Objectivity has long been one of the most important qualities that graphic designers and consultants bring to the table. Its value cannot be understated, especially when it comes to personal branding.

Your identity is a tough thing to objectively examine because you are personally invested in it on a daily basis. You have a close relationship with your identity. This is important though because you are asking your prospects and clients to have the exact same type of close daily relationship with you and your brand.

Most people are not capable of objectively examining their own personal brand because 1) They are too close to their own beliefs and rituals to have true objectivity, and 2) They lack experience in brand development (especially the effective variety).

Give it a try

There is a good chance you’re thinking you are the exception, the one person in the world capable of objectively examining your identity. You might be right, but realistically, the chances are not so good.

Don’t get me wrong – I encourage you to try it. In fact, I will be starting a series of public examinations of my own personal brand right here on Branding Revolution. Just like you, I am one ambitious mofo.

I fully expect to discover some things during this exploration that will make even me uncomfortable, but that’s a natural part of the process. It’s what we do with the knowledge gained that counts.

I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies on local, national and international levels during the last 25 years, and honestly, I have met only a small handful of people capable of an objective self-examination of their identity. I have met a ton of people who thought they could do it, tried, and failed miserably at it. I’ve met people who accepted their own biased examination as the gospel truth, which inevitably leads to self-delusion and an ineffective personal brand. I admire people’s optimism and efforts nonetheless.

Now you might be thinking, ‘OK then, I’ll ask my friends for help.’ Think again. Your friends are already personally invested in your identity. They have thoughts and perceptions of you – both positive and negative – that no one else has. They prop you up, push you down, and are closer to you than nearly anyone. They are great for gaining alternate perspectives, but they are insiders, too close to you to be objective.

I am blessed with a gift for examining, processing, designing, and verbalizing people’s identities and helping them discover their personal brands. I am exceptional at it, yet I am aware that no one can know what everyone thinks about each aspect of them self. When I want an objective opinion about myself, I seek outside feedback. I highly suggest that if you are serious about discovering, exploring, and developing your personal brand, you seek external, professional help. That said, you can start laying the groundwork for discovering and defining your personal brand today.

You have your own set of impressions based on your intentions. The people who interact with your personal brand have different perceptions and experiences. It is entirely possible to align both yours and your clients perceptions and experiences. In fact, that is one of the primary goals of personal branding. It is not an easy thing to do by any stretch of the imagination, yet it is extremely empowering and worth the effort. If you can gain additional perspectives from an objective outside resource, all the better.

You can start by reading this post and doing the quick exercise it contains.

Your brand is made of three primary components: visual, verbal, and action.

The first creative part of virtually every brand development is visual design. I’ll cover the verbal and action components in upcoming posts.

Your logo and corporate identity, including your business card and website, set the visual tone for your brand and many of your marketing communications. Colors, graphic standards, and type selections are all determined at this phase.

One of the most common questions I get on first contact from someone looking for a graphic designer is, “What items do we need for corporate/brand identity?” There is some variation according to usage and business type, but for nearly every businesses I recommend the following basic items as a start:
1. Logo
2. Business Card
3. Website
4. Letterhead
5. Envelope
6. Tag line
7. Overview Brochure
8. Mailing Label

Here is an overview of each item, along with the reasons why nearly every business needs them:

Logo
Your logo is the visual cornerstone of your brand that tells people who you are, and does so in an incredibly memorable way. It sets the tone for all pieces and graces nearly all of your marketing communications. Love it, and never leave it.

Business Card
Even if you never leave the dark dungeon of your home office or the confines of your plush leather chair, you must have a business card. And not just any business card. Your business card has the power to make a huge first impression, or to be silent as a lamb – even if it’s coming out of an envelope. Never skimp on your business card design or printing. Avoid cheap online printing of your cards, at all costs. If you have to go that route, fine, but consider it a temporary stop-gap measure. Or better yet, find any way humanly possible to budget for a great card, and it will pay off in spades.

Website
Your website is the first or second point of contact for many people. Make it great. Budget well for it. Do not put up a website that you have to apologize for. If you’re not impressed by it, no one else will be either. If you have a small budget, keep an open mind, and find someone who offers an outstanding solution within your budget. It may take time to find them, but someone can do it. Work incrementally if you have to. Never settle for a lesser website than your brand deserves.

Letterhead, Envelope and Mailing Label
Many businesses use these items few times in a year, however, those few times are usually worth investing in good design and printing. If you send someone a fat proposal on a lasered letterhead in an ink-jetted envelope, with a hand-written label, you’ve just sealed your fly-by-night look on your hard work. Why risk losing that $43,000 contract? Spend the $400 on offset printing, and look professional every time.

Tag line
While your logo tells everyone who you are, you tag line succinctly tells people what you do and what you stand for. Your logo and tag line are a potent combination of meaningful, memorable brand smack.

Overview Brochure
Think brochures are outdated? Think again. When your computer, iPod or iPad are absent, your brochure can make the sale. I’m not talking about that yawn-inducing tri-fold in your dentist’s office. I’m talking about the uniquely formatted and crisply designed rockstar brochure that makes you feel like two million bucks handing it out. The one that can be passed on to someone easily and with a word of recommendation. The one that makes eyeballs bulge and helps people connect with your company. Your overview brochure is your impressive, convincing voice when you can’t be there.

Investing in professional brand identity materials does three things:
1. It makes you feel more professional.
2. You project more confidence, thus you sell better.
3. It makes the difference between looking like a fly-by-night organization or a real business.

A good graphic designer can put together a package of the above items that best suits your needs and budget. Sometimes we add in t-shirts, thank you cards, bookmarks and other branded items. Going in with a list of what you want can help. During your graphic designer search, make sure your prospective designer can handle all of these elements well.

Find this article helpful? Please add a comment or question below. Thanks for reading.

A wise friend once told me: If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got.

If you have been dissatisfied with the work your graphic designer has done, you probably do not know how amazing it feels to experience outstanding design when it is created just for your business.

Communication is key

If you want a big change in the perception of your business, or a boost in sales, or you have some other big goal, stop doing what you have always done. Find a designer who speaks your language, both verbally and aesthetically. You can usually tell if you’re on the same page within 10-15 minutes of talking. Branding is a personal process, so great communication with your designer is critical to getting what you want.

Align your budget and goals

If your budget doesn’t align with your goals, ask about options or adjust your goals to a more modest start with increasing ambition as your efforts start paying off. Some graphic designers can get pretty darn creative with solutions to meet your budget.

If you find yourself theorizing about the least amount of business you can take on to survive (to deal with a low budget), try instead thinking about your ideal client capacity.

How do you set goals for your brand development?

Depending on your business size, a brand audit is a good place to start. A brand audit will show weaknesses and enlighten areas to improve. If you run a small business, a brand audit shouldn’t take very long. If you’re just getting started, do a reverse brand audit by thinking about all of the places you think people will interact with your brand.

Think about every single point of contact that you have or will have with customers and prospects. This may be a little hard to do by yourself because you may take your brand touch points for granted – which is easy to do.

Listen for the red flags Some designers actually view a logo as a secondary element to a website. If you get that vibe while talking to them, find another. Your logo is one of the primary things you want people to remember on your site. It should never be an afterthought. If it is thrown in as a side order, move on. Your logo is the most important visual element of your brand.

Example brand development goals:

• Get a new logo that you totally love
• Get an identity design that you can be proud of
• Develop a brand that speaks to you and your audience
• Develop a clear brand that motivates employees
• Develop a brand that is strong at every touch point

Ask your prospective graphic designer the following:

• What is your specialty?
• Where can I see examples of your logo design, corporate identity design, and websites?
• Can you help me do a brand audit?
• Can you provide both individual and package pricing?

Try to get a feel for how the designer listens to you, and how responsive they are to your questions. If you have worked with a graphic designer in the past, think about some areas where you would like a better relationship with a new designer. Ask about those when you are interviewing designers.

This is your opportunity to find a graphic designer who can deliver exactly what you want. Make the most of it.

One of the most common questions I receive at speaking engagements is, “How do I find a great graphic designer?” Finding a graphic designer who fits your needs can be a complex equation, but knowing what you need and having a set of important questions to ask prospective graphic designers can shorten the process by leaps and bounds.

Budgeting for graphic design often draws a question mark for people new to hiring a designer. While frugality is important, your visual identity is the last item to skimp on because it is the most important tool you have for making a great first impression.

The number one thing you need to do before contacting graphic designers is determine your budget. Designers are masters of crafting solutions to meet budgets, but if you don’t know your budget when you start calling, they will not be able to provide responsible estimates.

Some graphic designers do design only, while others competently offer a full range of services. In my experience, working with one person or office can be of great benefit because it keeps your overall brand message focused. It saves money, energy and time too.

A quick word of warning: Many graphic designers have no idea what branding actually is, so be sure to ask some tough questions specifically about branding. I’ll cover this in more depth in an upcoming post.

There are many ways to find a great designer, from referrals to checking samples, to good ole Q & A. Conversation wins out nearly every time, so my vote is Q & A. First, you have to ask yourself some tough questions, then it’s time to start quizzing a short list of designers to find the right one for you. Read on to discover some things to look for and questions to ask.

Budget setting: use the new computer rule

When setting your budget, use the ‘New Computer Rule,’ which states that you should always buy the most expensive computer you can afford. The reason for this is simple. If you buy the cheapest computer, it will have a slower processor, it will become outdated much faster, and it will not serve your purposes very well.

Similarly, if you buy the cheapest logo, identity or website design, it may be lacking in power and longevity, and it probably will not communicate the essence of your unique business. If your goal is to increase sales by making a bigger impact right from the start, a cheap identity or website will not do the trick. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, but don’t sell your brand short either.

Budgeting questions to ask yourself:

• What is my annual operating budget?
• What can I budget for brand development?
• Do I want to work with an established professional?
• Can I deal with an inexperienced designer to save money? Is it worth it? (Hint: probably not)
• What are my needs for deliverables? (i.e. brand strategy, brand positioning, logo, business card, tag line, website, etc.)
• What do I expect from the working relationship?

Questions to ask your prospective graphic designer:

• What are your primary services?
• If you know your deliverables, ask for an estimate. Even a ballpark estimate might help you determine if you can afford to work with the designer you like.
• How many revisions are included in your estimates?

On hourly rates

You might be tempted to ask hourly rates. Proceed with caution or at least a very open mind here because all designers work at different speeds, which means that a fast designer will probably have a higher rate, yet you may still be able to afford them. You might be surprised – some designers work 5-10 times faster than others. Also, while a low rate may be hard to resist, it can often be a red flag signaling lack of experience that can cost you bigtime down the road.

What are some questions you have about budgeting for graphic design and brand development? Add your comments below.

I get the question all the time at speaking events and workshops: “How do I find a great graphic designer for my brand development?” It’s not the kind of question that can be adequately answered in a couple of minutes, so I thought I’d write a multi-part series here on finding a great graphic designer.

I get calls nearly every day from entrepreneurs who know they need to hire a graphic designer for brand development, but they have no idea where to start. By ‘no idea’, I’m not just talking about the finding a designer part.

They frequently have no budget in mind, no known annual operating budget from which they might figure out a project budget, no business plan, and no long-term goals down on paper. They often have no idea what constitutes a good logo design, and they have no idea what elements make up a brand. They just know they need a graphic designer.

Can I work with this set of variables? Well, I certainly try! The truth is calls like that are often the launch pad to a bunch of tough questions. Sometimes it leads to a great relationship.

Now, I could throw a guesstimate price out there based on what I think they need – and sometimes I just have to – but if I really want to help the person by providing an accurate estimate and have any chance of landing their business, it’s important to learn a few things first. Primary among them are their budget and goals.

Hands on the table

Ten years ago, if I asked about a project budget, I got a straightforward answer, but things have changed. Now when I ask for the budget prior to providing an estimate, about 85% of the time the answer is, “I have no idea. What should the budget be?” If I then produce a middle of the road estimate, I stand a good chance of seeing my prospective client’s utter surprise fly across the room or through the phone, smacking into the wall like a cast iron frying pan.

I often find that people have a preconceived notion of what a design project is worth before they have any idea what the end-product will do for them.

Some people hold back on sharing their budget because they think it’s smart business, like maybe they’ll get a better deal. And maybe they will, but it’s more likely they won’t. A far more efficient strategy for getting an exceptional design is everybody with their hands above the table, working towards a common goal.

If you truly have no idea what your budget is, that’s ok, as long as you’re willing to do the work together to figure it out. At some point, your budget and goals absolutely have to align, or you will likely wind up frustrated or disappointed, or worse, over budget.

Making sense of budget alignment

A company called me last year wanting a custom font designed and programmed. I was told that budget wasn’t a problem. I mentioned that custom type design and font programming can run between $5,000 and $15,000, depending on complexity. I heard this: “What?! Oh, I thought it would be maybe one or two hundred bucks.” Click.

Type design is often a 100-200 hour (or more) conquest. The end result is a truly unique typeface that becomes a core part of a company’s marketing communications. It provides a distinctiveness that few other elements can. The financial benefit of it is tremendous because it can transform a company’s marketing pieces from mediocre yawnfests to attention-getting masterpieces.

SO: Say I spent 50 hours on their type design project. At $200, I would make $4 per hour on the project. Next! Had the company’s goals and budget been aligned, I could have suggested a smart solution for them.

Take note!
Creative problem solving is part of what you should be looking for in a great graphic designer. It’s what elevates design to another level, one that connects with people on multiple levels.

The point of this series
If you read every article in this series, you will be one informed entrepreneur, ready to march out and find an absolutely perfect fit in a graphic designer for your brand development needs (or virtually any graphic design project needs).

Does this sound like a valuable series to you? Let me know in comments, and stay tuned!