Briefing a graphic designer – get the best value for money and service by following our guide.
You want a new logo, website, brochure, leaflet or business card to be designed and you know what you want to say, but you haven’t the first clue about how to design it. So, you call in the services of a reputable graphic designer to help you to realise your vision. How do you effectively communicate your needs to ensure that you get value for money and the best service?
Get creative
Most good graphic designers will present clients with a creative brief sheet in order to find out, in detail, the exact requirements. If yours doesn’t, follow our simple steps and you’ll get the best value for money with the most effective result.
About your business
When briefing a graphic designer it’s useful to tell them a little bit about your business: what products or services do you provide? Who are your customers? What are your future goals? Writing down two or three sentences about your business will give a designer a good basic understanding of what you do and who you do it for. This can help them to find out more about where you fit in your industry.
Target audience
Be as specific as possible. Whose attention are you trying to grab? Is your campaign aimed at a family market? Over 50s? Students? The business community? Information about your audience can give a graphic designer the heads up on content and more importantly design. Although your brand may have an overarching corporate look and feel, different audiences will require different approaches.
Stylistic preferences
Although we mentioned corporate branding and audience above, you may have an idea about how you want the finished article to look. Do you want something bold? Are you after something more discreet? Being as detailed as possible at this stage, and with this question, can save time and money. If a graphic designer has clear instructions on ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ you’re less likely to be presented with draft designs that are way off the mark in terms of what you envisaged.
Tell them what you don’t like
It will pay dividends in cost savings if you’re clear from the outset about what you don’t like. If you fail to give a graphic designer this information they may present you with options that you really don’t like. Being honest from the start can ensure that the illustrative style that you hate or the typeface that gives you a headache won’t be used in your designs.
Example images
It’s a great idea to use something like Pinterest to gather images that you like. You can share a mood board with the graphic designer, which will give them an instant idea of what you require – and save, as above, on time spent barking up the wrong design tree.
Anything else?
If there is anything else, no matter how insignificant it may seem, tell your designer. The more information you give them the better, and the further your money will go!
Contact us with any graphic design queries you may have. We’ll pop over to see you, bring along a creative brief to go through and provide you with a competitive quote.
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