Prepare before working with a graphic designer

If you’re reading this, it means you’ve made an important and a very good decision for your business. Hiring a professional graphic designer it’s a first step to create effective marketing materials. But – to make it really effective – you have to prepare for your meeting with a designer.  Preparation is the key to successful management of any project, and design projects are no different. The more organized your thoughts, ideas and strategies are – the clearer vision a graphic designer will have for your project. I know it’s not easy to organize all information, but a checklist is a very helpful tool for it… in design this checklist is simply called a Design Brief.

A design brief is a written document that contains all the necessary information about a company and design project, to help develop trust and understanding between the client and designer – and serve as an essential point of reference for both parties. A good design brief is a blueprint, necessary for seamless execution of a project.

Usually it’s the client who provides the brief for the designer. However, designers also can develop the design brief as the first step in the design process, but you have to be prepared to answer all the questions which it requires anyway.

Tip – When you start working with a designer who doesn’t need a design brief or don’t ask questions about your company and project details, don’t expect successful results. It’s not possible to create a good pointed logo or any marketing materials without knowing, for example, your target market.

How To Write An Effective Design Brief

Simply follow the list below and try to answer all questions. Remember to provide as much details as possible.

1. Company Profile

– What does your business / organization do?
– What is your company’s history?
– What’s the size of your company and how long have you been in business?
– What do you love about your company and what are you most proud of?
– What your customers say about you?
– Who is your competition? What do you offer that the others don’t? What makes you unique?

Tip – Never assume that the designer will know your company. He probably will do research before meeting you, but you can’t be sure what kind of information he will find and if he will have the right understanding of your business.

2. Your Goals

Good targeted design can have a big influence on the success of your company – but in order for success to be ensured, you must set a clear goals.

– What are the company goals? Why?
– What is the overall goal of the new design project?
– What are you trying to communicate?

Tip – If your goals or a project idea are not clear, then your design brief has already achieved another purpose… As you will see, the purpose of a design brief is not just writing information for a designer, not just for a single project – it will also help you to clarify your thoughts and find topics which you never thought about before, but they are important in every successful business.

3. Your Target Market

Let designer know who he is designing for. This will be essential information when choosing the style, content, colors, and message of the project. An advertisement aimed at young girls will look completely different to one designed to catch the attention of their parents.

– Detail any demographic figures about your audience that may be useful to the designer, i.e.. age, gender, income, occupation, location, important keywords, tastes, lifestyle…
– Describe your usual customer.
– What your niche market is?

Tip – If you have multiple audiences, rank them in terms of importance.

4. Message

– What message you are trying to sent to your target audience?
– What should be the “mood” of the design? Is it excitement? Sadness? Compassion?
– Gather some keywords that will help with the overall style of your design.
– Are you trying to sell more products or get awareness of your product / service?

Tip – Consult with people within your organization or with friends. The way of expressing the mood of the message may reveal remarkable differences in the way people see it. 

5. Scope of the Project

– What is the project?
– What materials do you need?
– Do you want to completely reinvent your marketing strategy or are you simply updating your promotional material?
– If you need a logo, do you want a type, an image or both?
– Do you need an entire ad campaign or new branding, what formats are needed for all of the deliverables?
– What sizes and formats are needed for print files?
– If there are social media files, which platforms do you use?
– Are there other people responsible for other pieces of this project?

Tip – Do you already have an idea of specifications for a design? That is helpful for determining the time involved in the project, and therefore the cost. If you are not sure exactly what you are looking for, graphic designer will for sure make some recommendations.

6. What copy (text) and pictures are needed?

Text and pictures are as important as the design itself.

– Clearly state who is going to provide the copy and pictures.
– Where all designs are going to be printed / used? The web, business cards, stationery, on your car?
– What other information should the designer know in regards to specifications?

Tip – You may need to look into getting a professional copywriter / photographer – ask your designer for some recommendations.

7. Design details and directions.

After all of this is set, time to prepare some details for the designer to get him on board regarding your visual style.
– If there is a design style that you like or dislike – try to explain why.
– Color
– Tone of images
– Typography
– Bring samples of magazines, websites or other media that you like, and also those that you don’t like.
– Bring samples of previous design work

Don’t worry – professional designer will not copy the ideas you send him… It’s only for the purpose of giving him an idea what do you like.

8. Deadline

Even if the work isn’t urgent, a deadline is always important for effective time management.

– What is the deadline?
– If there’s more than one design, when each of them is due?
– Information about any advertising schedule, a blog calendar or deadlines for a publications.

Tip. -If the project is more complex,  you can schedule a series of deadlines for stages of work. 

9. Budget

You might not know exact amount you want to spent on the project. You may not either have an idea how much a design should cost, or you may not want to say a number first. But you have to realize that providing even only a ball-park figure is a huge plus for you. You will save a lot of designer’s time and yours, plus you will give him a good idea of the type of solution he will be able to provide for you. He may also alter some parameters (such as timeframe or the amount of design options) to fit within the budget.
Also think about:
– Does your budget include any copywriting or photography?
– Do you need to have materials printed? If so, did you already get costs for that and have budgeted that separately?

Important: Come to the meeting with an open mind. Express your vision, but allow graphic designer to show you his ideas. If you’re meeting a professional designer, he will know what you need. You never know, maybe you will like his ideas even more. 

Looking for a design company?

Contact me:

contact@catheree.com
224-310-0968