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by Debra
S. Valle
Fuel for your business
Developing a strong brand for your business — one that coordinates all aspects of your communications and marketing efforts
— is essential for increasing name recognition and building loyalty and long-term trust with clients and prospects.
Equally important is finding the right design partner to help you develop and maintain your brand.
A unified message
When creating your brand identity, your Web site, stationary, business cards, advertising and promotional flyers must look like they initiate from the same source. Consistency with look and feel is necessary to create lasting impressions in the minds and hearts of your clients and prospects.
Maintaining consistency, however, is sometimes more difficult than it sounds given issues of time, money and resources. One solution is to consolidate your graphic design, Web design and marketing/communications activities by working with just one qualified person (or a team headed by this individual). Having such an expert on your team, one who shares your brand philosophy and has the requisite skills, can be an effective strategy
— freeing you up to run your business.
Finding your expert
When seeking a designer to help you create your brand identity, it's important that you find someone you can respect, including
respect for his or her creative
judgment and the creative process. You will invest a lot of time, energy and money into developing
and maintaining this relationship, so it's important to do your homework up front.
For starters, ask yourself the following:
- Have you seen the designer's work and do you like it?
- Does the individual understand you, your business, and your clients?
- Does this individual offer expertise in the areas you need: graphic and Web design, Web strategy, traditional and e-marketing, e-commerce, traditional and e-communications?
- Is this individual someone you can learn from over time?
- Is the candidate customer-focused?
- Do you trust him or her?
- Is the candidate looking for a long-term relationship?
Remember also that your materials need to be compelling to your clients, not
necessarily to you — yet another reason to seek professional design assistance.
Check out Fuel cells for more
extensive guidelines to consider as you seek a designer to help create your brand identity
package.
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Fuel cells
Finding the right designer for your brand identity package
Before meeting, make sure that the designer knows you want a “work for hire”
relationship which means that, at the end of the day, you own all the rights to work for which you have paid. You should also think about what the next design project (beyond your identity package) might be. Can this firm or individual take you to the next step?
Consider the following guidelines as they relate to your design needs:
- Ask to see designer's portfolio, especially identity packages and, preferably, do this in person.
- Ask to see printed samples as well as what he/she has created for use electronically.
- Ask for pricing on the projects you are seeing. Look for a wide range.
- Ask to see a project where the client and designer were thinking outside the box. Have the designer describe the project to you.
- Ask to see the entire creative process for a project (from roughs to finish).
- Does the portfolio show a wide range of styles?
- Does the designer have experience with other businesses similar to yours?
- Ask to see samples of what the designer is working on currently.
[Note: confidentiality agreements may prevent this]
- Ask the designer to show you what he/she considers to be current styles in the marketplace and why?
- Ask how the designer presents “first drafts” of rough ideas.
- By drawing or computer rendering?
- What steps are necessary before the first rough?
- Ask the designer to describe the “process”
for the project you are asking him/her to do.
- Ask how the designer prices projects [flat fee, hourly]?
- What is the hourly rate if the work falls outside of the estimated time frame?
- Ask the designer how he/she handles printing?
- Will the designer monitor the printing process from proofs to finish?
If yes, how does he/she bill printing costs and press checks?
- Ask, “Can we create a version of my identity package for use
electronically?”
- Require electronic files of your logo
- Ask if the designer is available to take this project on in your time frame?
- If the designer represents a firm or team, ask who, specifically, will be working on your account?
- What is the size of the firm/team?
- What are the resources and capabilities available [especially for future growth of your business]?
- Ask for at least 3 references of work you are attracted to.
Then interview the references asking these questions:
- For how long have you worked with this designer? Do you enjoy
working with this person? Why?
- Does the designer produce work on time and within budget? Are you kept up-to-date on significant changes, such as modifications in delivery or price?
- Would you describe the designer's style as collaborative? Does
the designer partner in helping you grow the business?
- Are initial rough ideas distinct and different? Are they
excellent enough that it's difficult to decide which one to select?
- Does the designer have the strength of his/her convictions? Is the designer flexible when the decisions made are different from his/her recommendation?
- Describe the designer's capabilities of looking at the big picture (overall impact) as well as his/her attention to detail.
Next step: ask the designer to write a critique of your current materials.
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Fuel for your soul
Consider these words of wisdom:
“Design is a potent strategy tool that companies can use to gain a competitive advantage. It can enhance products, environments,
communications, and corporate identity.”
— Philip Kotler, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
“I believe that in a crowded marketplace DESIGN may be the most potent tool for differentiating one's products or services.”
— Tom Peters, Management Consultant
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