what to ask your graphic designer about when building your brand

Designing a logo isn't a instance of just dashing off a quick sketch and hoping the client likes information technology. A professional logo designer will kickoff become to know the company, its strategies, ambitions and goals.

Crucially, the best designers will take a proactive, rather than reactive, arroyo to this task. Simply asking for a brief isn't plenty. You lot need to utilize all your skills and experience to uncover what lies below the visitor or brand.

To assist you out, we've put together a handy list of questions to answer your customer. Run through all of these, and yous'll soon have a much ameliorate thought of what they're all virtually… and oft, they will besides! Information technology will give you the crucial knowledge and understanding you demand to bring their vision to life in a living, breathing design that volition be scalable, adaptable, and future-proof.

Department 1: Questions about the company

First things first. You need to assemble basic information about the business organisation, such as when it started and why, how many employees it has, who its competitors are, etc. While some of this may be bachelor online, it's always preferable to gather these details from the horse's mouth.

That's partly considering information on the cyberspace is oftentimes unreliable, then this way you can be certain of getting accurate answers. Simply besides because the estimation of even the simplest queries can exist controversial, and this in itself be very revealing.

For example, even the founding date of a company can exist a source of contend, especially if the organisation had multiple names and guises in the by or emerged due to multiple mergers. In such a example, what's ultimately deemed the "right" answer isn't actually the important thing. It'due south getting your clients to open up and talk most the business in a way that doesn't sound similar dry marketing speak but is grounded in real-world honesty and emotional zipper.

1. What is your visitor/organisation/product/service name?
ii. Can you describe your business concern?
3. What services or products do yous provide?
four. How big is your visitor? (number of employees? revenue?)
5. How long has your company been established?
vi. Why was your company started in the first place, and what was the motivation?
7. Who are your main competitors?
8. How do your competitors market place themselves?
9. What sets your company apart from the competition?
10. What are the strengths of your company?
11. What are your weaknesses?
12. What are the long-term goals of the company? Where do y'all see your visitor in v years? Ten years? 30 years?
xiii. If you had to depict your business in i give-and-take, what would it be and why?
14. What are your company's values and/or mission argument?

Section 2: Questions about the branding

In well-nigh cases, a logo design will really be a logo redesign or a more minimal logo refresh. You won't be starting from scratch but building on and evolving the existing logo design, or at least taking a couple of cues from it. Then it'south important to ask a lot of questions virtually how the customer feels about the current logo, every bit well as the wider visual identity and brand purpose every bit a whole. In fact, even if y'all're ripping everything up and starting again, you need to inquire these questions lest yous end upwards repeating things about the old branding they didn't similar!

15. What is the current logo?
16. Do you accept a strapline or slogan that goes along with your logo?
17. Why are you looking to change the logo?
18. What words describe how you experience when looking at your electric current logo and branding?
xix. What do yous similar and dislike about the electric current logo?
20. What practice you desire the new logo to accomplish?
21. What three attributes would you like your target audience to think of when looking at your new branding?
22. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Traditional or modern?
23. Which of these words is a better fit for your make? Friendly or corporate?
24. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? High end or cost-constructive?
25. Which of these words is a improve fit for your brand? Consumer or Trade? Why does your current branding use those colours, fonts, etc.?

Section 3: Questions about the target audience

When designing a logo, you demand to know who y'all're designing it for. And that'due south not necessarily the existing audience if the visitor wants to move abroad from that audience and target a different bunch of people. Indeed, a logo change is typically part of a wider strategy to motion the entreatment of a brand, for instance, from a middle-aged to a younger demographic. Only your client knows where they want to get with the brand, so information technology'southward vital to inquire a comprehensive serial of questions similar the ones beneath.

26. Who is the primary target audience?
27. What is the target audience's age group?
28. Are they mainly male or female?
29. Where do most of your audition alive?
30. What is the boilerplate household income of your target audience?
31. How exercise most of your customers notice out well-nigh your visitor?
32. How do you lot plan to communicate with your target audience?
33. If your customers had to describe your company in one word, what would it exist and why?
34. Are there any new markets you'd like to intermission into? If and so, what would they be and why?

Only your customer knows where they want to go with the brand, so it's vital to ask a comprehensive series of questions.

Department 4: Blueprint preferences

You'll find that, so far, we oasis't really talked about what the client wants the new logo to look like. And that'south not accidental. Because until you understand the broader purpose of the logo pattern, diving into specifics similar preferred colours volition merely become everybody off-track and muddy the waters.

Withal, let'south assume that y'all now have a thorough understanding of the visitor, what it stands for, and what information technology's trying to achieve. It's time to start talking about the design itself. At the aforementioned time, though, you still demand to go on discussions grounded in the overall business purpose of the logo. Information technology shouldn't be most people'south personal preferences ("I really similar this shade of green"), but how, for example, a specific colour palette tin can help the logo achieve its business purpose. These questions can help y'all steer the discussion in that item direction.

35. What colours or color palettes does the visitor typically use, and why?
36. Where volition the logo be mainly used? Print, spider web, etc.?
37. Are there any elements from the existing logo you'd like to keep, and why?
38. Are there whatsoever restrictions to consider when designing the new logo?
39. Is there anything that must be included, similar existing brand elements, words or icons?
40. Looking at your rivals' branding, what logos do you think work, and why?
41. Are at that place any logos you don't think work, and why?
42. In your opinion, what defines a successful logo?

Budget, timescales & management

In meetings with clients, y'all tin can brainstorm all the ideas in the globe for creating a cracking new logo. But in practise, making them actually happen takes a lot of organisation, planning and preparation. Then as well as all that "blue-sky thinking", it's good to footing your discussions early on past request the following questions.

43. Do you lot have a budget in listen for the new logo?
44. Exercise yous have a deadline that needs to be considered?
45. Who will be the internal conclusion-makers on this projection? Giving feedback and approvals? (Stress to the client that the fewer decision-makers, the better!)
46. Will there be anyone else involved in this project? Any tertiary party sub-contractors or other agencies/freelancers?
47. How frequently would you like to meet? Weekly? Monthly?
48. How many revisions or concepts would you like to run into? (consider how many you can offer – this varies from designer to designer)
49. What form would yous like the concluding piece of work to take? What materials would you similar to meet due to this new logo? Would y'all similar a 'brand guidelines' pack for future reference?
50. Is there anything else you'd like to add that we oasis't already covered?

Conclusion

Getting solid and thought-out answers to all these questions will aid propel y'all on your way to a successful logo design projection for 2 reasons. Firstly the information yous gather will be invaluable in helping you blast the brief. And secondly, the very human action of answering them will assistance get your clients in the right frame of heed for co-operating on the project.

Most importantly, if they're inexperienced in working with designers, it will help them sympathize that what they're paying for is non just a quick design in Photoshop but a thorough and comprehensive process of evaluating the company and its brand and developing new designs that are well-idea through and fit for purpose.

Of course, that doesn't ever hateful everything will go smoothly. Clients tin change their minds along the fashion, and business strategies can change in an instant due to external factors (just await at the pandemic for an obvious example of that). Then you need to be prepared for the projection spec to alter and accept a robust contract that specifies what happens if extra work is needed. The sooner yous get that in place, the sooner you'll exist able to relax and relish a logo design project that'southward fruitful, productive and, cartel we say, hopefully, a lot of fun.

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Source: https://www.creativeboom.com/tips/50-questions-to-ask-clients-when-designing-a-logo/

Guerard Senclavoked