My Process
My promise to you: direct communication, clear deliverables, exceptional work, and no hassle. You will be a part of the creative process — from start to finish — and together, we will craft the brand you need.
Fees and Agreement
Before I can estimate a price for a project, we need to determine the goals, details, and deliverables. Before starting work, I’ll also send you an easy-to-read, single-page Service Agreement to sign, just so the nature of our working relationship is totally clear. (I’m cool with digital signatures if you are.)
I request 50% of the total project fee before starting any work — standard for the industry — and only 30% for return clients. The remaining fee should be paid when the project is complete, and prior to sending you the final deliverables. For projects that have a longer duration, multiple payment milestones may be more suitable.
The First Step
Before the pen hits the paper, I’ll ask you some questions to understand your business. Among other things, I’ll need to know what your goals are, who your audience is, and what makes you different from the rest.
Your Brand Foundation
Just like a house needs a solid foundation to last, so does a brand. It would help to spend some time answering these questions before considering your company’s name, logo, design, or messaging. If you don’t have answers to these yet, no worries — you could hire me to help you with this discovery stage.
- What are your core values? What do you stand for?
- Who is your target market? What are their needs? What motivates them to buy?
- Who are your competitors? What are they best known for?
- Why should people buy from you instead of your competitors?
- Which keywords or phrases could sum up your overall customer experience?
More Considerations
I’ll also ask about your budget, your deadline, where your design will be seen, plus any other relevant considerations. Here are some example criteria you may have:
- You want a sophisticated character logo, but nothing too cute
- You’d like to use cool colors, like blues and greens
- You prefer the look of a flat design style
If you don’t have any requirements or preferences, that’s totally fine. We’ll still be able to build you a strong brand that fits your market needs.
The Work
Research and Brainstorming
Research and brainstorming are essential for capturing the essence of your brand, so the end result can be unique and memorable.
I’ll consider your current situation, history, competitors, target audiences, market trends, core values, unique selling point, and where you want your brand to be in the future.
Concepts and Presentation
After exploring a bunch of ideas, I’ll lay out a presentation for you that includes my best design concepts and some relevant mockups for context.
Presentations that don’t require any design work will mainly include text with mockups. For example, in a brand naming project, I would provide a shortlist of names.
Revisions
Next comes the revisions based on your feedback. I will offer suggestions on what would work best for your brand and encourage your detailed feedback by asking questions about how the concepts fit with your brand’s audience and values.
Three rounds of revisions for design work is standard practice, but I’m happy to make additional minor adjustments so you are pleased with the outcome.
Delivery
Once I receive your final approval and remaining payment, I will promptly deliver to you the final deliverables via email or direct download. At this point, full ownership of the final deliverables is automatically transferred to you.