10 ways to get a good logo design brief
Is there a secret to building the perfect logo design brief?
Logo design – it’s a design staple and for good reason. An organisation’s logo is the cornerstone of a brand’s corporate identity. Design can be subjective and sometimes a client doesn’t know exactly what they want. That is why during a designers research phase, a logo designer should ask a lot of questions. Here are our top 10 questions that summarise our take on how to build a comprehensive logo design brief from a client.
Which version of the company name will be used in the logo?
This one seems really obvious, but does your client want to use the full business name? An abbreviation? An acronym? Or versions of all three?
Does your company have a tagline or slogan?
A tagline or slogan can provide some great clues about brand values but you also need to know if you’re designing a logo to match an existing typographical element. Is the slogan part of the logo? Is this another ‘version’ of the logo that needs to be designed?
Where is the logo going to be used?
This is another key question that will inform you about the true scope of the logo design project. Is the same logo going to be used across social media channels and display advertising? Get a comprehensive list of where the logo is intended to be used.
Who is your target market?
Ask your client to include details such as:
- Age
- Gender
- Profession
- Industry
- B2B
- B2C
How many extra details can you get? Take some bonus points for information like,
- How often do your customers need to purchase products/services?
- What percentage of your business is repeat business?
- Where do customers find information about your products/service?
Describe what your products and/or services do.
What is your client’s business? You don’t need to design a logo that tells customers exactly what a company does, but a logo should always be part of a story connecting branding with the organisation’s industry, products and/or services.
Who are your competitors?
It’s important to ask this question, but it’s also important to do some objective homework. A business might like to think they are offering a truly unique product better/cheaper/faster than anyone else, but some quick market snapshots can tell you if this is really the case and can help define your clients true USPs.
Which brands do you admire? Why?
Clients usually like discussing and describing brands, logos and websites that they like. Don’t forget to ask why they like that branding? This question can be a subtle way of finding out your client’s expectations for their company.
If your logo or company was a celebrity or cartoon character, who/what would it be? And why?
Celebrities and cartoon characters elicit an instant emotional response. The answers to this question can also hint at the overall tone and style that this company is trying to achieve with its branding. It’s also an easy way for a client to express a mood, style or tone without designer jargon.
Budget
Don’t estimate the work involved in creating a logo. Based on the information you receive in the questionnaire, ask your client to select from some options and provide details of what each package contains in terms of:
- Deliverables
- Hours of work included
- Number of revisions included
What are the workflow expectations?
Establish a workflow that includes timeframes. How long are you going to wait for feedback? Make sure your client understands that they are also expected to meet key milestones or the project could run over time and budget.
At iFactory, we pride ourselves on the effort we put into understanding our clients. We’re delighted to have a stable of long-time clients who we provide a wide range of offline and online design services for Check out our design folio on Pinterest whilst you are here. If it’s time to take a look at your brand identity, contact us today.
