✦ 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Brand Designer ✦

Not to be dramatic, but: Hiring a brand designer is a massive decision for your business. My clients put an incredible amount of trust in me as a designer – and I’m always honored that they can hand the reigns over to me, to create the visual presence for their business.

But just like all designers, I’m not a perfect fit for every client. And there are a few questions that you can ask as a client to figure out for yourself whether someone is a good match for you!

1. Check their portfolio

I know this isn’t a question, technically. But it *is* the most important first step to hiring a designer that will meet your needs! Designers tend to have a signature style that they’ve cultivated over their career – and not every style is going to be suited to your needs. So your first step, is to see whether the designer you’re looking at has a portfolio that meets your vision.

2. What formats will I receive my content in?

The absolute worst case scenario for many business owners hiring brand designers, is if you get to the end of your project… and only receive a jpg of your logo. As much as I’d love to act like it never happens… it does. And you definitely don’t want that to be your situation after making a hiring decision. Not only because if you only receive a jpg of your logo, you won’t be able to use it in many necessary situations – but also because you’re going to end up needing to start from square one.

Because you’re going to need pngs and vector formats.

So ask the designer you’re hoping to work with what formats you’ll receive your content in, so that you know you’ll get what you need!

3. How many revisions do I get?

My clients receive unlimited revisions as a part of their package – most of the time, that’s not necessary. Most of the time, we nail it in two revisions or less. But, if needed, I include unlimited revisions because I want you to have brand content that you truly, deeply love.

However, not all designers include unlimited revisions in their packages. Sometimes you get one, two, three – or you can pay for additional revisions after those included in your package. These details are important for you to know up front, so if it’s not obvious how many revisions are included in the package you’re purchasing: ask!

4. Do you use a contract?

Contracts aren’t just intended to protect us designers: they protect you as a client, too. They outline what you’re getting, when you’re getting it, and how things will shake out if there’s a problem.

And *if* there’s a problem, you want to make sure that you have the right protections in place. So, make sure that whoever you’re intending to work with, has a contract in place that protects BOTH of you.

5. When can we start?

This one might seem obvious, but… as an example, I’m usually personally booked out by a few months. So when you sign with me, it’ll be a little while before we can actually properly start on your project.

You may have a project that’s time sensitive, and that’ll require getting your materials much closer to signing than you’d be able to when you work with me. And many other designers have similar calendars! So, we want to make sure that going in, you know what the timelines will look like. Asking this question up front helps to eliminate confusion, and make your experience smoother!

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