So you have a small business and you’re thinking it’s time to hire a designer to help with your branding and website design. As this may be your first experience with outsourcing any aspect of your business to a third party, it may feel a bit scary.
I’ve gathered some tips to ask the right questions and get the information you need in order to feel confident choosing a designer for your business.
What Do You Actually Need?
You might be thinking ‘I need a logo’, or ‘I need a website’. But there’s actually a lot more to this than you may think.
You want to ensure your business is memorable, one-of-a-kind, and speaks directly to your ideal client. For this you need more than ‘just a logo‘. What you really need is a brand identity, which consists of a colour palette, brand fonts, a logo, logo variations, submarks/icons etc that represent your business’ story.
So if you do want to create a cohesive, professional-looking brand, you’ll need a ‘Brand Designer’. Knowing this is the first step in finding the right person for you.
Read more:
Create a One-Of-A-Kind Brand That Your Audience Will Love
Similarly, when you say ‘I need a website’, there are questions you need to answer to help you find the right person:
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- Do I want a completely custom website?
There are different ways a website can be created: from scratch, custom designed and developed for you, or using a template and customising it for your needs. Custom websites made from scratch are much more expensive and they take longer to create. - Do I want my website to be on a certain platform?
If you do decide to go the custom route, you also need to consider what platform you want your website designed on. As there are many to choose from (eg. WordPress, Squarespace, Showit, Wix etc.) it can feel overwhelming. Many designers, like myself, specialize in one platform (I specialize in Showit), so if you have your heart set on WordPress, for example, you’ll want to check that the designer will be able to design with this platform.
- Do I want a completely custom website?
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- Do I want someone to maintain & update my website for me?
You’ll also want to check what sort of packages they offer and what’s included in their design fee. Some designers may offer maintenance and update packages, meaning you pay a monthly fee and there is no need for you to edit or update your website yourself. Or some, like myself, include a guide and video tutorials as part of the project so you have tools and resources to make edits yourself and not rely on a designer.
Check Out Their Portfolio
Checking out a designer’s portfolio is a great way to see if their style is appealing to you. I mean, if their work doesn’t resonate with you, why would you want to have them design your website? All designers have their own style, and you can tell this when you look at their portfolios. Choosing a designer who has a style that resonates with you and will represent your brand in a way that connects to your ideal clients is everything!
Testimonials
Reviews are an important part of the purchasing process for many people. And when reviews are missing, people wonder if it’s a reliable product or service. Have a read through the testimonials to see what people have said about their experience with the designer. Choosing a designer for your business is a big step and you want to make sure your working with someone who you can work with.
Get to Know Them
Do you want to work with someone you don’t really connect with? I didn’t think so! I think it’s so important that you like the people you work with; especially when choosing a designer who is going to be delving into your brand and goals as part of the project.
Read their ‘About’ page and see what they’re like, or have a look on their social media to see what things they’ve been posting. Try to image yourself working with them – would you fit well together? Would you get along if you weren’t working together? If yes, go for it!
What Files are You Going to Receive?
Depending on the scope of what you are going to be using your brand elements and logo, you’re going to want to ensure you have the right file formats.This one is important if you plan to be doing more with your brand and logo than just adding it to your website and social media. You should ask your designer if the design elements will be sent in both print (eps + jpg) and web format (png + jpg) files.
If you’re doing any larger print work such as posters or signage, you’ll definitely need a vector version of your logo too, so make sure your designer will provide you with this.
What Is Their Process and Timeline?
Most designers will give an indication ahead of time what their process entails, what exactly they’ll need from you and what their project timelines are. This is another great way to find out if you’ll be happy with choosing a designer.
You may prefer working with someone who has a step by step process that provides plenty of options for you to provide feedback and allow several revisions along the way.
Or you may prefer to work with someone who provides a one concept approach, giving you one definitive brand and logo concept after an in-depth ‘getting-to-know-you’ process.
Make Sure They’re Available
If you “need this ASAP” or trying to beat a strict upcoming deadline, your best bet is to check the designer’s availability before you get too excited about working with them! Many designers get booked up months in advance, so it’s a good idea to start planning who you’re going to hire in advance of wanting to start the project.
OTHER COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS…
What are their qualifications?
There are some amazing designers out there who are self-taught, myself included. My background is in fashion and beauty, but I have no formal design training. I personally don’t think qualifications matter as long as you love their work and it’s high quality!
Will they give me the editable source files?
Many designers do not provide the editable logo files for their clients. There are two reasons for this. One is because of copyright reasons. Two is because of the possibility that a client may make edits to the design and still promote the work as the designers. When this happens there is a risk that the reduced quality or altered style of the design can affect the designer’s reputation.
Will I have copyright and full ownership of the brand files?
There is a lot of back and forth in the design world whether or not a designer should give the copyright to the client. My own contract states that I provide the copyright along with the final design files for an additional fee. But it also states that I have a right to display their project in my portfolio and use for marketing purposes – which is all I need!
Having a copyright of a logo often isn’t a big deal for small businesses and freelancers, and many designers who keep the copyright state in their contract that the client is allowed to use the logo however they please. But for larger businesses and for anyone who is interested in registering their logo as a trademark so their competitors can’t copy them, owning the copyright is required.
Ready for a new Showit website? Email me!
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