Planning a project with a graphic designer usually begins with a consultation meeting. This is where the designer asks a series of questions to better understand the purpose of the project and make a game plan. Knowing the answers to these questions before reaching out to a designer will help make the process more efficient and get the ball rolling on your project immediately. So here are some of the key questions you can expect.
1. What’s the purpose of this project?
In other words, what is your goal? Maybe it’s increasing awareness of your business in a certain area or introducing a new product or announcing an upcoming event. It’s important to have a specific goal in mind and what you’d like the outcome to be.
2. Who is the target audience?
We’ve talked a lot about knowing your target audience. So once again, we want to stress the importance of understanding your demographic so the designer will know who to speak to. You’ll be more effective marketing to a specific group than a general audience.
3. How will this be used?
Think through how your audience will experience the design. Will it be printed or digital or both? Will it be large-scale or handheld? The more specific you can get about your expectations, the better the designer can customize the work depending on how it's used.
4. What’s the deadline?
You can help figure out a timeline by deciding when you want to launch the design and moving backwards. Take into consideration the time it takes to print, proofing, revisions, and getting approvals. Giving the designer actual dates rather than just ASAP will actually make your project more of a priority.
5. What’s the budget?
Having a realistic idea of how much you are prepared to spend on a project before going into it is incredibly helpful for you and the designer. If you can be upfront about the budget, the designer can often help you work within that budget to make sure your needs are met.
2nd Story offers a free initial consultation when preparing for a project. And it's always our goal to use that time wisely and make the most of it. So we invite you to ask yourself these questions, and contact us for your next design or photography project. We would love to work with you and help take your business to the next level!