, be it positive or negative, which explains why the number of designers often fluctuates. I always check whether someone fits in our current team and whether an applicant is willing to actively contribute to the team efforts. The experience simply shows that inactive designers sell less than their very active counterparts. This is the reason why it is so important to have an active team that has fun to contribute and participate.