We receive at least a dozen emails and phone calls each week asking how much it will cost to develop an interactive CD-ROM, DVD or a website. In every case, our answer begins with the question... What do you want your project to accomplish?

If you don't know what your web site needs to do in order for you to consider it a success — what your visitors need and want to get from your site — then you probably aren't ready to atart the project!

After all, would you get started building a new home without knowing how many bedrooms you needed? Or even how large the house needs to be?

The same goes for an interactive CD-ROM or a DVD. If you don't know what it is suppose to accomplish or who your end audience really is, or what is going to be on the disc, you are never going to be satisfied with the results you get. You need to know the audience you are trying to reach, what messages you need to get convey to them, what information about your company or products they want to know about... and lots more. And we can hep you with that too!

The Merlin Media Philosophy
We strongly believe that each project, whether a simple slideshow delivered on a floppy diskette, or a complex interactive CD-ROM, high-quality video DVD or an Internet web site deserves to be created to the client's real needs. That means that we can't just toss out approximate costs without knowing the answers to some fundamental questions.

We have developed a series of templates for potential clients to fill out... a "project specification" which lets you provide the right information to allow us to bid both the time and cost of your project. We have one for websites and another for CD-DVD projects (PDF files).

We won't leave you in the lurch! We believe that it is unfair to our clients to tell them that we can only do part of their work, or that once the site is finished, they are on their own. We can provide everything you need for your web site or other multimedia project, from design to custom graphics to programming to posting your site to your choice of service provider or getting your CD or DVD produced in quantity.

For web sites, we can arrange low-cost hosting with appropriate service providing companies. We also provide the services necessary to list your site with the major search engines and can help you find ways to advertise your site. Plus, once the site is up, we can provide ongoing maintenance and update services!

For CD and DVD projects, we can take your project all the way from development and mastering of a replicatable 1-off master disc through the complete production, labeling and packaging process. Whatever suits your needs.

But, you will have to do some things, too.

Any project can only be as good as the client is willing to make it. As we stated above, you need to know who you want to reach, what the project must accomplish, how you want it to look, what materials you have that can be used and what will need to be developed by us or others, etc.

Merlin Media can help you understand how to answer each of these questions, but ultimately it is up to you to tell us what we can do for you. Sure, we can make educated guesses; we can tell you what has and has not worked for other clients, even what we see as trends, but we can't make something from nothing.

Give us as much information as you have about your project, and we can work with you to determine what else might be needed to make your project a success.

The 'Build Me A House' Metaphor
When asked for a price, we frequently come back with our 'build me a house' metaphor. Here is what we mean...

Five ways we make Merlin Media an easier choice for you:

1) We offer a complete range of services

Whether your needs are for a company to assemble your project from materials you provide or you need someone to create everything for you, Merlin Media is the choice to make. If your project requires custom graphics, we have a group of artists to choose from, depending on the style, look and feel you desire. The same goes for programming services. Your project may require custom coding; we have access to some of the brightest programmers available. We also offer authoring and editorial services, icon and logo development and more.

2) We have the track record and experience

Your project will be managed by one of our award-winning web site or interactive multimedia professionals. No matter what size or what complexity, your project won't be shuffled off to the "B" team. We have been creating Internet and intranet sites for more than three years--since about the time the Internet became more than a text-only tool for higher education.

We have developed sites for dozens of companies ranging in size from small 3-4 employees to international companies with thousands of employees.

3) We are proud of the work we have created

Wherever possible, the sites we've created are here and accessible for you to look at; study for content; compare for style. We're proud of the work we do and the sites we create, and they act as a virtual portfolio for you to peruse. Of course, some of our work is for secured sites where only authorized individuals have access.

4) We let you see what we are doing for you

During a project, we let you see what we are doing. For web sites, this includes placing your site on our in-house server so you can see how we are progressing. Only you have the access info to your site. Our high-speed connection to the Internet lets you see just what the rest of the world will see once your site in complete.

For interactive multimedia projects, we provide periodic check discs. Also, we can place any special custom graphics up on a private web page for your instant check and approval. No matter the project type, we feel that you have the right to see what we are doing for you.

5) We provide support after the initial development

Many of our clients are surprised that we offer a complete line of after-the-project support. We don't know why. We believe that if we create a CD-ROM or a web site, we absolutely must offer update and maintenance services, and at reasonable rates.