In my opinion, there’s no such thing as TMI. Seriously, when I’m working with a service provider, I want to know as much as possible. Typical Type A personality, I know. When I got married back in 2017 it took me so long to hire a wedding photographer because I was scouring the internet trying to find everything I wanted to know upfront before reaching out!
Needless to say, if you’re anything like me, I get it! So, if you’re currently in research mode trying to hire a designer, I hope this helps.
Here’s a typical outline of what you can expect if we’re working together. Of course every project is unique, so keep that in mind, but this should hopefully give you a solid overview of what to expect.
Oh and p.s. This is for branding projects, web design is pretty different, and I’ll have a blog post coming soon covering that.
Table of Contents
01 | Pre Start Steps
- Fill in the Enquiry Form
I’ve kept my enquiry form really short; I just cover the absolute essentials I need to know to get started. You’ll fill this in, and I’ll kick things off. - Informal Chat
We’ll start by having an informal chat.We can do this over email, or hop on a quick 15-30 minute Zoom call. Completely your choice! It’ll give you the opportunity to ask me any questions you may have before we get started, and allow me to get to know you better.
Deposits and Contracts
Once we agree to work together, a deposit will be required to secure your start date. I’ll also send over a contract outlining the project scope, timeline, deliverables, and licensing. This protects us both and ensures a smooth project.
02 | The Design Process
Research & Mood Boards
- Homework: You’ll fill in a thorough homework form which covers everything I need to know about your business, and you’ll get to tell me all about what you do and don’t like aesthetically. Once this has been filled in, I’ll send you an email to clarify any areas I need more info on, then I’ll move onto the next step.
- Design Strategy & Mood Board: Once I’ve got the overall vibe for the project, I dive into research mode. I’ll scope out your competitors, check out your online presence, and take note of any ideas you’ve got in mind. Then, I’ll put together a couple of mood boards to show you where I think we could go with the design.
I present all of this in a full PDF document. You’ll take a few days to review everything. Let me know what I got right, and if there are any sections that need refinement. We usually do this in Notion or over email, but we can also hop on a call if that’s easier for you.
Brand Development
- Initial Concepts: With your chosen mood board, I can start the fun bit: design! My initial concepts will come as a PDF, outlining my design choices, and how they align with your strategy. I usually send over a single concept, but if we’ve got lots of ideas flowing, I may send over a second option.
Feedback & Refinement:
I include two rounds of revisions for free. You’ll give feedback over in Notion or over email. As always, though, we can hop on Zoom if that’s what you prefer! Feedback is super important, and I want you to feel comfortable telling me what is and isn’t working. Remember, there are no design emergencies, and I’m not precious about critique. At the end of the day, this is a collaboration, and the best part of brand design is having a final result that you feel you’ve had a hand in crafting.
03 | Delivery & Ongoing Support
Delivery & Ongoing Support
Once we’ve nailed the final design, I’ll get everything ready for you. This includes preparing all the necessary files and a comprehensive brand guideline to ensure you have everything you need to maintain your brand’s look and feel. It usually takes a few days to get everything sorted, as there are lots of files to export (Hundreds babes, literally hundreds).
You’ll receive the final invoice, and once this has been paid I’ll send over a link to a private Google Drive with all your final files. The drive will be organised beautifully, so everything is easy to find. I mean, would you expect anything different from me?!
Even after the project wraps up though I’m here for you. Whether you need advice, additional design work, or just a chat about how things are going.
Keep in touch, and don’t be a stranger!
So, are you ready to team up?
If you’ve made it this far, I’m seriously impressed! The branding process can seem hugely intimidating if you’ve never been through it before, but I hope this has helped break it down enough for you to see that it’s really not that complicated. I’ve run hundreds of projects over the years, and the number one bit of feedback I receive is how simple and supported my clients feel throughout the entire process.
If you’re at the point where you’re ready to bring in a professional designer, I’d love to have a chat.