Sometimes you hire a designer to create something specific. You already have in your mind what it will look like, but you lack the technical expertise to make it. There’s nothing wrong with that, and, in fact, designers love it. It’s less work for them, and it’s almost never less money. However, the best designers won’t want to go with this approach because they can do a better job for you with more information. Even if they are creating exactly what you have asked for, there are subtle decisions they can make that can affect your customer’s reactions. Therefore, having this information about your company can mean the difference between a good design and an effective design. Good design is good for everyone, but effective design is better for you. You want to get results out of anything you’re paying for. To get a truly effective design, be sure to talk to your designer about these aspects of your business:
1. Your Tone of Voice
Likely, you will have already covered the basics of your branding, but have you talked about your brand’s personality? Assuming you have some sort of regular communications with your clients/customers/donors, what is the tone of those communications? Are you fun or serious, sophisticated or laid back, high brow or dive bar? Design has a lot of nuances in tone and feel. It’s important for designers to know what your tone is so that they can stick to that tone in their design. It’s vital to keep your brand consistent across all channels, and anything you have created by a designer is no exception.
2. Your audience
Who are you trying to reach? Is your audience just customers and potential customers, or do you have more than one audience that needs different information? A nonprofit organization could have a board, a staff, donors, and clients. A business could have investors, customers, vendors, and staff. Who are your specific audiences? Do they al receive different content, or do you need a design solution that reaches all of them? Any demographic or psychographic information you have about this target audience will be valuable to your designer. This information gives them the best chance for success in truly reaching that audience.
3. The Best Case Scenario
In an ideal world, what would this design DO? What actions would your audience be inspired to take? Should they visit your website to learn more, come to your store to buy a product, call their representatives in Congress, or donate money to your organization? Knowing the desired outcome guides design decisions. Design decisions guide customer decisions.
4. Your competition
Who is your competition, and what are they doing to achieve the same goals? What sets you apart? Most good designers will research this themselves, but your insight is invaluable. No one knows your business like you do. You alone can tell a designer why someone should choose you over the competition, and that information gives designers a huge advantage. It is much more effective to emphasize what sets you apart than to state your products or services.
5. What Marketing Materials You’ve Outsourced In The Past
Tell your designer about other work you have had done. This lets them see what your other marketing materials look like so they can achieve brand consistency. Even if you’re looking for a fresh design, it’s important for designers to see where you have come from so that they can create something that makes sense within your already established brand.
Another advantage to talking about your experiences outsourcing design is that your new designer can get an idea of what you like and dislike about the process. This will help them take an approach that will be to your liking as well as to theirs, hopefully leading to a long and happy working relationship.
Substance and Style 