HAVE
QUESTIONS?
Read through the FAQs below, and if your question isn't there - please just drop me an email and I'll answer it in a jiffy!
What if I don't know how I want my branding to look?
There's absolutely no need for you to have any idea! That's my job to work it out for you & it comes out of the strategy work. I will ask you to do a bit of simple quick Pinterest moodboarding though just to see what's in your head!
What if I don't like any of the designs?
That's why strategy plays such a big part - plus you need to be 100% happy with strategy & creative direction (which includes a moodboard done by me) so by the time you see first designs, you will already have a feel for what it could look like & without knowing it, be pretty onboard already : )
What if I REEEEEEALLY don't like any of the designs??!
Just tell me : ) I appreciate honesty & directness. Try to remove personal opinion and ideas on how you like to decorate your home from 'what is right for the brand & will appeal to my ideal customer'. But we will talk it through - I am always fair and I ALWAYS listen to what you have to say.
If your business pivots/changes in any way after we start (or changes name) and things need a complete rethink then we will need more budget. Often the changes required are much smaller than you think to get it right though.
Most importantly - honest, respectful, direct communication please! Ghosting won't be tolerated, please & thank you.
I'm in a rush, what if you take ages with the designs?
I will know at the start broadly how long it will take us. The time-frame is written into our contract to protect us both. Unless I fall under a bus, I will always make deadlines & give you plenty of warning should there be a need to extend things by a couple of days or so. In return I ask that you are available for quick feedback after every round of designs sent over (3 working days max).
I'm rubbish at filling out forms and how on earth do I write you a brief?
You don't : ) - we have an immersion session where you just need to answer all my probing questions about your business, from it's conception to the future goals for it. I ask & listen, you just tell me about your passion!
How many revisions do I get?
I say 4 rounds of developments following initial designs & one round of last tweaks to finalise. Again I use my common sense and will only mention additional budget when I start to feel that my boundaries are being taken advantage of and things head towards a place of 'unacceptable quantities of revisions'. Mostly I do not act like a dick when it comes to making sure you are super happy with everything - that is always my top priority!
Core branding (logos, colours, fonts and key other graphic elements such as icons or illustrations) must be approved before any style guides or brand guideline documents are written (or specific assets designed for digital OR print use).
Changes which occur after these are written/designed will incur additional charges.
I'm printing stuff - what's the deal here?
Your printers should have artwork templates for me to drop designs into - they will have an artwork spec for me to follow so please ask them for that. Any items you are printing are your responsibility - please ask your printer for a physical proof before proceeding to print loads more. If your printer is hassling you to print without a proof - this is a warning sign! Sometimes you might need to pay for the proof (that is just the way it is).
Artwork files - aaarghh I don't understand them! Do I get transparent ones??
You will get a comprehensive full set of vector files (editable source files than any designer can work with & make changes to) and hi resolution digital files (with both transparent backgrounds and solid backgrounds).
You will receive a written explanation for each file type and their intended use, plus in our off-boarding video call I will talk you through everything too!
What about fonts? Do I need to pay extra for them?
I like to use some fonts with small license fees for your project as this will give us way more choice & interesting options. We're talking around $20/$30 max usually per font - this is paid directly to the font owner (Foundry) for you to download and install on your computer.
We can of course use free fonts, just tell me if that's what you want. At the end of the project I will send you links to download all your brand fonts and installation is super easy in a few clicks.
Same goes for imagery - do you help with stock photos?
When designing your branding I often choose images from stock to help bring the branding to life. I try to choose from free stock libraries as far possible too, again any which carry a license fee you will need to license at your end for use within brand assets. I can send links to any used in mock-ups, and always advise you to get your own professional images done to help really differentiate you from everyone else. I know some brilliant personal brand photographers - just ask me!
How should we communicate? Whatsapp? Email? Can we do a bit of everything?
Email please. It's simplest & easiest and allows us both to stick to our normal working hours, whatever they may be. As I work for myself sometimes I work evenings & weekends so you may hear from me during odd hours (I won't be expecting to you reply until it's convenient). I tried a project management portal and just found it added unnecessary stress to clients and workload to me. All projects run via email and calls now.
Rest assured I will respond to any questions as soon as I can within my working hours for that day - I would only ever expect you to do the same!
For the immersion call, strategy presentation, design solution & first round of feedback I ask we do video or voice calls for efficient communication and rapport building : )
What about payment - what's the deal here?
I require a 50% deposit to book in your work - this plus the contract signing needs to happen before we have the immersion session. There will be a stipulated balance payment date towards the end of our project which will be agreed beforehand and written into the contract. Payment dates are payment dates - thank you in advance for your understanding. The balance must be paid before off-boarding, Intellectual Property ownership & final files are transferred over.
I am happy to consider slightly longer payment plans for GLOW and FIRE projects.
Pace/length of project
When we start the project I will add key timings to the contract which as far as possible I ask that we stick to (give or take the odd day here & there). Please think carefully before starting this project and make sure you are really ready to be present and engaged during it's life-span. I ask for feedback on any designs within three working days of me sending or presenting them - it's very important to keep up the momentum so the project retains energy and dynamism. If there is an unexpected loss of contact from your side (unless something very unfortunate/serious has happened) I may need to put in a 'prject re-start' fee depending on the amount of hiatus time.
How about on-going support with design work?
Love this! I work with several clients in this way. Happy to chat about a monthly fee to cover any on-going design work you might require, where I execute your branding for you so it always looks exactly how it should! You'd be surprised at how badly a brand identity can still get messed up when in the hands of someone who is just highly skilled in a totally different area - we all have our strengths right?!
Have a couple of other questions and just want to email them over?
Do it here: Amy.Goodall@madaboutthebrand.co.uk