One of the hardest decisions to make for your business is whether or not it’s time to rebrand your business. Once you’ve decided that it’s time to get a new look, then you’re followed up by another difficult decision: who do I trust to create the new visual identity for my brand?
Picking the right designer for your project is challenging because there’s no shortage of people out there to work with. Price range, portfolio, who they even like to work with, who your best friend in business recommends, who your mentor and coach recommends, that one designer in your mastermind, and so on and on and on. Trying to choose a designer can almost leave you second guessing if you even want to rebrand at all.
I don’t want you holding yourself back from your potential just because it’s hard to find the right designer, though, which is why I’m sharing with you my best tips on finding the best match so you can get the most out of this investment in your business.
Pssst! If you’re not sure if it’s time to rebrand, stick with me until the end of the post! I have a freebie for you!
Get clear about what you need + your desired aesthetic
Before you even look at a single designer’s website, it’s important to sit back and reflect on your brand and where you want it to go. A good designer is going to help you dig deep and develop your brand strategy, but it’ll help that process if you’re already clear on your business, what you need, and what aesthetic you’re looking for.
Start by asking yourself questions about why you started your business, who you desire working with (target market), and what your goals are. I know it’s really easy to think simple here “I started my business to make money” or “I want to work with creative entrepreneurs” but encourage yourself to go deeper.
A client that I’m currently just getting started with was doing some of this brand soul searching while doing her client homework for me, and realized that based on who she wanted to work with her desired aesthetic might be completely different than what she originally thought she wanted. While she already knew without a doubt that she wanted to work with me, if you solely pick your designer based on aesthetic only to realize you want something different, you may be out quite a bit of money if you lose your down payment to go work with someone else.
Look for a designer with work similar to your desired aesthetic
This is a big one because even though it seems obvious, you’d be surprised at the number of people who ignore this. When you’re thinking about investing a great deal of money into your business, it’s vital that you get a return on that investment by booking more clients or generating more sales. This is why it’s important that you work with a designer who can collaborate with you to create your desired aesthetic.
Let me take a break here to say this: your “desired aesthetic” is not an exact logo or website design. Aesthetic means “a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist,” which in this case plainly means: a guideline to the type of design you want. When you’re working with a designer, it’s important to keep an open mind rather than try to get them to create an exact idea. If you have something specific in mind, it’ll be easier and cheaper to try to create it yourself than deal with the frustration of trying to get your designer to figure out what it is you want. Okay, back to the post!
This may mean that everyone in your mastermind hired the same person, but you work with someone completely different. It may mean that one of your best friends is a designer, but you hire someone else for your rebrand. There’s nothing wrong with that! At the end of the day, it’s more important to get something that’s the best fit for your brand and will help you reach your goals!
Evaluating the pricing
I grew up on the saying “you get what you pay for”. If you hire a designer that’s the cheapest person you can find, it’s likely going to reflect in what you get in terms of both the design work and files you actually receive from the client. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s also not the best idea to go for the most expensive designer you can find. Obviously, the goal is to find someone who is in your budget or a little bit higher.
Another thing to consider is what you’re getting for the cost. For example, some designers only give a logo, mark, and final files for a branding project while others include brand assets (think: business cards, blog post graphic templates, etc). If you know you’ll also need things like graphic templates, it’s even better if you can find someone who includes that in their brand package.
If the person you want to work with is a little above your budget, consider if it would be worth it to save up a little more to work with them later. I know many times people feel they want to get a new visual identity as soon as possible, but it’s worth it to wait a little bit to work with someone you’re confident can really help your business.
How well are you connecting with the designer?
Once you’ve picked a few people and started to reach out to them, it’s time to evaluate the relationship so far. You want to work with a designer who you trust to show up and do the work. Someone who will answer your questions in a timely manner. Someone who’s as excited to work on your project as you are to work with them. If one of your choices takes a week to respond to you and you don’t like that, it’s time to take them off of your list. Or if you’re getting a negative vibe or feel like you’re bothering the designer just asking a question, they may not be the best fit for you.
Depending on the project you book with a designer, you could be working with them anywhere from 1-3 months (or longer!). You don’t want to spend so much time feeling anxious about your communication. You also don’t want to get halfway through your project and wish that you’d hired someone who was a little more into the idea of working with you.
Trust your instincts
At the end of the day, only you know what’s best for your business, so if you’ve found a couple of designers and are trying to pick the right one, go with your gut. Which one are you more excited about working with? Who have you been really excited to hear from this far? Who do you love following online and have a connection with? If you can answer the same person for all of those questions, I’d say that’s who you should work with!
Not sure if it’s time to rebrand?
Click the link below to grab my free brand assessment PDF. This 5-page workbook will help you get to the root of your brand and help you decide if now’s the right time to work with a designer on your new visual identity.
