2 Steps to take before you hire a Designer

Are you ready to start outsourcing your design work? Then you’ll want to make sure that your business is ready for it! In this post, I’m sharing the 2 steps you must take before you hire a designer.

You’ve decided to hire a designer what’s next?

If you’re looking to start outsourcing design work for your business you’ll want to make sure to clarify a few things first.

Why do you need a designer?

There are many types of designers available to work with so you’ll first need to clarify what type of design support you need. Are you looking for:

• Website Design
• Social Media Images
• Print design
• Branding
• or all of the above

Next, think about how much support you need. Do you need a quick turnaround on your project? Or a full website designed from scratch? Are you needing a new brand? Or just a brand refresh? Or is your business at a place where you need ongoing support?

Now that you know what type of design support you need and how much of it it’s time to get your ducks in a row.

Preparing your materials for your designer:

Designers don’t work in a vacuum so it’s important to get your designer as much information as you can about your business and your brand.

Your brand fundamentals:

• Business Values & Goals: Define what your brand values and goals are. Why do you do what you do? What is the purpose of your business?
• Your Audience: Get clear on your target audience. Who do you serve? What is your ideal client like?
• Branding: If you have an existing brand make sure to share what colours and fonts you use and have your logo files ready to share with your designer.
• Brand Assets: Prepare any other brand assets that you might have. These might be freebies you already have created. Photos for your business and of you personally.
• Content: Do you have content that you’ll designer will need to build your site or create social media graphics? Have that content prepared and ready to go.

There’s no such thing as too much information. The more context you give your designer the better the work that they’ll create.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to best work with a designer take a look at my 5 Tips for Business Owners Working with Designers article.