Things to look out for when choosing a Designer

When seeking to use the services of a graphic designer, there are several factors to keep in mind…

Firstly, be aware that some designers only like to create material which they think looks great. Whilst a design that’s cutting edge, uses the latest filters and techniques may immediately look cool, it won’t necessary communicate your intended message well.

A clever designer will understand that a Brand Personality consists of and is defined by the established look and feel of your company.

Whilst this can be expressed through…

  • the staff you hire
  • the building you occupy
  • the products or services you provide
  • your ethos for example
  • … the designer should primarily be interested in the aspects that refer to your visual communication material.
  • That’s items like:
  • your logo
  • stationery
  • brochures
  • website
  • signage
  • posters
  • uniforms
  • environmental graphics
  • and more!

Then within these items there’s elements such as…

  • colours
  • shapes
  • styles
  • typefaces
  • language

… that enrich your Brand Personality.

Ensure the designer follows best practice by referring to your past and existing Communication Material to gain an understanding of your Brand Personality. Additionally, they should work with you to determine what has been successful and what hasn’t.

The outcome of this process will reveal your future strategy. If it has been previously successful, then it’s paramount that the Brand Personality is protected and maintained. Only making minor adaptations where necessary. Alternatively, if you have struggled to communicate effectively, you may decide to refresh or reinvent all or part of your Brand Personality to better position your business and improve the success of your messages.

Secondly, some designers don’t realise the utmost importance of understanding your Target Audience. If your preferred clientele are say, 40 year old mothers, then a funky looking design with scattered text and busy graphics certainly will not appeal to them. Hence your message will not get get though, let alone even get noticed!

A smart designer will know that a Target Audience is a group of people or organisations that their client is primarily wanting to communicate to, in order to increase its awareness and/or revenue.

This information will include descriptions such as age, employment status, location, gender,education, race, occupation, marital Status income and family status, to identify a few.

If you have a clear understanding of your Target Audience then provide this information to the designer during the briefing stage — prior to commencement of any design. If you would like to seek a better understanding, the designer should be able to refer you to a capable marketing company. One that offers either a do it yourself step‐by‐step process or one where they can take care of it all, providing you with the final fully completed detail report.

In summary, look for a designer that fully understands and follows these important steps and uses this information to formalise an approach for all future design of your communication materials. Then you can be assured that your communication material will speak clearly to, captivate and inspire your audience, each and every time!