graphic designer | print specialist

What’s the process?

It's good to talk upfront about budgets at this point. Do you "just want a logo"? A logo is the central identity of your business. It's too important to not include a plan for it's use. Every identity I design includes a Style Guide for it's use, including specific print/web colors, type styles, size and placement guidelines. I provide you with the graphic files in a variety of sizes, formats and resolutions that should work in any application.

 

Designers prefer to have some control over how a logo is used, so we'll discuss collateral projects and future needs. I can produce these efficiently and in a visually cohesive way. We (designers) aren't trying to milk the client — we want your brand to reflect our professionalism as much as yours. A misused logo will result in a confused message. and I would much prefer to guide you with a few templates if it is not in your immediate budget to have me design your collateral projects.

 

Generally, at this point I can provide an estimate of costs and a  timeline. We will talk about the range, agree on a low and high end. A deposit will be paid, and work begun. I will sketch out several ideas, and we will hopefully reach an agreement on the project. The ideas will then be refined for a period of three revisions (rounds) at no extra charge. New concepts or major revision costs will be discussed and billed. If the project is expected to take over six weeks, interim payments will be requested, with the balance due upon completion.

So. How does this all work? Communication design is about communication (seems obvious, right?). In the design process, particularly the early stages, there will be a lot of it to refine and mesh out ideas.

 

First, we talk. We email, we Skype, we text, we brainstorm. I want to hear the whole story of your business, your project, even your world views. I want to know what makes you tick, and how this feeds into your vision for your business, which is probably one of the most important things going on in your life. I listen, and don't try to force any preconcieved ideas on you.

 

Many clients are not experienced in expressing their needs in a visual way, so I like to start out with a detailed checklist that helps facilitate the process. I ask for as many keywords that you can come up with that appeal to your senses, not just things concretely related to your business or project, but words that express an aesthetic sense, or direction. I can provide examples to jumpstart this process.

Of course, content is the most important part of every piece of b2c communication, so your first step is well thought out text, proofread and finalized. In practice, this rarely happens, but try to get it as close as you can. A clearly stated vision on your part will facilitate the design process. It's important to think about your audience and your goals.