Even if you’re thinking you can still be your own designer, you know, along with running the company and the hundred other things you need to do day-to-day, we threw in one HUGE mistake brands make. It’s in bold below.
Direction. How good are your directing skills? This is a direct indication of the experience level to look for in a designer. Do you have the time and the communication skills to direct your designer? Or can the designer work with little to no direction and achieve your desired result?
Style. When you start looking for a designer there is no doubt one of the first things you want to see is the portfolio. Does everything you see fall into the same style--does it all look the same? One of the biggest mistakes in branding is trying to look like someone else. We have a caveat emptor on portfolios--we believe you deserve the right to know the recipe behind the success of a pretty picture. What did the designer actually do in that photo of their work? Style comes from the attitude and the personality you want your visuals to project. Which brings us to...
Process. What is the process to your final design? And will you be led through it or will there be assumptions? Some designers will tell you what their process is. At Tastefully Made, we have a process that starts with learning about you, your brand, your needs and what you’re trying to achieve. Then there are designers who dive straight into the job, leaving you in radio silence. Know what you’re getting into.
Attitude. Is your best interest the designer’s interest? One of the biggest skills any artist or designer learns when going through art school is critiquing, whether they are doing the critique or taking it. If you’re not happy with your design, are you able to discuss it?
Relationship. When you find the right designer, it is highly likely this is a not a short term relationship. At least with us, it’s not. Unless you’re acting like a general contractor and hiring different designers for each design need such as logo, packaging, menu, and website, then maybe some of those designers can serve as one-time needs. But look at all that time you're spending on that! Our experience tells us that you will need to go back for tweaks or minor updates and it could be seasonal or even yearly.
There are a lot of design needs to manage. We handle all of those things, making your job and your life easier. Let's see if Tastefully Made is the right designer for you.
“As a customer, it was hard to communicate with the graphic designer but you guided us through the process. You spoiled me! It’s surprisingly harder than it seems to communicate all these things. You can envision it as your would being in the company”
Fill out this form and tell us what your design needs are. Or just let us know what you think about this article. We look forward to hearing from you.
Not ready to put Tastefully Made in your line up? To help you out in the meantime, here's a checklist for files you need to get from your designer.