So! You’re an intrepid entrepreneur or creative, and you’ve got this THING that you’re really proud of! Maybe it’s a hair salon, or a podcast, or a bi-monthly snack delivery box. Whatever it is, you’ve made it and it’s thriving and you’ve realised that it doesn’t look as cool as it should.
Luckily, you’ve also been reading this really cool newsletter by this funky redhead who posts these really insightful thoughts on branding and design, so you know that how you look and how people perceive you is the most important part of your business. After all, they won’t walk through the door if they don’t like the view through the window. You’ve also remembered that your time is best spent doing what you’re good at, and that instead of wasting that precious time fumbling through canva logos you should instead just hire a designer to take care of it all. It’ll come out looking so much better than if you did it yourself, all while you focus on building that thing. Maybe that funky redhead is available?
Anyway, a lot of people, during discovery calls, will be nervous, unsure what they are supposed to say, unsure what they’re allowed to say, and just generally worrying about stuff that they needn’t worry about. So I thought I’d take the time today to give you some advice on how to communicate with those strange alien folk we call Designers.
There isn’t really a good way to describe vibes
I know it, you know it, it’s really hard to talk about what kind of mood and visuals and stuff, especially when it’s something like Logos that you probably have never really thought about. We have our jargon, but it’s pointless for you to learn all that just for one meeting, or one project. So I am giving you this piece of knowledge which will grant you freedom from awkward exchanges: There is no wrong way to describe the look you want. Bring in doodles, bring in examples of other logos with red circles drawn around the bit you’re talking about, do funny hand gestures, build a pinterest board, do an interpretive dance for all I care! So long as it ends up with you and me on the same page, it’s correct. If, by the end of the conversation, I have an idea on the kind of artistic direction you want, and the vibes and values of your business, then we’re winning, right? So anything that got us to that point was a success. It’s weird, it seems a bit…juvenile maybe, but that’s because, well, when was the last time you were asked about your favourite colour or what kind of shapes you like? When you were a child. But
Use Reference Points
“I want to look futuristic and cutting-edge” is vague. It could mean Apple, it could mean Blade Runner, it could mean Star Trek. Three vastly different looks, all futuristic, all cutting edge. But if you come in with reference points, then suddenly it gets a lot clearer “I like the way Apple’s fonts look cutting edge and futuristic.” Bam, now we’re on the same page, again. We’ve made the intangibles tangible.
Just make sure your reference points are varied. Using Apple once is good, it gives us that touchstone to work from. Using them as a reference point for everything just makes it look like you’re trying to rip off Apple. Which any good designer will shut down as soon as they smell it happening. You need to build your own brand, Apple’s already doing Apple. You do you.
Prepare for questions that sound irrelevant, and answer honestly.
You might be prepared for questions like “what kind of logo do you want?”, but you might not be prepared for something more like “What are your biggest weaknesses as a company?”, or “What are your values as a business?” I’ve asked these things to numerous clients and it’s caught them off guard, or they’ve never thought about it before. These are the kinds of questions that help us build a full picture of your work, and then we can use that to build a brand that suits you and only you. This is the point where we veer from Graphic Design into Brand Strategy, giving you not just a funky logo but an entire brand kit you can work with, AND the knowledge of how you can best work with it moving forward. Designers are more than just hired pairs of hands, we’re vast fonts of knowledge, and we want to put that knowledge into work to make you into the best version of yourself that we can.
If you want to start with the least scary designer in the world, then that funky redhead I mentioned earlier is easy to contact! Just get in touch, eden@killawattstudios.com
Housekeeping
If you like what I have to say here, if you have any thoughts about this or any post, or if you have a topic request for a later post, you can get in touch through eden@killawattstudios.com!
Oh! One more thing before I go! My Local Paper wrote about me! I’ve just finished a course with Community CVS here in the North-West, and we put out a joint Press Release promoting us both! Take a read of it here
