We all know that feeling when we spend money on something and end up disliking it. I want to save you the time, money, and frustration of hiring someone to work on your brand and getting bad results.
In this article, I will share the six things you MUST KNOW before you hire a brand designer.
Let’s get into it!
6 questions to ask before you hire a brand designer
When you’re bringing on someone to work on your brand, whether you’re building a brand from scratch or rebranding, you may not know what you’re getting into. I have so many people come saying things like, “What if I get a logo I don’t like? What if I spend money on this and I don’t like the outcome?”
It happens all of the time. It’s not easy, especially if you’ve never done this before, to know who is a good fit for you. We’re going over who you should hire, how to find them, how to qualify them, and the questions you should ask so that you can bring someone on, knowing you’ll love the results!
1. What is their process?
There’s a difference between someone who makes logos and a strategic brand designer. Are they just going to draw something up for you or are they actually going to learn about your business? Are they taking the time to research, try to understand what your brand is all about, and try to understand your customers? How are they going about this?
Remember, a lot of people can make something pretty, but not everyone can make something that benefits your business, drives your business forward, and aligns with your goals.
So, you want someone strategic, but you also want to know the process will work. Before you hire a brand designer, you should ask them:
- How do you start?
- Do we talk first?
- Do you make a mood board?
- How do you find out what direction I want to go in with my brand?
These are essential things to ask so that you feel confident in the process and understand that they’re doing their due diligence to make sure they know you and produce something you’re stoked about.
2. What’s the timeline?
Branding projects can take a while to get good results. You want to know upfront: How long is this going to take?
Typically, my Bring-It-To-Life Brand Design package takes about six weeks. It can go even longer if there are more deliverables like web or something like that. Some brands work on their brand identity for months, if not years. So, you want to know:
- How long is this going to take me?
- And how is it gonna work?
- Are we going to have weekly check-ins? (that’s something I do with my clients)
- Or am I just not going to hear from you for several weeks?
- What is the timeline like?
- And how are we going to check in with each other?
3. What deliverables are included?
Often, people will hire someone to create a logo for them, and sure, they end up with a logo image, but that’s not enough. They don’t get the assets incorporating all the different versions they may need, like a black and white version, a high-resolution version, or a version with a transparent background. I see this all the time.
When consulting with a designer, you want to know exactly what assets you’ll be receiving:
- Am I going to get all of the different files and versions?
- What files will I get?
- Am I going to get the design files so I or someone else can modify them in the future?
- Am I going to get brand guidelines?
These are super important questions because not every designer will give you a whole assets package, especially the ones on the lower price point. Not to mention brand guidelines.
Brand guidelines are extremely valuable. Are they going to give you just logos and colors, or will they provide you with a document that tells you what all of the details are and how to use them in the future? I always recommend that you include brand guidelines in your project or make sure that you’re getting them because they are literally the guidelines for using this branding you’ve invested in. Without them – what’s the point?
4. How many revisions do you get?
This question is crucial because the revisions are the number of rounds of design you get, which is instrumental in determining if you get something you actually like.
With my clients, I do two sets of revisions, meaning they get three rounds in total. I show them the first one, then revise it, the second one, then revise that, and then hopefully the third one is the final output. I’ve never had an instance where it took more than three, but if it did, I would work that out because I want my clients to be happy!
You need to know these things upfront because that’s a big concern going into one of these projects, investing your time and money.
- How do I know I’m going to get something that I like at the end of it?
- What is the designer going to do to ensure that I have a positive outcome?
- So, make sure you know, upfront, how many rounds of revisions you’re getting.
4. How many revisions do you get?
This question is crucial because the revisions are the number of rounds of design you get, which is instrumental in determining if you get something you actually like.
With my clients, I do two sets of revisions, meaning they get three rounds in total. I show them the first one, then revise it, the second one, then revise that, and then hopefully the third one is the final output. I’ve never had an instance where it took more than three, but if it did, I would work that out because I want my clients to be happy!
You need to know these things upfront because that’s a big concern going into one of these projects, investing your time and money.
- How do I know I’m going to get something that I like at the end of it?
- What is the designer going to do to ensure that I have a positive outcome?
- So, make sure you know, upfront, how many rounds of revisions you’re getting.
5. How much does it cost?
This is pretty straightforward, but obviously, you want to know the cost of everything you’re getting into and how you can afford it. Before you hire a brand designer, make sure you know:
- Are there payment plans?
- Is it a one-time payment?
- Is it 50% upfront, 50% at the end?
- How does this work and what is the final cost that goes along with what is included?
For more on this, check out my article How Much Does Branding Cost?
6. What does their work look like?
This. Is. So. Important. You want to work with someone whose work you really like. Some designers have a pretty strong aesthetic or style. Some are versatile and can go across the board. You want to know what you’re getting yourself into, just like if you’re going to get a tattoo, you want to make sure the tattoo artist can do your style.
Take a look at their work and see if there are examples of stuff they have done that fit your vibe. That way, you can feel confident that they’ll understand the style you’re going for and that they’ll be able to create something you’ll love.
You don’t have to see a direct example or even something from your industry; just make sure that you like their work!
That was a quick ride through all the questions you should ask and everything you should know before you hire a brand designer to build or rebuild your brand. That way, you can approach the process with confidence and knowing exactly what you’re getting into, so you don’t end up looking at your logo like, “Ugh, I wish I had known better.” Nobody wants that!
Hopefully, these tips will save you some of that time, money, and frustration!