How to prepare before hiring a brand designer.
A lot of people put off contacting a brand designer because they feel they aren’t ready. They don’t have a brief, they haven’t decided what they want, and they’re worried about saying the wrong thing.
You don’t need a finished brief. You don’t need to know whether you want a logo, a full identity or a rebrand. A good designer will help you work that out, and I’d always rather start with a conversation than a document.
That said, a little preparation makes the first conversation more useful. Here’s what I’d think about beforehand.
Be able to explain what the business does
Start with the simple version. What do you offer, who is it for, and why would someone choose you?
If you can say that in a few plain sentences, you’re well ahead of most people. If you can’t yet, that’s useful to know too. It usually means the thinking needs to come before the design.
Know what isn’t working
This is the most helpful thing you can bring. Perhaps people don’t understand what you do. Perhaps the business has outgrown its identity, or your materials don’t look as if they belong together. Perhaps you’re about to launch something and want to start properly.
It doesn’t need to be neat. “It just doesn’t feel right any more” is a perfectly good place to begin. A designer can work with that.
Think about who you’re trying to reach
Not everyone who could possibly buy from you, but the people you most want to attract. What do they care about? What would make them trust you? What are they comparing you with?
A rough idea is enough. The conversation will sharpen it.
Collect a few things you like, and a few you don’t
Examples help far more than adjectives. Words like “modern” and “professional” mean different things to different people, but a handful of brands you admire, or a couple you’d hate to resemble, tell a designer a great deal very quickly.
They don’t need to be in your industry. Often the most useful references come from somewhere else entirely. What matters is why you like them. Is it the simplicity, the warmth, the confidence? That reasoning is more valuable than the examples themselves.
Gather what you already have
If you have an existing logo, website, brochure, proposal or social profile, bring them along, even if you don’t like them. Seeing what already exists shows where the brand is inconsistent and what’s worth keeping. Sometimes something you’ve dismissed turns out to be the strongest part.
Have a rough sense of budget and timing
I know this can feel awkward, but it helps both sides. A range, even a loose one, lets the designer suggest an approach that fits instead of proposing something you can’t take on. The same goes for deadlines. If there’s a launch date, a trade show or an opening coming up, say so early.
If you don’t know what’s realistic, say that instead. It’s a fair thing to ask.
Decide who will make the decisions
Brand projects involve a lot of feedback, and they go more smoothly when it’s clear who has the final say. If several people are involved, such as business partners, a marketing team or a board, it helps to agree beforehand who will give feedback and how.
Too many voices can pull a project in different directions. One clear decision-maker, supported by input from others, usually gets the best result.
Come with questions
A first conversation should go both ways. You’re deciding whether the designer is right for you as much as they’re deciding whether they can help. Ask how they work, what the process involves, what you’ll receive and how they handle feedback.
If you’d like more to ask, my post on the questions worth asking before hiring a brand designer covers it in detail.
What you don’t need to prepare
It’s worth saying what you can leave out. You don’t need a logo sketch, a colour palette, a mood board or a name for the style you want. You don’t need the right terminology. Many of the best projects start with someone saying, “I’m not sure what I need, but I know something has to change.”
If that’s where you are, get in touch and we can talk it through.
