10 Things to Know Before Hiring a Brand Designer
Are you thinking about hiring a designer? That is wonderful!!! You may be just launching your business, changing directions from your current one, or launching a new service. You are ready for the exciting leap, and you know a cohesive and consistent brand is the key to success.
However, it may be a bit more complicated than you think. Very often, clients collaborate with designers without really thinking through what they need. Not knowing can lead to frustration on both ends. You are frustrated because you are paying money, and your designer is frustrated because he/she can't read your mind. Trust me, most designers want to do a good job and will do a great job, only if you do your part beforehand.
To help you avoid feeling frustrated and angry, I collected 10 things you need to know before hiring a brand designer.
So without further ado, let's get to it!
10 Things to Know Before Hiring a Brand Designer:
Building a brand takes time
Be clear on your brand personality
Understand you audience
Know your competition
Gather inspiration
Set your budget and timeline
Research designer portfolios
Ask about the design process
Have face to face communication with your designer
Deadlines are important
Building a brand takes time
Much like you can't have a beach body overnight, building your brand takes time. All your preparation, design process, and execution will take weeks, so make sure you set your deadlines accordingly. I understand you want to launch yesterday, but building a brand is a long journey and not a quick weekend getaway.
Be clear on your brand personality
People love brands that show human characteristics. Why? Because they can relate to them better than some clinically made product that seems distant. Are you happy, playful, and fun, or are you serious, knowledgeable, and exclusive? Be sure of the values you want people to see in your brand, along with your message and tone of voice.
Understand you audience
It can be challenging to separate your taste from your audience's, especially if you are a small business owner. However, it is crucial to know your target audience from the inside out. What are they having difficulties at the moment? What kind of hopes and dreams do they have? What other brands do they buy? What are their main concerns, and which problems are you solving for them? Your brand needs to communicate with your ideal customer at all times.
Know your competition
You won't stand out by copying what your competition is doing. However, understanding what the competition does and doesn't do right can give you a tremendous advantage. By emphasizing these things in your messaging will set you apart and help your brand grow quicker.
Gather inspiration
Creating a Pinterest board of inspirations will help you figure out what you need to look for in a designer. It doesn't have to be exact. After all, this is why you are collaborating with a designer. You only need a general direction to narrow down the possibilities and help the process move quickly and swiftly by putting everyone on the same page. You probably have heard the expression, "A picture can tell a thousand words."
Set your budget and timeline
As much as you want to hire the best designer in the world, you probably don't have a billion-dollar budget for your project. Although you are not a millionaire (yet), you don't need to hire the cheapest option on the market either. Save up to make sure you can invest in the right person.
Some designers are booked out months in advance, so it is wise to talk about the timelines before starting a project and paying your deposit.
Research designer portfolios
Do you hire the first person who replies to your job ad on Indeed before having an interview? Hell, no!!! So why would you want to hire a brand designer without looking at his/her work? The easiest way to know if the designer can do the job right for you is by looking at previous work.
Ask about the design process
Asking about the design process doesn't only give you a chance to see behind the scene works but also tells you if the designer you are about to hire knows what he/she does. All professional designers have one, and they are happy to share it with you since their value is coming from the way they work. So go ahead and ask about it!
Have face to face communication with your designer
You trust more in people you know, right? But how do you get to know a total stranger from the internet? By having a face-to-face call. Use Zoom, Skype, Google Meets, or any other platform to have an initial discovery discussion to see if you are a good fit. It doesn't only help you see if the person on the other end is trustworthy but allows you to develop a much deeper relationship over time. Personal calls also encourage your designer to do the best work for you because he/she can attach a face to the project.
Deadlines are important
Deadlines are crucial in branding projects. However, meeting deadlines is always on both parties. You cannot expect your designer to finish your work on time if you disregarded your timeline on giving feedback. Be a good client and do your due diligence by communicating with your designer in a way you expect them to respond to you.
I hope keeping these tips in mind will save you headaches and frustration and allows you to have the great and exciting experience that building a brand should be.
Do you need help with taking your brand to the next level?
