Finding the Right Design Firm for Your Business
Here are some of the questions I ask when interviewing design firms or design consultants. Don’t be shy. The worst thing is a bad fit. And you don’t want to get stuck with ugly branding. It’s your entire corporate identity after all, and millions of dollars will eventually be resting on it. The firm or consultant should be able to handle your entire corporate identity system from logo to stationery to polished website.
1. Portfolio
Please show me examples of your work that include branding, print design, and digital design. I don’t expect you to be equally strong in all three, but I would like to see where your strong suits are.
2. Design Process
Give me an example of the design process you might take a client through.
3. Creative Brief
How do you generally go about gathering information from a client to put together the creative brief? A good brief is half the success with an identity project. If you have all the information and an in-depth understanding of the client’s brand, you will have the basis for a great logo and striking identity. Without it you’re just shooting in the dark and can only rely on your luck to find the right solution.
4. Brands You Love, Brands You Hate
What brands/aesthetics do you love the most? What is it about their execution that makes them successful? Were they always great? What brands do you hate the most? What is it that makes them abhorrent/shameful/unsuccessful?
5. Projects You Loved, Projects You Hated
What projects have you loved? What projects have you hated working on?
6. Formal Training
Did you receive formal training in design? Which school?
7. Staying Current
How do you stay current on design movements and trends? What are your favorite design blogs and design magazines?
8. Guiding Principles
What do you feel are the guiding principles of design? No need for use of fancy terms, just in your own words. Swiss grid system? Bauhaus? What else?
9. Inspiring Designers
Who inspires you? Give me specific names, and don’t be trite. This can be anyone from graphic design, typography, architecture, furniture design, industrial design, etc.
10. The Client
What do you look for in a client? Have you ever fired a client? What were the circumstances?