Some of them are happy with the outcome, others not so much. They go back to the drawing board, over and over again. Changing, questioning everything, feeling stuck and confused…
This is where a brand & web designer comes in.
There are different designers out there, with different processes, values and styles. But overall, designers are problem solvers. That’s why, as a brand & web designer I like to think about myself in more technical than artistic manner.
When working with a client, I first focus on the brand part of their business (non-visual) and then jump into the brand design (visual).
So how do you know if you’re ready to work with a brand & website designer? Well, ask yourself the questions from this post to find out. Let’s dive in, shall we?!
ARE YOU READY TO WORK WITH A BRAND & WEB DESIGNER?
Design packages are an investment for your creative and small business.
Why?
First off, because the new brand & website will impact your entire business. It’ll help you appear more professional, be cohesive, so send a clear message to your target audience. It’s not something that you’d use once and that’s it. It’s something that you’re going to use over the years, every day!
But the good news is that it’s a one-off investment which can pay off big time!
Having a well-designed brand & website can help you grow your business, sell more products or services. That’s why it’s called an investment because essentially it can make your blog & business profitable.
Therefore, it’s important to prepare yourself for the brand or brand & website design. Either if it’s a rebrand (redesign of your existing brand design) or a new brand design (you don’t have a brand design or just starting out with your business).
PS. The questions below might differ depending on a designer’s process.
BEFORE WORKING WITH A BRAND & WEB DESIGNER – ASK YOURSELF THESE 9 QUESTIONS
1. ARE YOU READY TO TRUST YOUR DESIGNER?
This one is especially hard for the ones who like to be in control of everything (well, I feel you!). But if you make a decision to invest in a brand & web design, you need to trust the designer that you’ve chosen. Trust their process, their advice, their suggestions. Creating brands & websites is their everyday job, so they know what they are doing – trust me (see what I did there?! ;))
As I’ve mentioned above, designing a brand & website is far more technical as it seems. You need to treat your designer as someone who is strategic, who uses their knowledge and experience to create your brand & website.
2. ARE YOU READY TO USE THE DESIGN ELEMENTS, FONTS AND COLOURS THAT YOUR DESIGNER CREATED FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
The entire point of hiring a brand & website designer (vs doing it all yourself) is to have them help you create the right brand identity elements for your business. But, don’t make a mistake (that I’ve seen many times) of going back to “the old habits” and using random design elements, colour or fonts that you happened to like at the moment – instead of using the ones your designer created for you.
You’ve hired a designer to create a system for you (aka a brand design), so why ignore it?
3. ARE YOU READY AND HAVE TIME TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN PROCESS?
This one depends on a designer’s process. Working as a designer for several years now, taught me that having a client involved in a process helps us both. After all, the client would be the one using the brand & website that I designed for them, not me.
Hence, before you decide to hire a brand & website designer, you need to ask yourself if you’ll be available to be involved in the process (reply to emails, provide feedback, information)? Can you spare time in your day during 2-4 weeks of working together?
4. ARE YOU ABLE TO BE OPEN AND GIVE YOUR DESIGNER AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE?
Following the previous point, when involved in the process, it’s best to be open and provide your designer with as much information about your brand and business as possible. This way, the designer can understand your vision, so create a brand & website that represent you and at the same time, fits your target audience.
That’s a win-win situation!
5. CAN YOU PROVIDE CLEAR AND DETAILED FEEDBACK?
While being on the subject of a design process, are you able to articulate what you like, dislike, what you want to be changed in the sent concepts etc.? I’m not talking about “I don’t like it.” sort of feedback. I’m talking about being able to clearly communicate what you want to be changed, in as much detail as possible.
6. DO YOU HAVE A VISION FOR YOUR BRAND & WEBSITE? (AKA DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOUR BUSINESS)?
Again, this one depends on a designer. There are probably designers who work more as coaches, so they help you with a brand strategy, figuring out the non-visual aspects of your brand (your goals, target audience, values etc.).
I’m a type of designer who focuses on a visual part of the brand, so helping you visualize all the non-visuals. I’m asking my clients about their brand in the homework once we start working together. So it’s great to know all the details prior.
7. ARE YOU READY FOR THE INVESTMENT?
As I’ve mentioned above, brand & website design in a long-time investment for your business. Professional packages include a great number of elements, usually a brand identity (main logo, alternative logos, submarks, colour palette, design elements) and brand collaterals (for social media/print) to make sure your brand is cohesive.
The prices depend on a designer and as I said, this is a one-off investment, which can transform your business. I don’t know about you, but I love doing things once and then having a peace of mind, don’t you? 😉
8. DO YOU KNOW YOUR STYLE PREFERENCES?
A strategic brand & website design is geared towards your ideal audience. But, at the same time (especially as a solopreneur or small business owner) it’s essential that they feel like you and make you proud.
It’s just like wearing clothes – you can work with a stylist to pick up the perfect outfit for you, but by the end of the day, you must feel good in it.
You’d be the one using the brand & website as a “face” of your business – not your designer
So before you jump into working with a designer, it’s great to browse around the Pinterest or Google images and see what style speaks to you. Then show it to your designer and they can take their own spin on it, making sure that the style works for you AND your target audience.
Isn’t this a perfect combination?
To have a brand & website that you and your ideal clients LOVE?
9. KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND WORDPRESS (AT LEAST SOME BASICS)
Again, this one depends on a designer, but most of them tend to work with clients who have at least some knowledge of WordPress. Ultimately (unless you hire someone to do it for you), you’d be the one adding new posts to your blog (if you have one), or even adding new pages to your website. It’s good to have an idea of how these things work to confidently use your new website.
You can always ask your designer if something is unclear, though. It doesn’t mean that you have to know everything! There are also great resources out there like my WordPress 101 blog series.
I hope this post helped you decide if you’re ready to work with a brand & web designer. Don’t worry if you’re not ready just yet. Spend some time preparing, digging deep into your brand (non-visual part) and decide what you REALLY want. I have another post to help you with that: 7 things to consider before hiring a brand designer
Based on the questions above, are you ready to work with a brand & web designer?
