Photo Credit: Creative Commons

When beginning any branding campaign, logo or advertising design project, it is beneficial to consider a few pre-design questions to guide your graphic designer in the creation process. Good design is imperative, but if it does not communicate an effective message about your business or product, even the best looking logo will fall short.

Save your graphic designer time (and save yourself money) by answering the following questions:

• When consumers, clients or customers view your finished design project, what would be the ideal feeling or emotion you would like them to feel?
• What does the finished design project need to say about you or your company?
• Who is the target audience or intended market?
• What are your core values?
• Who are your competitors and how should your finished design project make you stand apart?
• What single phrase appropriately describes your company?
• What similar finished design projects do you like and why?
• What similar finished design projects do you dislike and why?

The answers to the above questions will give your hired graphic designer direction for your project, force you to think through what your finished design project needs to communicate, and guarantee that you and your graphic designer are on the same page as to your finished design.