Understanding Turnaround Time & Design Output in Unlimited Graphic Design Services

TL;DR

• Turnaround time and design output are not the same thing in unlimited graphic design services.
• Turnaround time measures how quickly a first draft is delivered, while design output reflects the total volume of work completed over time.
• Time to understand the difference and the significance of both when outsourcing design.

Have you ever worked with an unlimited design service? Or perhaps considered one for your brand? Then you’ve probably heard the term “turnaround time” more than once. It’s one of the main factors businesses compare when choosing an unlimited design service. 

But the truth is, turnaround time alone doesn’t tell the full story. It doesn’t reveal a realistic estimate of the design output. Hence, it’s not the only parameter you need to know to understand the true ROI of your design subscription. So, what are these other factors that come into the picture?

In this blog, we’re breaking it all down. In a few minutes, you’ll understand what turnaround times really mean when you are working with an unlimited design service and which factors work together with it to determine how much work you can realistically get done each month. 

Ready to crack the code of unlimited design turnaround times? Let’s get started! 

The Basics: Turnaround Time vs Design Output 

When choosing unlimited design services, most businesses see figures like 1-2 days and assume they get roughly 1 design in 2 days, meaning 2-3 designs a week. However, that’s not a realistic measure as there are several other attributes that determine how many of your designs will be delivered to you each week. 

Turnaround time

So, what is “turnaround time” in unlimited design? In the context of an unlimited design service, turnaround time refers to the window between the moment you submit your design request and the moment your design team delivers the first draft of your design. 

What unlimited design services offer the fastest turnaround times? KIMP offers a 24-hour turnaround for most simple design requests and there are a few other services that provide same-day delivery and 24-hour delivery with higher-priced plans. These are some of the fastest turnaround times in the segment, without compromising on the quality of design.

A few things to remember: 

• Turnaround time is per task and the exact time depends on the complexity of the task. 
• It usually applies to the initial delivery, not the final approved design. 

In short, turnaround times are about the speed at which your design tasks are executed. For instance, KIMP’s fast turnaround time is one of the factors customers love about us. 

Here’s what a client has to say about KIMP’s turnaround time: 

“The experience with the Kimp team has been nothing short of amazing!! The turnaround times are great and even when revisions are need they handle them in a timely manner. The design and video work has been great. I wish I had know about the Kimp Team years ago.” – Jay Wiggs

Design output 

What does design output refer to? Design output in unlimited design is about volume. It refers to how many design tasks can be completed over a given period, usually per month. In other words, this is the term that helps you understand what the “unlimited” label in an unlimited service actually gives you! 

Unlike turnaround time, design output is not a fixed promise. As you can see, turnaround times are more or less the same with most unlimited design services. But the design output differs. To understand why design output varies so much between services, you need to look at the other factors that work alongside turnaround time. 

Beyond Turnaround Time: Factors That Affect Design Output in Unlimited Design 

With turnaround time setting the expectation for speed, it’s time to determine how much work you can complete with the monthly subscription fee you pay. This is what helps you compare two or more services that might look almost similar on paper. 

Let’s break down the most important factors that influence the design output with the chosen unlimited design service. 

• Number of active requests 
• Sequential vs. parallel workflow 
• Task complexity and scope 
• Revision cycle and feedback process 
• Designer allocation strategies 
• Daily work hours per account 
• Time zone and working hours 

1. Number of active requests 

Active requests are the single biggest factor influencing design output besides turnaround times. An active request is a task that a designer is currently working on. While all unlimited design services allow you to submit unlimited requests, only a limited number can be active at the same time.

In simple words:

• One active request means that your designer will be working on a single task at a time, whether it is a fresh request or a revision.
• Multiple active requests mean your design team will be working on multiple requests at any given time and not in a sequential manner. 

Naturally, multiple active requests mean a significantly larger design output volume. 

For instance, KIMP supports 3 active requests with the KIMP Graphics plan, 2 with the KIMP Video plan and 5 with the KIMP Graphics + Video plan. This means that when you add your requests, your dedicated design team will pick 3 requests and start working on them with the KIMP Graphics plan and so on. 

Watch the video here to understand how to add and track requests on your KIMP360 dashboard: 

Summing up, even with super-fast turnaround times if there is only one active request supported, it greatly affects how much work can be completed in a month. Multiple active requests unlock higher output by allowing designers to work on more than one task at a time. This can be handy, especially when your design workload increases. 

For example, here’s a review from one of our clients highlighting the advantage of increased design output, thanks to the multiple active requests supported in our plans.

“This service is great! We got up to 3 designs per day, which they kept up with. They are very communicative…”  – Iron Ghost Media 

2. Sequential vs. parallel workflow 

Closely tied to active requests is how your requests are followed. Some unlimited design services have a strict “queue-based” workflow. The idea is simple. The designer works based on the queue. One task must be completed before the next one begins. If the service lets you rearrange priorities, you can move tasks up or down in the queue depending on which designs you want sooner. 

So, if you need a revision on the design you’ve received, the current queue will be on hold until the revision is completed. 

However, some unlimited design services follow a parallel workflow where multiple design requests are worked on simultaneously and the completion of one task does not affect the delivery of another. 

You get these perks with your KIMP subscription as well. For instance, when we say your design team will work on 5 active requests in the KIMP Graphics + Video plan, this includes 3 graphic design requests and 2 motion graphics requests at any given time. The workflows are parallel and do not affect each other. This means that if your graphic design requests increase suddenly, that will not affect your video design workflow and vice versa. 

3. Task complexity and scope 

As you know, not all design requests are straightforward. Even the most experienced designers might take different times to complete a custom illustration or a 15-page presentation or an advanced infographic than they would take for simpler designs like flyers, posters or even social media posts. 

The amount of effort required varies from one type of design to another and this influences the turnaround time as well. The turnaround time estimate you see with your chosen subscription is often the time it takes for an average design request. Complicated requests take slightly longer and your designer or design team will be able to give you an estimate once they have seen and understood your request. 

For instance, with KIMP, on average you’ll receive most graphic designs and revisions within 24 hours (for designs like social media posts, web banners, etc.) with the KIMP Graphics plan. Or one 30-60 second animated video every 24 hours and one 10-minute video edit every 2-4 business days, with the KIMP Video plan.

You’ll see a timer running on your active tasks on your KIMP360 dashboard. This tells you the time left until the respective task is completed. This time is a realistic estimate given based on the complexity of your design request. 

4. Revision cycle and feedback process 

Turnaround time only tells you the time taken until the design team delivers the first version to you. So, the time until the final version depends on the type and number of revisions you require. Also, the revision submission process matters. 

Do you submit your revision requests through email? Do you need additional resources to explain your revision requests? 

Some unlimited design services like KIMP, allow you to submit revisions through convenient feedback tools. 

For example, the feedback tool on KIMP360 lets you draw directly on your designs to leave a comment. This lets you point and comment or draw on your design to accurately highlight the changes you require. 

Simpler and more efficient design feedback tools like these ensure that you can clearly communicate the intended changes to your designer, thus reducing the back-and-forth communication most revision requests require. Hence, this reduces the overall time it takes to get the final version of any design. 

Here’s what a client has to say about KIMP’s timeliness in delivering designs and revisions: 

“They are a very co-operative team to work with, and talented when it comes to designing. They return most designs within a 24 hour turnaround and are responsive to feedback and making revisions. Great service!” – Hajra Jafri

5. Designer allocation strategies 

Some unlimited design services work with a shared pool of designers. A suitable designer from the talent pool is assigned based on the request you submit. The time taken to assign a designer to the time it takes for the assigned designer to understand your brand and your requirements adds up to the time taken to complete your task. 

However, with dedicated designers or design teams (like the team you get with a KIMP subscription), the same designer or team of designers works on all your tasks. This can significantly reduce the overall time by eliminating the onboarding lag for every new request.

When designers are already familiar with your brand:

• Briefs require less explanation
• Fewer clarification cycles are needed
• Revisions are faster and more accurate
• Output becomes more predictable

At KIMP, your dedicated team (3 designers and a Project Manager) becomes an extension of your brand. As they learn your aesthetic and preferences, the “first-draft accuracy” improves, leading to fewer revisions and a much faster transition from “Request” to “Approved” in the long run. 

Our clients feel that way too: 

“We have been using Kimp.io for several months. We couldn’t be more pleased. Having a dedicated team gives us consistency in design as well as an understanding of our project needs and design.” – Bill Reynolds

6. Daily work hours per account 

Not all unlimited design services define the daily work hours allotted to your requests each day. So, if this is a detail you cannot find on the chosen service’s website, it is something you need to clarify with the team before you pay for the subscription. 

For example, with KIMP, your dedicated design team will allot 2-2.5 hours each working day to work on your requests. 

Some unlimited design services have plans whose prices depend entirely on the number of daily hours you require from your design team. Some even allow you to rollover daily hours so you can carry them forward during those times when you do not have many designs to work on. 

In such cases, adding daily work hours means increasing the design output every month. But remember, this does not always affect the number of active requests. 

However, with KIMP, when you need to increase your design output during those busy seasons, like a product launch or for your holiday marketing, you can add more subscriptions. This doubles your daily hours as well as your active requests thus drastically increasing your design output over time. 

For example, here’s what one of our clients had to say about the ease of stacking subscriptions with KIMP: 

“Other than the great quality design and communication from our dedicated team, I really like that I can pause, add on to, or stack the unlimited graphic design subscription with another for more output or unlimited video editing, as I need or don’t need. Very straightforward product and pricing.” – Sarah

So, yes, daily hours and the procedure to increase your active requests are definitely points to discuss with the chosen service. 

7. Time zone and working hours 

This is one of those less-evident factors that actually impact the design output more than you think. 

When designers work in a totally different time zone, it can be a bottleneck. A request submitted at the end of your business day may not be seen until the next working window. Feedback shared a few hours late can push revisions to the following day. Over time, these gaps add up and slow overall output. 

In short, time zone alignment affects:

• How quickly a request is picked up
• Whether revisions can be handled on the same day
• How many feedback cycles fit into a week

When collaborating with unlimited design services like KIMP, where designers are assigned as close to your time zone as possible, to ensure maximum time zone overlap: 

• Clarifications happen faster
• Revisions move without unwanted delays 
• Multiple iterations can happen within a single day

Estimating Monthly Output in Unlimited Design Subscriptions

Now that we’ve covered the factors that influence turnaround time and design output, let’s answer the question most businesses actually care about – how much design work can you actually expect in a month? Take all the above discussed factors into consideration to arrive at a rough estimate. 

Let’s walk through this using the KIMP Graphics subscription as an example:

• You can have 3 active requests at a time
• Most standard design tasks are delivered within 24 hours
• Your dedicated design team works 2-2.5 hours per day on your account
• Requests are handled in parallel, not sequentially

Taking revisions and other factors into account, this can translate to about 30-50 simple to moderately complex designs a month. 

(This is just a rough estimate, and the actual count might vary depending on the nature of your request. You might get a clearer picture of what to expect each month once you start working with your dedicated design team.)

When the complexity of your tasks increases, there might be more time invested in that request, but given the multiple-active-requests structure, your progress does not slow down. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Turnaround Time in Dedicated Design

Turnaround Time is Just the Starting Point

Summing up, turnaround time is only one piece of the puzzle. What is truly “unlimited” with respect to “unlimited design services” is the number of design requests you can place each month. The output really depends on a combination of nuances like active requests, workflow, daily work hours, designer allocation strategy, and the time zone in which your designers are located. 

When all these elements are aligned, you don’t just get fast designs. You get consistent output, predictable timelines, and a design workflow that actually scales with your business. This is why KIMP’s plans are built around real-world output, not theoretical promises. The result is a design partnership that delivers speed, volume, and reliability month after month.

If you’re evaluating unlimited design services and want to see how this structure works in practice, the best way to judge is through experience. KIMP offers a 7-day free trial, giving you access to the platform and your dedicated design team. 

Start your free 7-day trial today and experience what realistic turnaround times and design output actually look like with unlimited design services!