Are you working with a designer for a massive brand overhaul? Congratulations, that’s so exciting!
Over the last 8 years, we’ve worked with innumerable brands to either rebrand an existing company or build a brand from the ground up. Throughout each project, we’ve learned so much about our clients, ourselves, and what it takes for a truly successful outcome.
Now, what do we mean by successful? In our opinion, a successful branding or web design project is one that moves along continuously but also ends on a positive note. Our clients feel heard, their needs are met, and they feel confident moving forward with what we’ve created for them.
We’ve come to learn a few nasty little things that can throw a kink in any project (and we aren’t alone in this – really any designer would agree!)
1: Watching what everyone else is doing
While it seems smart to watch what your “competition” is doing, it can actually be incredibly harmful to your project.
I know, I know. It seems like the right play to watch what everyone else is doing to make sure that you’re doing what’s right but, it’s actually the opposite. When you watch your competitors too closely, you tend to mirror exactly what they’re doing. And, honestly, they aren’t always doing what they should be and just because their brand looks beautiful doesn’t mean it’s successful – it’s important to remember that.
Do this instead: Be incredibly specific about who your target market is, what they’re buying, and what makes that brand successful. Sometimes, it’s not about the logo – it’s more about the customer service. Pay attention to those behind the scenes things that make a brand successful.
2: Showing too many people your concepts
I know that sometimes in projects you’re just overwhelmingly excited about what you’re creating and you want to show them off but hear me out, it’s not the right move to show your friends and family until the concept is finished.
It may seem like you’re getting good feedback but you’re honestly getting feedback from people who are not attached to your brand and they’re not your target market.
Can you imagine me asking my mom what she thought of the logo that I created for a skin care brand when she couldn’t care less about skin care brands? It doesn’t make sense. We always tell our clients to make sure that those that they show and get feedback from are incredibly close to the brand. For example, you and your husband, your investor, or someone who you feel is a really good representative of your target market are great people to get feedback from.
Do this instead if you must get feedback: Be very specific about what type of feedback you need. Instead of asking “what do you think of this design” ask them “can you explain who you think this design is targeting?”
3: Asking for too many concepts at once
There was a time when we provided 3-4 concepts for a brand and honestly as helpful as it may seem, it’s actually ridiculously harmful and makes the project so hard to finish.
When designers provide more than 1-2 concepts at one time it tends to overwhelm the client and makes them think they have more options than they do.
For example, we may provide three options and each one of them may be significantly different from the other. By providing several options, clients tend to think that they’re able to mix and match elements from each one.
But, in reality that’s actually not what the concept was about to begin with. Each concept is different from the next therefore nixing the idea that you can mix elements from one with the other. The overall concept will feel like a mod podge of everything.
It drags projects on much longer than it should, therefore we began presenting a one concept presentation years ago and it’s been absolutely wonderful for not only us but our clients as well.
It allows them to feel focused and to home in on what they really do or do not like about the presentation at hand versus feeling distracted by having too many presentations to look at at once and having to provide too much feedback.
Do this instead: Do your homework before you begin the project. Your designer should be providing you with an in-depth questionnaire to make sure they have everything they need. We also ask our clients for examples of logos and websites they love and hate and also why they feel that way so we can gauge where they are with their ideal outcomes.
