Finding your graphic soul mate

Starting or growing an organization (for profit or not) is like an endless first date. You want your organization to make the right impression and to be memorable.

So why is it that some individuals so often come up with flimsy excuses to justify producing their own company’s identity and promotional materials. While I’m the first to try to demystify what we do as creative consultants there is something to be said for hiring a professional. The most obvious one is that in this competitive market you need to be visible; sending your organization out there without proper branding or cohesive communications is just plain cruel. Despite all of its qualities, you’re setting it up to be teased and mocked or, worse yet, completely ignored.

Now that you’re convinced, here are a few tips to facilitate the process of finding someone who can help put you on the map:

1. Set aside a realistic yearly budget for marketing and design. If you have no idea what design services might cost, call a few studios and get budget quotes. Alternatively go to the library and consult the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: 
Pricing & Ethical Guidelines. It outlines pricing guidelines for design services for organizations of various sizes.

2. Do your homework: visit the Graphic Designers of Canada’s website—or your country’s equivalent. These sites are full of tips for working with designers and feature links to reputable studios or independent designers in your area.

3. Narrow down your options to 3–4 studios whose philosophy, size, or aesthetic strikes a chord with you. Consider working with an individual rather than a studio if the size of your budget or project is more suited to it.

4. Meet with them to discuss your specific needs and to see if you might be able to work together. Take a good look at samples of previous work, not to verify that they’ve already done exactly what you need for someone else but that they are able to resolve a variety of design problems in appropriate and engaging ways.

5. Be upfront about your budget and clear about your goals. A designer’s skill-set shouldn’t be limited to making things aesthetically pleasing. It should also encompass strategic thinking to find the best ways to overcome your specific challenges.

6. Get written estimates from each short-listed candidate outlining the deliverables and, if the deadline is looming, a timeline for completion.

Once you’ve found the right fit, the relationship should be one of partnership where you can each benefit from the other’s expertise to make a better end product. You’ll be on your way to the second date in no time at all.