F.Y.I

Graphic designer choosing a graphic designer... With such a plethora of choice it may be hard to find the right designer for your specific needs. Below is a short guide to help you make the right choice when choosing a logo designer. These points could also be useful when hiring a web designer, graphic designer, or any designer for that matter. I don’t want this post to come across as self promotional, however, I’ve linked to my own examples to show you how I personally communicate to potential clients the value of my design work. For other designers, I hope this in turn, gives you an idea of how you too can communicate the value of your work. In no particular order: Experience Previous identity projects will give you a good idea of what skill level your designer is at and what you can expect though this is not to say that a new designer can not produce top quality results – this point has to be considered with all of the other points mentioned below, in which case a strong portfolio is probably the best indicator. For examples of some quality identity design. Positive Testimonials Have they got positive testimonials from past clients and colleagues? Ensure you check the testimonials validity which can be done by looking for a web address or even by emailing the company. It’s a good idea to check if the company even exists. A Thorough Design Process Do they have a logo design process in which they follow or are they simply producing logos like fast food? A typical process does not take under 48 hours to complete which is why I tell you to avoid design contests, logo factories, etc. Think for how long your logo design will be in use – would you want that to be designed (let alone researched) in under 48 hours? Logo design is not a take away food store and this is why logo design does not cost $5.00. There is no ‘typical’ time frame as every client will have different needs but for small and medium businesses a rough guide would be around 2 – 6 weeks. Price The costs of the service is usually quite evident of what you are going to receive. In most cases, you will get what you pay for but don’t take price as the only indication. How much does a logo design actually cost? In my experience, this is the most frequently asked question and the hardest to answer. This is because every company has different needs… the best approach is to draw up a customised quote for each individual client. Great Customer Service Do they respond to your emails quickly? How do they communicate & present themselves? A designer should provide great customer service throughout the whole process, from the initial email right through to after sales support. Business Professionalism Attention to detail, trustworthiness, strong communication skills and time management are all vital and go hand in hand with great customer service. Appropriate Questions A designer should ask a variety of questions to find out your needs in relation to your business goals. Questions should revolve around the companies history, target market, competitors, company goals, etc. For an example of the questions asked -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  What makes a good corporate identity design…? stationery Have you ever formed an opinion about a company just by looking at their business card, envelope or letterhead? I receive many pieces of mail each day in our mailbox. Some we notice and other we don’t. Some we recognize as familiar companies and others as junk mail. As you look at each letter, postcard or piece of mail, consciously or subconsciously, you are forming an impression about that company. Some give the impression of a professional operation, while others look like low budget operations. Some look classy, while others look crude. No matter what you are looking at, you are forming an impression about it. That impression affects your decision about doing business with that company. Everything your potential customer sees, your logo, business cards, letterhead, brochure, website or any marketing material, contributes to the image your potential customer forms about your company. That is your corporate identity. What impression are you making on your potential customer? A precise logo, an outstanding business card, professional letter head and an elegant envelope with a professional look and feel are the building blocks for creating a good Corporate Identity. These materials help project your company’s professional image effectively. Thought and creativity needs to be put into the creation of an enticing corporate identity design. Colors should be used to create a pleasing design. A few key points to help you create a professional and effective corporate identity design for your business are listed below: Logo In order to design a logo that is striking and memorable, it is essential to follow a few simple guidelines. • The logo needs to be as simple as possible. Having minute details designed into the logo would make it difficult to reproduce well, especially when shrinking the size to fit on a business card. • The logo designed should be scalable which can be used anywhere irrespective of size. This would ensure that you do not confront any problem in the future when you plan to enlarge the logo to be used in banners and billboards. • Appropriate colors should be selected for the logo. It should not change the structure and appearance of the logo when it is converted as a black and white image. • As colors look very bright on the PC monitor, review a printed copy of the logo before finalizing the color(s) for the logo. • Bold font is always appreciated for logos as it increases the visibility of the text even from longer distances. • Avoid using clip arts as part of the logo, as this would look unprofessional.                                                                                       Business Card The goal here is to make your business card stand out from that of your competitors. This can be achieved in many ways. • The address and other contact details provided in the business card should be accurate and up-to-date. This would reflect the identity and stability of your business which would unconsciously be registered in your customers’ mind. • Include only the mobile number and the office number on the business card as inclusion of the home phone number does not reflect professionalism. • Remember that your business card should be printed on good quality paper. • As the printing costs have gone down, color printing will enhance the look of your card without increasing the cost. • Consider using a coating on the card such as a UV coating. This will make it feel different in the hand. • You may use both sides of the card to communicate your message. Printing a photo or an image on the back of the card, with the tag line will help make your business card stand out in the minds of your potential clients. • Printing the business card on an inkjet printer would be unprofessional. • Having your photo included in the business card is one way of helping your customers to remember you.                                                                                            Letterhead A letterhead would be a combination of the logo, business name and the appropriate business address and contact information in the header. Remember the importance of your letterhead design as it will be read and viewed by thousands of people. A few points to remember while creating an effective letterhead design: • The header should contain the business name and the business logo. The business address may be placed in the footer, at the top right, or at a location that is visually pleasing to the eye. • The header should not be cluttered with information but should be simple and elegant. • The scalable business logo should be resized to fit the header of the letterhead, while ensuring that it is legible. • The top left corner is the recommended position for placing the business logo as research shows that the human eye normally searches for information starting from the top left corner. • The headers should not be too narrow nor too broad as that will dominate the page more than the message. • A professional letterhead in most cases is white in color with a colored header and footer that would match the overall color scheme. Envelope The envelope should also contain the logo, business name and the business address. As the envelope is what would create the first impression, the design should be appealing. Below are a few key points in designing an effective envelope: • The envelope for your business can be designed to match the letterhead with the same look and feel. The goal is to have the recipient recognize your company by just looking at the envelope. All you have to do is look at the mail pieces you receive. You will automatically recognize the company names of some because of the colors and design elements that are used. • The business logo, business name and the address can be printed in the left top/bottom corner of the envelope as it is the traditional way of printing the sender’s address on the envelope. This will help the reader to easily identify the sender. • It should be seen that the sender’s address and the business logo do not dominate the envelope design as the recipient’s address should be prominent in order to help the USPS. • The background color or design, if it should be used, should be contrasting to the font color so that the addresses (‘From’ and ‘To addresses) are clearly visible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Judge a Bad Client? One thing all web designers are wary of is working with a bad client. A bad client doesn’t only mean one who doesn’t pay you on time but also one whoc reates unnecessary problems in the professional association. But in a world where there is intense competition among designers to source projects and outbid each other, how do you zero in on bad clients? One of the ways to do so is to look into the other side of the picture or in other words take note of early warning signs. Let’s take a look at some early warning signs which will help you judge bad clients and avoid them. Over Criticizing Your Previous Work This is something which new designers have to often face as they have a small portfolio to showcase and often quote rates lesser than the established designers. Here the clients would corner you by highlighting flaws in your previous work in a bid to lower the rates further. Do yourself a favor and turn down any offer from such  a client ‘Easy’ and ‘Simple’ Project You might have come across the statement “we want a very simple website” from many of your clients. Sometimes they say this out of sheer ignorance or in other cases they try to downplay the effort that is required to develop a quality website to bring down your fees for the project. Explain the client in brief the effort that his/her project would require and see the reaction. If they acknowledge your effort, go ahead and if they don’t, it’s time you look elsewhere. Promise of Work in Future This is one of the things with which the client often tends to lure the developers into their projects. Not only that, they would also try to get their current project done at extremely lower rates with lots of promises for the future. Just question yourself three things – Is there any guarantee that the client would hire you again? Will the client hire you in the future if you deliver poor quality work even though at a low price? And lastly, will the client exponentially increase your rates in the future? These three answers would help you take a decision on such clients. Vague Idea of Project There are clients who cannot put their idea into paper and talk on superficial lines such as “We want the website to rock” or “we want it to be functionally great”. Such statements are often confusing for designer as you would like the client to communicate their plan in realistic terms such as structure, graphics, layout and the functionality etc.  Working with such clients who aren’t sure about their idea can mean unnecessary wastage of time and lead to man hour loss. Know-It-All Clients One of the most dangerous types of clients is the ‘know-it-all’ breed. They would leave no room for you to suggest anything regarding the project and also mention you the rates that they are willing to offer and leave no space for negotiation. Such clients are usually arrogant and treat the developers badly. Unless you have extreme patience and are in desperate need of work such clients are best avoided. Remember, a thorough professional would always be open to ideas no matter how much he/she knows about web development. Impossible Deadlines There are some clients who always set unrealistic deadlines on their projects and use the term ASAP in each and every correspondence. Here you need to use your discretion in taking up such projects as they may continue to set such deadlines even if you deliver their work pushing aside the work that you already have on hand. The best way to deal with such clients is to ask them for urgency fee explaining them the reasons for it. If they don’t agree, you should in most cases walk out of such projects. Clients Who Disappear One of the dangerous breeds of clients is one who keep disappearing. You might mail them to resolve a doubt and they would come back to you after a week or so and jeopardize your entire schedule. You can look out for early warning signs when you initially communicate with them and get replies after considerable amount of time. This can also mean that the client has asked for proposals from many freelancers and is hunting for the guy with the least quote. Such clients are quite a pain to work with and it would be wise to turn your back on them. Most of the above scenarios are common in the web development industry. However none of these warning signs should put an end to any deal with a client. You should rather use your discretion in every case and try and negotiate the deal in your favor.