Investing in custom design can be overwhelming. Preparing yourself to work with a professional designer will absolutely enhance your experience. Nobody knows your business better than you. So, taking the time to prepare your thought process prior to rebranding will provide clarity throughout your project. Here are a few tips for you to think about before you hire a designer.
What to Know When Preparing to Hire a Designer
Preparation and Deep-Thought
Before you hire a designer for your brand identity design, it is important to think deeply. Reflect on who you are as a business owner. A good place to start is with resources that talk about brand identity design. Fiona Humberstone’s How to Style your Brand is a phenomenal book to read prior to investing in custom brand design. This will help you better understand what the custom branding process will be like.
Reflect on who you are as a business owner. A good place to start is with resources that talk about brand identity design. Books, magazines, podcasts, or even blog posts. Anything that helps you begin thinking about your business on a deeper level is a great place to start!
Set Goals
It is SO important for you to visualize where you see your business in the future. Name both small and larger-than-life goals. Where do you see yourself in a year, 3-5, or even 10 years. Don’t be afraid to think big! This helps when you plan with your designer how much you are looking to grow. Great design will grow with your business, so this is tremendously helpful to think about!
Get Inspired
Use tools such as Pinterest to begin dreaming about visuals you are drawn to such as typography and color. Find things that inspire you and make you feel connected. Start a board of your favorite brand and website inspiration. I would even advise you to make a list of things you don’t love so your designer can avoid that during your project.
Start looking around you for inspiration. Maybe it’s the front page layout of a magazine, the colors of a blanket you spotted on your last Target run, or the design of that new sparking water you just bought from the store. Take pictures on your phone, or make notes of visual inspiration you find around you. Bonus points for sending these to your designer!
Research and Get to Know a few designers
You are investing your hard-earned money into custom design work. It is KEY to get to know this person to ensure you’ll get along during the process. Every designer won’t be the perfect match for you and that’s perfectly okay! You want someone that jives with your personality and business model and there IS a designer out there for you!
Trust
Once you have made a point to get to know your designer, it’s time to trust. You’ve done your research and have taken the time to get to know your designer. Trust yourself that you made an amazing decision for your business by investing in custom design work. Allow them to serve you with their expertise to design a beautiful brand and website for you. Do your best to follow their lead when it comes to design decisions. Always remember, you hired an expert so you didn’t have to figure it out yourself.
