Thinking About Hiring a Brand Designer? Questions to Ask First
If you're thinking about hiring a brand designer, there are probably a few things you want to understand before you start.
What do you actually need? Is a logo enough? How much should you expect to pay? And how do you know whether a designer is the right fit for your business?
There isn't one answer to all of these questions. It depends on where your business is, what you're trying to achieve and how much needs to change.
Here are some of the questions I think are worth asking before you start a branding project.
What's the difference between a logo and a brand identity?
A logo is a visual identifier for your business. It's an important part of your brand, but it isn't the whole thing.
A brand identity is the wider visual system that surrounds it. That can include your logo, typography, colour palette, imagery, graphic elements and the way those elements are applied across your communications.
There's also the thinking behind those decisions. Who is the business trying to reach? What does it want to be known for? How should it come across? What makes it different from the alternatives?
The logo sits within that bigger picture. It can't do all of that work by itself.
Do I need a brand identity, or will a logo do for now?
It depends on what you need the brand to do.
If you're at the very beginning of a business and simply need a professional logo to get started, a logo project can make sense. Not every business needs a complete branding process on day one.
But if you're building a business that needs to communicate consistently across a website, social media, proposals, presentations, packaging or other customer touchpoints, a wider visual identity becomes much more useful.
The same applies to established businesses. If the brand you've been using for years no longer reflects the business you've become, the answer may be more than a new logo.
At Bullamore, I work with both startups building their brand from the ground up and established businesses that have outgrown what they started with.
What do I actually get when I hire a brand designer?
This varies considerably between designers, studios and projects, so it's worth asking exactly what's included before you commit.
A brand identity project with Bullamore starts with understanding the business, its audience, its market and what you're trying to achieve. Depending on the project, that can include brand strategy and positioning before moving into the visual identity.
The design work can then cover the logo, typography, colour, graphic elements and the wider visual system, along with practical applications and brand guidelines.
The exact deliverables depend on what the business actually needs. There's little value in producing a long list of assets simply for the sake of having them.
The aim is to give you an identity that is clear, distinctive and practical enough to use as the business develops.
How much does a brand identity cost?
There's no single price because branding projects can vary enormously in scope.
A logo-only project is obviously different from a full brand identity involving strategy, positioning, visual identity and multiple applications. The experience and approach of the designer or studio will also affect the cost.
At Bullamore, brand identity projects typically fall between £1,500 and £5,000, depending on what's involved.
The useful question isn't simply "How much does branding cost?" It's "What does this project need to achieve, and what level of work will that require?"
If you're comparing quotes, look at the process, thinking, deliverables and level of involvement rather than comparing the final numbers in isolation.
How long does a branding project take?
Again, it depends on the scope.
A full brand identity project with Bullamore will typically take around eight to twelve weeks. That gives enough time for discovery, strategy where required, creative development, feedback and refinement.
The process doesn't need to be slow for the sake of being slow. But good decisions take some consideration, and rushing from an initial conversation to a finished logo rarely helps.
Should I work with a freelancer or an agency?
Both can produce excellent work. The better question is which type of working relationship suits your project.
An agency gives you access to a team and potentially a wider range of disciplines. That can be valuable for larger or more complex projects.
An independent designer offers a different experience. At Bullamore, I lead every project personally, so you deal directly with me from the first conversation through to final delivery.
If a project needs additional skills such as photography, copywriting or web development, I can bring in trusted specialists where appropriate. But I remain responsible for the creative direction and your main point of contact.
Neither model is automatically better. It comes down to the scale of the project and how you want to work.
Do I need a rebrand or just a refresh?
This is worth establishing before you start changing anything.
A rebrand makes sense when something fundamental has changed. Your positioning may have shifted, your audience may have changed, or the identity you started with may no longer represent the business you're building.
Sometimes, though, the underlying identity is perfectly usable. The problem is simply how it's being applied.
Perhaps the website uses one version of the brand, your proposals use another and your social media has gradually developed its own look. In that situation, you may not need to start again. You may need to bring everything back into alignment.
The important thing is to understand what's actually wrong before deciding what to change.
What should I look for when hiring a brand designer?
Start with their work, but don't stop at the finished visuals.
Look for projects where you can understand the thinking behind the result. Does the work feel appropriate to each business, or does everything look as though it came from the same formula?
Look at how they work, too. A good process should involve questions about your business, audience and objectives before design begins.
Communication matters as well. Brand projects involve discussion, feedback and decisions, so you need someone you're comfortable being honest with.
I'd also look for someone willing to challenge the brief when necessary. You don't necessarily need a designer who agrees with everything you say. You need someone who understands what you're trying to achieve and can explain why they think a particular approach will help.
What if I don't know exactly what I need yet?
That's completely fine.
You don't need to arrive with a finished brief or know whether you need a logo, visual identity, brand strategy or a full rebrand.
A good starting point is simply being able to explain what's not working, what has changed, or where you want the business to go.
The job of the designer is partly to help work out what the project actually needs before deciding what to design.
That's why I prefer to start with a conversation rather than a predetermined solution.
So, is it worth hiring a brand designer?
If all you need is a logo, you may not need a full branding project.
If the business has reached a point where the way it presents itself no longer matches the quality, ambition or direction of the business, then it may be time to look at the bigger picture.
A good brand designer should help you work out which is which.
The result shouldn't simply be a collection of attractive assets. It should give your business a clearer, more considered way of presenting itself — and a visual identity you can actually use.
If you're not sure what your business needs, you can get in touch to talk it through, or look through my portfolio to see how I approach brand identity projects.
