11-11-2015
Branding like a pro, even if it’s your first time.
Dear House Rules,
This is the first time I am dealing with a professional design firm to create collateral for my company’s brand. Can you tell me what to expect and how I will be involved in each step of the process?
Sincerely,
Design Newbie
Dear Newbie,
Congratulations on taking this important step in managing your brand. Prior to working on an existing brand, the design firm may request a thorough review of your positioning statement and competitive analysis. These are the heart of any effective branding effort. Once everyone is on the same page, you can expect to follow a very specific path when developing collateral with a professional agency.
6 Steps to Produce Collateral
- Initial Assessment & Scope
- Content/Design Intake
- Edit Content Drafts
- Move to Creative Design
- Edit Creative Drafts
- Publish
Interaction – You and/or representatives from your team will be participating in the design process each step of the way. Share all the detail you can about your company vision, mission, and operation with the designer. Describe how your customers use your product or service. Take the design team through an entire transaction so they understand the sales, production, and delivery cycles. The more you share about your company, the better brand management you can expect to achieve.
Process – It is very important to agree on the scope of the project in the beginning. Deliverables and deadlines should be documented in workflow with a spot for approvals and sign-offs at each step. Expect to do one intake for content and design unless otherwise specified in the contract. Try to designate a single point of contact for approvals and a select group of reviewers for content and design drafts. This will keep the development on task and on time.
Working with a professional design firm will up your marketing game by increasing brand awareness and establishing credibility with your target market.