As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, choosing a graphic designer to create your logo and other company visuals is an excellent investment. They understand the dos and don’ts of creating an image for your company, and give you an excellent base from which to grow your brand. 

However, it’s important to remember that their professional opinion isn’t the be all and end all. It’s important you work together to properly capture what your company is trying to communicate to your customers; who let’s face it, you know better than a designer does.

In this week’s article, we’ve created a list of the 5 most important subjects to discuss with your graphic designer to ensure you’re ‘on the same page.’

1. 1.    Can I see your portfolio?

Often, people choose a graphic designer based on a recommendation from a friend who’s logo they like the look of, but it’s important to look through a selection of your designer’s work to make sure their work has the style you want for your business. Generally, designers have their own individual style, and you wouldn’t want one with a cartoon background designing a logo for your accountancy firm. Asking to see a portfolio of their previous work will give you a much better idea of what they’ll produce for you.

1. 2.    Explain SPECIFIC needs and get quote.

As with most transactions, it’s important to establish exactly what you’d like for your money. There is a lot of variation in what a design can be used for, and if you’ve not laid out explicitly what the deal includes, you could face a refusal if you require changes to the graphics at any point. Usually, a designer will charge for their time, but for a specific item like a logo they’ll usually just quote you for the individual designs, so establish first how many times they’re prepared to make alterations.

1. 3.    Tell that what you want to achieve from your graphics.

You may know exactly what you want to use your new graphics for, but you need to be sure you’ve properly communicated this to your designer, rather than leaving them to it then finding you’re both on totally different wavelengths. Take the time to sit down with your designer and tell them exactly what you’ll be using the graphics for, business cards, flyers or other users, and why you’ve decided to have them produced.

1. 4.    Check out the competition.

Once you’ve decided on the visuals you need, be they business card, a new logo or flyers, it’s important to research the kind of image the main competitors in your industry are presenting. Performing this kind of competitor research is a great tool, and it may be that you decide to present a similar image to that of your competitors, or indeed to identify a niche and adapt your image towards it, but either way, you need to know what everyone else in the industry is doing. Performing this task with your graphic designer means you’ll both understand what you’re working towards, and give them better familiarity with your industry meaning their work is more focused.

1. 5.    Set a deadline.

This is important both for yourself and for your designer. Often projects can run over as you strive to really settle on a design you love, but there’s a risk of the process turning into a saga if you don’t set a deadline and stick to it. It’s also a good help for your designer so they have a clear idea of when they need to have their final designs done by…remember, you don’t want a creative designer to be rushing their work.

All these points are designed to ensure you’re not left with a design you’re not happy with. People have a habit of settling for visuals they’re not really happy with because they don’t want to cause fuss, or they think the designer is the expert so it’s best not to argue. Remember, it’s your business, so it’s worth getting it right! If you’d like to discuss any design requirements with one of our team, we’re here at help: Call us on 01204 389269.