Finding Your Design Expert

Developing a strong brand for your business —one that coordinates all aspects of your communications and marketing efforts — is essential for increasing name recognition and building loyalty and long-term trust with clients and prospects. Equally important is finding the right design partner to help you develop and maintain your brand.

A unified message

When creating your brand identity, your Web site, stationary, business cards, advertising and promotional flyers must look like they initiate from the same source. Consistency with look and feel is necessary to create lasting impressions in the minds
and hearts of your clients and prospects.

Maintaining consistency, however, is sometimes more difficult than it sounds given issues of time, money and resources. One solution is to consolidate your graphic design, Web design and arketing/communications activities by working with just one qualified person (or a team headed by this individual). Having such an expert on your team, one who shares your brand philosophy and has the requisite skills, can be an
effective strategy — freeing you up to run your business.

Finding your expert

When seeking a designer to help you create your brand identity, its important that you find someone you can respect, including respect for his or her creative
judgment and the creative process. You will invest a lot of time, energy and money into developing and maintaining this relationship, so its important to do your homework up front.

For starters, ask yourself the following:

· Have you seen the designers work and do you like it?
· Does the individual understand you, your business, and
your clients?
· Does this individual offer expertise in the areas
you need: graphic and Web design, Web strategy, traditional
and e-marketing, e-commerce, traditional and e-communications?
· Is this individual someone you can learn from over time?
· Is the candidate customer-focused?
· Do you trust him or her?
· Is the candidate looking for a long-term relationship?

Remember also that your materials need to be compelling to your clients, not necessarily to you — yet another reason to seek professional design assistance.

Finding the right designer for your brand identity package

Before meeting, make sure that the designer knows you want a “work for hire” relationship which means that, at the end of the day, you own all the rights to work
for which you have paid. You should also think about what the next design project (beyond your identity package) might be. Can this firm or individual take you to the next step?

Consider the following guidelines as they relate to your design needs:

· Ask to see designers portfolio, especially identity
packages and, preferably, do this in person.
· Ask to see printed samples as well as what he/she
has created for use electronically.
· Ask for pricing on the projects you are seeing.
Look for a wide range.
· Ask to see a project where the client and designer
were thinking outside the box. Have the designer describe
the project to you.
· Ask to see the entire creative process for a project
(from roughs to finish).
· Does the portfolio show a wide range of styles?
· Does the designer have experience with other businesses
similar to yours?
· Ask to see samples of what the designer is working on
currently. [Note: confidentiality agreements may prevent this]
· Ask the designer to show you what he/she considers to be
current styles in the marketplace and why?
· Ask how the designer presents “first drafts” of
rough ideas.
· By drawing or computer rendering?
· What steps are necessary before the first rough?
· Ask the designer to describe the “process” for the
project you are asking him/her to do.

· Ask how the designer prices projects [flat fee, hourly]?
· What is the hourly rate if the work falls outside of
the estimated time frame?
· Ask the designer how he/she handles printing?
· Will the designer monitor the printing process from
proofs to finish? If yes, how does he/she bill printing
costs and press checks?
· Ask, “Can we create a version of my identity package
for use electronically?”
· Require electronic files of your logo
· Ask if the designer is available to take this project
on in your time frame?
If the designer represents a firm or team, ask who,
specifically, will be working on your account?
· What is the size of the firm/team?
· What are the resources and capabilities available
[especially for future growth of your business]?
· Ask for at least 3 references of work you are attracted
to. Then interview the references asking these questions:
· For how long have you worked with this designer? Do you
enjoy working with this person? Why?
· Does the designer produce work on time and within budget?
Are you kept up-to-date on significant changes, such as
modifications in delivery or price?
· Would you describe the designers style as collaborative?
Does the designer partner in helping you grow the business?
· Are initial rough ideas distinct and different? Are they
excellent enough that its difficult to decide which one
to select?
· Does the designer have the strength of his/her
convictions? Is the designer flexible when the decisions
made are different from his/her recommendation?
· Describe the designers capabilities of looking at the
big picture (overall impact) as well as his/her attention
to detail.
· Next step: ask the designer to write a critique of your
current materials.

Consider these words of wisdom:

“Design is a potent strategy tool that companies can use to gain a competitive advantage. It can enhance products, environments, communications, and corporate
identity.” — Philip Kotler, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University

“I believe that in a crowded marketplace DESIGN may be the most potent tool for differentiating ones products or services.” — Tom Peters, Management
Consultant

Related resources

A Clients Guide to Design Check out this great resource on the American
Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) Web site.

Glossary of Web and graphic design terms Discover what your designer is talking about with this handy glossary of both common and hard-to-find terms related to graphic and Web design.

The Non-Designers Design Book
The Non-Designers Design Book - Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice, by Robin Williams and Carol Quandt, outlines the essentials of page layout and is an outstanding primer on design principles for people with little or no design
background.

The Non-Designers Web Book
The Non-Designers Web Book by Robin Williams and John Tollett explains what the Web is, how it gets to your computer, how to use it, and, most of all, how to design for it.

The Study of Design
At the Study of Design Web site you will find useful articles and check lists on how to create a successful logo and how to establish a creative brief before you begin work with your designer.

About the author.

This article was originally published in “fuel." the newsletter of marketingu.net. marketingu.net Debra Valle is the founder and president of Marketing U, a virtual university and resource center providing emerging businesses a supportive environment to incubate, create, and transform ideas and dreams into opportunities. Debra’s background includes an eighteen-year career as a marketing and advertising executive with Fortune 500 companies. Working in both corporate and agency environments, she was responsible for brand positioning, strategic planning, advertising and direct marketing for companies as diverse as Michigan Opera, Chrysler and Nestle.

designexpert@sendfree.com
http://www.marketingu.net