Brand Design v. Graphic Design

WHAT IS A Brand Strategist?

A Brand Strategist differs from a Graphic Designer in that they work to understand the key fundamentals of your business. They will identify your business’ market, and it’s competitors, to develop a solution that provides a strong, effective and competitive position in the industry whilst expressing the personality of your business.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BRAND AND A LOGO?

Your Brand is more than just a logo, it is how your customers identify and experience your business! In the scheme of things, the logo development for a brand is a very small part of what goes into building a successful Identity… and it’s really one of the last things that happens in the process.

Why Does the Brand Development Process matter?

Effective branding tells a story, captures the vision and voice of your business and provides consistency across all of your customer touch points - from the online presence, to the face-to-face service style, marketing, advertising, uniforms, print collateral… you get the idea.

Booking and Enquiry

WHAT KIND OF BRANDS DO YOU WORK WITH?

I have my list of ‘ideal’ areas that I like to work within. But I don’t necessarily look to work with certain BRANDS, I look to work with certain PEOPLE.

No matter what your industry, if you’re reaching out because you are looking to do something different from the ‘others’ - and I mean like, really wanting to shake things up, a fire burning in your stomach that you can’t put out, you’ve got THE solution and you’re ready to take over the world kinda feeling - THIS is what I am about.

In the end, if you’re as invested in this as I am going to be (and you’re a half decent person) then we’re going to be a good fit, and this is going to be a HEAP of fun!

What if I have to pause the project?

The finer details of pausing a project and what that means for your deliverables, your deposit and your project timeline will be outlined in the terms and conditions and/or your contract.

Generally speaking - if you wish to pause your project, I will be unable to hold your booking slot and you may need to wait until I have the availability to resume your project at a later date. In this case we will need to revise your timeline and it is possible that your project may not be completed within the original estimated timeframe.

The Design Process

How will we communicate with each other during the project?

Mostly Email! People are working from all over the world with flexible working arrangements and I am no exception to that. Of course, if your project requires any in-depth sessions to be face-to-face (or zoom) we will be arranging that too.

But, as much as possible, we will be communicating via email for your project as it keeps track of everything discussed and it rules out phone tag from all corners of the world.

If you are unable to use email as our primary method of communication then please let me know so we can discuss other options.

Will there be a chance to provide feedback?

Yes of course! Not only do I WANT you involved in the development of your brand, I NEED you to be involved so that we can get the best results!

That being said, there is no room for you to sit on my lap during your project! It is important to keep in mind the reason that you are seeking a brand designer. I know, it can be hard to trust a designer with your ‘baby’ and I get that! But if you’re looking to go all-in on something like this for your brand, then that includes trusting your designer and giving them the space they need to work their magic when they need it.

So, to make sure that we can maintain the perfect balance of input throughout our project - and ensure that our strengths are focused on the right parts of the project to get the best results - I set up specific points throughout the project where we can have open and collaborative discussions, as well as points for you to provide direct feedback.

What if I don’t like the design?

We will work together to identify the themes, values, vision, strategy and your ideal creative direction BEFORE I go into any design development. You will also approve a creative direction that I will then follow when developing branding concepts. I always explain the reasoning behind any concept presented to you and help you to understand how it fits with your brand strategy.

So, generally speaking, the design that we come up with should be in the ballpark of what you were looking for (ie I am confident that you like it, or it will at least be close).

Of course, your package and/or contract includes a set of complimentary refinements to allow for small changes and adjustments which are quite normal and welcomed as a part of the refinement process.

Assuming the design was in the general ballpark of what you were looking for, these refinements should be enough.

I am more than happy to complete refinements in excess of those included in your package, however this will change the project timeline and will come at an additional cost.

Do you ever outsource your work?

If there is an aspect of your project where I feel it would be best to engage a subject matter expert or outsource some work, I may suggest that we do so.

Depending on the nature of any outsourcing, an additional cost may be incurred. The details of this will be discussed and agreed upon prior to booking your project.

Packages and Services

I already have a design, can you edit it?

No. I do not edit or adjust existing assets or other designer’s work.

But, if changing up what you currently have is what you’re looking for, then maybe a brand refresh is more suited to you. My packages are not just limited to new businesses.

Let’s chat about what you don’t like or what about your current assets aren’t working for you, because we may find that there is more we can do for your brand than just ‘changing’ your logo.

Website Design

What platform do you use to build websites?

I use the Squarespace platform to build beautiful, functional and unique websites. There are many website building and hosting platforms available now, however I personally believe that Squarespace is the best ‘all-rounder’ solution, with the features and capabilities to suit most small to medium sized businesses’ needs.

Squarespace has the ability to create sites that are optimised for multi-size screen viewing - desktop, tablet, mobile… you name it. It goes without saying that we will be developing your site to be viewed on all of these devices. Secondly, the platform supports the integration of most of the major sites and apps, such as social media platforms, youtube/streaming sites, reservation/booking apps, form/PDF viewing capability etc. You can view the full list of connected services available here.

Squarespace will also be the host of your site, which means there are some fees associated with using the platform. The subscription fees are scalable for your needs and dependent on the features and capability that your site requires. You can find the current pricing plans for Squarespace here. Heads up - you’ll need at least a Business Plan for our project.

Why do you use squarespace?

Squarespace offers the best of both worlds - customisation and future editing capability. As a Designer, I am able to use coding and advanced back-end features of the platform to style and customise your Website according to your Brand’s creative direction, producing a completely unique product that is ready for launch. After the handover of your site, as the Business owner you will be able to easily use the simple and intuitive Squarespace editor to update and change your website content in the future, meaning that you won’t have to pay a web developer to maintain your site.

Is there anything squarespace can’t do?

I know I may have made this platform sound too good to be true… but there could be the rare occasion where for some very specific needs, Squarespace actually may not be the most suitable platform - eg complex eCommerce stores. If we find that you have any of these specific or unusual needs relating to website builds, I may choose to provide web layout advice and engage a web developer to ensure we get the results that you need.

I already have my Logo, can you build my website?

Generally speaking, I only develop Websites for existing clients i.e. those who have completed a Brand Strategy and Identity Package with me. The reason for this is that we will develop and then use your Brand’s creative direction to inform the styling of your site. That being said, I am still open to discussing options with you - so please send through an enquiry if you already have an established Brand.

Pricing and Payment

Do you offer a payment plan?

Generally speaking - no.

If we choose to go ahead on a project, I will require an up-front deposit of an amount specified in your contract, which is non-negotiable.

Upon completion of your project, I will release all assets to you 7 days after final payment has been received. This is also non-negotiable.

I am open to discussing how the final payment is made (eg in instalments), however the terms under which I release the final files will remain the same.