You have landed a few good clients and business seems to be taking off, now it's time to brand your business and create a logo for it! If you want to know about some significant reasons why you need to hire a professional brand designer at this stage, click here for reading a previous post I wrote about this topic.
Now begins the endless quest for the knight in shining armor a.k.a designer who can create the perfect image for your business.
For a designer, it is all about putting together pieces of a puzzle and then giving birth to a striking and distinctive brand for you.
This requires both of you to work in collaboration to fix the puzzle together and for that, you need to make the perfect choice when it comes to your designer.
There is a big pool of designers, portfolios, and design styles available online, and choosing the best one can be a challenge. Do not fret as there is definitely a smart way to go about choosing a great designer for your brand and that is by asking these 5 vital questions.
THE 5 VITAL QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BRAND DESIGNER
CLARITY OF THOUGHT - To be clear and make the best choice, you need to list out some key elements like the goal of your brand, long term objectives, budget to be allotted for this, and timeline in which you require the designs. Once a note of these elements is made and clarity of thought is attained, it is time to question your designer about their thoughts and preferences.
Every designer has their own designing style, aesthetics they use, brand philosophy, communication system, brand mission, and vision, so you need to make sure all these vibes with your company's ideology perfectly. Some questions you can ask them are:
1. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND PHILOSOPHY?
As I stated earlier every brand designer has their own brand philosophy. Some might believe that stationery is an important part of a brand while others might not agree with this.
For you as a client, it's necessary to know if the brand designer you want to hire sees things in the same way as you do.
If you are creating your brand for the first time and you are not aware of what branding is all about, ask your brand designer for clarity. You want to make sure they are able to explain their design process stages and how they will achieve the result you ultimately want.
2. IS YOUR DESIGN CUSTOM MADE?
There are tons of sites and apps that will give you a branded logo for $10 but these are so generic they will never stand out in the saturated market today. The logo you have used could be used by hundreds of other companies too.
A good designer makes sure you get a design that is unique and special. As a designer, I focus on creating custom designs by sketching the concept first and then digitizing it.
This takes a lot of creative work and I or a designer like me would not sell such a service for $10, they would make sure they create something only your business has and can flaunt! Sometimes, budget constraints are such you would like to spend only a nominal amount on your branding, in such a case going for the logos you get online works better for you.
3. HOW IS THEIR DESIGN PROCESS?
You want to make sure your designer has a streamlined design process in place. Their process needs to be organized, prepared well, and ever-ready to support you.
From the point of the client onboarding process till the final delivery of files, the designer needs to make sure the journey should be smooth.
You can take a look at my design process. The process is just explained in a nutshell but I have a full-proof system in place so that my clients are well informed. You need to check that the process keeps your needs and goals in mind.
Want to know your design superpower and what makes you unique, take the quiz now!
4. HOW MANY REVISIONS WILL THE DESIGNER DO? WHAT IS THE TURNAROUND TIME?
Revisions and turnaround time are really important when hiring a brand designer. Also, all designers HATE revisions. They cringe when they hear the words 'some changes' from their client's mouth. Most designers have a set limit of revisions they offer.
You need to discuss with your designer the number of revisions they are willing to give in the price they have quoted and also if there are any changes after that the extra charges are to be clearly communicated for those.
Your brand strategist and designer must be capable of creating an accurate timeline for the project and also tell you the turnaround time after changes are requested so that you can plan the launch of your brand without any errors. Transparency is a good business practice and if your designer communicates correct timelines and the number of revisions included, they might be a good fit for your brand.
5. WHAT PROGRAMS WILL THE DESIGNER USE? WHAT FILES WILL THEY BE GIVING YOU?
There is nothing worse than a pixelated design or photo. Your brand designer needs to give you all the relevant files so that you can use the design as per your preference. Some designers may not give you the different versions they have created, just the final result will be handed over.
A large majority of brand and graphic designers prefer working with Adobe suite, however some work on Canva too.
In most cases, it may vary from one designer to another so it is important to ask them at the beginning of the project so there are no surprises down the road.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So are you ready to get your visual brand to life? The portfolio of a designer is a good start, however, the above questions will help you gauge the best fit for your business. You need to make sure that your brand goals and the designer's thoughts are aligned well.
If you are looking for a designer, chances are this is just the beginning of your journey with them and many other design tasks may arise in the future. So, at the end of the project, you not only get a snazzy and classic design done but also build a strong relationship with your designer. This designer now understands your brand values and can deliver beautiful and stunning results in the long term.
*Images and visual assets are sourced from Unsplash, Freepik, and Pexels.
Would you like to work on your new brand identity with me? Email me on nandita.sampat21@gmail.com and I will send you my branding packages. So let's talk about how I can support you in your business!
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