In this episode of 'Get Savvy with Teesha and Jo', we want to talk about creating a good brief for a designer. It can be for a logo design, collateral design, brochures, or even web design.
The first thing to do is to make sure that you choose a reputable designer. Someone who is a professional like Strictly Savvy's very own Teesha. Check and make sure that it's not someone who has just watched some YouTube tutorials and now they are a 'graphic designer'.
The difference is that you're not going to get the quality images, the high resolution, the crispness in everything that they do.
Now in creating the brief, make sure you give your designer a little bit of background. Tell him or her what the project's for and why you're doing it. It would be insightful to also give goals and objectives of the project, and what you're aiming to get out of the project so that they know where you're heading. Then secondly (something that some designers may not like as much, but others it is quite helpful) is any ideas that you, as a client, actually have. So if you've got something in mind that you like or an example of it, show it to your designer so he or she will have a grasp on what your aesthetics may be. People differ in aesthetics so by showing examples of graphics, this would actually speed up the creative process of your designer.
Give your designer a direction on what you really like. For example for logo designs, there's a whole bunch of different styles out there. There are logos with just words (wordmarks or logotype), handwritten style, badge-looking logos, emblems, monograms and more. By giving your designer an idea of what you really like, means they're not just going to start in the dark which decreases the possibility of having a lot of revisions. This doesn't only just save time for both parties but also money as well!
If you're not doing a brand new logo, you'll want to give your designer your existing brand guidelines. So, your actual logo, your colours, your fonts, etc. Any rules and guidelines basically that they're working to for your brand, so that they don't break them. Keep it consistent!
Next is very important information to relay your designer, target audience. By knowing the target audience, your designer will then be able to do some research and make sure the design is suitable e.g. colours they will use. They're most likely not going to use bright, fluffy pinks if they're targeting 'manly' or 'professional men'. So let your designer know, who is your primary target audience so he or she has an idea on what to steer away from.
Lastly, and the most important one, trust your designer. Know that what they're doing comes with experience, and that they've most likely studied in that field as well. Obviously, there's going to be that revision and feedback stage where you can tell them what you do and don't like, but trust that they're doing what's good for you and your brand.
So, we hope you enjoyed these tips on how to create a brief for your designer, and were able to gather some important information.
Until our next episode!
- Tee and Jo x
