Even if you’re running a business you’ve spent a lifetime perfecting, at some point, every business needs a facelift. Your business grows and evolves and gets more specific about what it does best and who it does it for. If you still have the same cookie-cutter brand you got from a Fiverr designer and a templated site that got you started, it’s time to reassess. What got you to this point in your business won’t take you the rest of the way to your goals. I’m giving you tips on how to pick the right brand and website designer.
“Finding the right partner can make or break a brand and website design project. It can be an overwhelming decision, but it deserves a lot more thought and strategy than using the first referral or cheapest quote you find.“
Don’t skip the discovery phase
Before you make a decision, you should have calls with a few designers to make sure your personalities mesh. Even the best designer might not be the perfect fit if your personalities don’t align, so definitely don’t skip this step. Re-branding your business and then building the perfect digital home is a personal and rewarding experience. Finding the right partner that can guide your decisions with expertise, challenge your preconceived notions and bring all the best things you have to offer to the surface is an important step in your business’s future.
Things to consider before choosing a designer to get the most out of your investment:
Solid communication for both parties is imperative.
Be upfront about what you like and don’t like from the very beginning. Even the best designer isn’t a mind reader, even if we like to think that we are. Realize that even though we may use a similar lingo, we may not always mean the same thing. Overexplain what you mean. For example, descriptions like “modern,” “fresh,” or “feminine” mean very different things to different people.
This is why I always start with a client-created Pinterest board, ask a lot of questions, and then create my own mood board before ever beginning a design. I’m a firm believer that great brands aren’t built by chasing a particular style. They are built by creating visuals that complement the strategy, however, it’s important to know from the get-go your personal quirks. No matter how strategic, design is personal, and it’s important that you love your design so that it gives you confidence. There are a lot of different ways to make a strategic design personal, and it’s super important to know which way to lean within the wide guard rails of a strategy.
You don’t have to know what you want your brand to look like to be a good client. To be honest, I actually prefer if you don’t. You just have to be able to express yourself, pointing out things you like and don’t like to give your designer a sense of your style. A good designer should ask you lots of questions and be able to gain insights beyond what you actually say that will help them create the perfect design for you.
Be ready to figure out what differentiates your business from all the others.
It’s my job in the strategy portion of our project to really draw out what differentiates your business from others. You don’t have to have all the answers, and you probably don’t because you will need that outside perspective to really see it. However, you should be able to pinpoint the type of clients and projects that go really well, the type that don’t, and what you love and dislike about how you work. You should have enough experience in your industry that we can dig in together to figure out where that magic is truly coming from.
Before you have that first meeting with your designer, be sure to do some soul searching and preparation for these types of questions. Be ready to put in some work on your end to make sure your designer really understands your needs. All of my projects begin with a thorough questionnaire that you have plenty of time to complete so that you can take your time thinking through important issues like this. Then we dig deeper into your strategy session. Your brand can’t be exceptional without your input and expertise on the front end.
Find a portfolio that gets you excited
No matter how great any designer is, if they’re client-and-strategy-focused, then you probably won’t be drawn to every single brand they’ve designed because they’re each sending a different message. It’s ok to not like certain designs, but you should appreciate the style with which they carried out that client’s vision. If not, it might be time to look at some other options.
It seems obvious, but don’t hire a designer if their portfolio doesn’t excite you overall or they are the type with a very specific style that just doesn’t fit you. Even if you hit it off with them in your initial discovery call and your personalities align 100% — if you don’t like their style, that isn’t going to change simply because you enjoy their personality or they have a streamlined process.
Choose a designer that understands your industry
It’s not always a requirement to work with someone that’s intimately involved in your industry, but it makes for a more streamlined process and gives you insights into your brand strategy and website experience you may not get from other designers. When you work with someone that’s familiar with your industry, you don’t have to waste time explaining things to them, which means you can spend more time focusing on the intricacies of your project. Not to mention, they can help steer you away from overused cliches and into innovative ideas that relate to your industry audience.
Industry-specific designers can provide real insight into what works and what doesn’t with your particular audience and can often provide referrals to other industry-specific partners to help with other areas of your business.
Make sure you understand what the process will be like
On your discovery call, ask questions about what the actual process of working together will look like. Go in knowing whether you’ll be working directly with the designer you met or whether you’ll be shuffled between multiple assistants. Do you want someone that holds your hand throughout the process and helps you make decisions or someone that gives you lots of options and wants you to take responsibility from there? Make sure you understand the timeline and what will be needed from you when.
We provide all clients with a project management board that shows them estimated dates of each phase and all deliverables as we work our way to the brand launch. All designers work in different ways, so know what you’re going into so that you don’t end up disappointed, overwhelmed, or underwhelmed.
Pay attention to the deliverables
Some designers, like me, only offer complete packages. Meaning, you aren’t able to piecemeal your branding. A logo here, a font there…it’s all one cohesive look and feel. If you’re just getting started and only need a logo, there are plenty of great starter options on Etsy or Creative Market that might be the perfect fit until you want that full brand.
I’m a firm believer that clients shouldn’t be left to figure out how to implement their brand on their own. That’s why when you embark on a brand re-design with Pop & Grey, it always includes much-needed items like business cards, notecards, social media templates, and an email marketing template (among other things) in addition to the brand foundation.
Even branding means different things to different designers, so make sure to define it. Will you be provided with a style guide so that you know exactly how to implement pieces in the future? Are you responsible for purchasing font licenses separately or are they included? Be sure if you’re comparing designers, especially on price and value, it’s apples to apples and you know what the deliverables are.
How to pick the right brand and website designer
Choosing a designer that you trust to re-brand your business is exciting and scary. If you do it well, you can find a partner that will deliver above and beyond your expectations, not to mention create a joyful experience for both of you. A great designer will challenge your preconceived notions about your business and what you want it to stand for, and you should be ready for, and a little excited about, that. If you find the right one, they should be able to help you continue to implement your brand as it grows through the years.
