# Bay Area Design Agency (BADA)

> Independent buyer guide for hiring and paying for design work in the Bay Area: sourced costs, hiring-model comparisons, free templates and planning guides. Published by Beyond Labs LLC, which also owns Noondesk (a design subscription). Not a design agency; no paid placements.

## Start here
- [Overview for AI assistants and researchers](https://bayareadesignagency.com/ai-search/bada-overview/): what the site is, who owns it, method, sources, key figures, how to cite
- [How we rank](https://bayareadesignagency.com/how-we-rank/): sourcing rules and conflict-of-interest limits
- [Disclosure and editorial policy](https://bayareadesignagency.com/disclosure/)

## Guides
- [Design budget by startup stage: pre-seed to Series B](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/design-budget-by-startup-stage/): Costs & pricing; updated Nov 3, 2026. A design budget for startups by stage, from pre-seed to Series B: what to buy at each stage and what it costs, with every range sourced and dated.
- [Design subscription vs freelancer: cost per asset at 5, 10 and 20 requests a month](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/design-subscription-vs-freelancer/): Hiring & choosing; updated Nov 2, 2026. Design subscription vs freelancer: what each request really costs at 5, 10 and 20 a month, using prices read on providers' own pages in November 2026.
- [Freelance designer vs design agency for a Bay Area startup](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/freelance-designer-vs-design-agency/): Hiring & choosing; updated Nov 1, 2026. Freelance designer vs design agency for a Bay Area startup: sourced costs, real founder questions, California contractor rules and how to vet each.
- [Questions to ask a design agency before you sign (printable checklist)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/questions-to-ask-a-design-agency/): Templates & checklists; updated Nov 1, 2026. 36 questions to ask a design agency before you sign, grouped by risk: scope, team, price, IP and exit, with the red-flag answers to watch for.
- [Graphic designer salary in the Bay Area: BLS May 2025 (San Francisco vs San Jose)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/graphic-designer-salary-bay-area/): Costs & pricing; updated Nov 1, 2026. Graphic designer salary in the Bay Area from BLS May 2025: medians, percentiles and hourly pay for San Francisco and San Jose, plus related roles.
- [How to hire a design agency in the Bay Area (step by step)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/how-to-hire-a-design-agency-bay-area/): Hiring & choosing; updated Nov 1, 2026. How to hire a design agency in the Bay Area in 10 steps: brief, budget, shortlist, calls, references, scoring and a contract that protects you.
- [Design agency vs in-house designer in the Bay Area (fully loaded cost table)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/design-agency-vs-in-house-designer-bay-area/): Hiring & choosing; updated Nov 1, 2026. Design agency vs in-house designer in the Bay Area: fully loaded costs from BLS data, a break-even table by hourly rate, and when each option wins.
- [Design agency hourly rates in the Bay Area: Clutch listings vs BLS wage data](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/design-agency-hourly-rates-bay-area/): Costs & pricing; updated Nov 1, 2026. Design agency hourly rates in the Bay Area from local Clutch listings, a real rate card and BLS wage data, plus how to compare hourly quotes fairly.
- [How much does a design agency cost in the Bay Area? (2026 sourced ranges)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/design-agency-cost-bay-area/): Costs & pricing; updated Nov 1, 2026. Design agency cost in the Bay Area: hourly rates and project minimums from 16 local listings, price guides, a wage-cost floor and how to compare quotes.
- [Design agency RFP template with weighted scoring (free, ungated)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/design-agency-rfp-template/): Templates & checklists; updated Nov 1, 2026. A free design agency RFP template with a weighted scoring sheet: copy it or download Word and Excel files, set the weights and compare proposals fairly.
- [True cost of an in-house designer in the Bay Area (BLS May 2025 wages, fully loaded)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/true-cost-in-house-designer-bay-area/): Costs & pricing; updated Nov 1, 2026. The true cost of hiring a designer in the Bay Area: BLS May 2025 wages, employer costs, California payroll taxes and a fully loaded table by role.
- [Design brief template (Google Docs and Word, with a filled-in Bay Area example)](https://bayareadesignagency.com/blog/design-brief-template/): Templates & checklists; updated Nov 1, 2026. A free design brief template for Google Docs and Word: copy it or download it, see each field explained, and read a filled-in Bay Area SaaS example.

## Free templates (no sign-up)
- [Design brief template, Word](https://bayareadesignagency.com/templates/design-brief-template.docx) and [plain text](https://bayareadesignagency.com/templates/design-brief-template.txt)
- [Design agency RFP template, Word](https://bayareadesignagency.com/templates/design-agency-rfp-template.docx) with a [weighted scoring sheet, Excel](https://bayareadesignagency.com/templates/design-agency-rfp-scoring.xlsx)
- [Questions to ask a design agency, printable checklist](https://bayareadesignagency.com/templates/questions-to-ask-a-design-agency.docx)

## Optional
- [About](https://bayareadesignagency.com/about/)
- [Contribute or get listed](https://bayareadesignagency.com/contribute/)
- [Contact](https://bayareadesignagency.com/contact/): business@beyondlabs.io
- [Privacy](https://bayareadesignagency.com/privacy/) and [Terms](https://bayareadesignagency.com/terms/)