If you’ve never commissioned a designer or design consultancy before it might well be hard to know where to start looking and how to select the best one for the job.
It’s worth saying at the outset that, because all projects are different – and because the design process itself should be a flexible one – there is no absolutely carved-in-stone way to approach working with a designer.
These case studies show how six companies found a designer and decided what sort of design project they were going to work on. They include useful advice from the businesses about how to make finding and working with a designer easier and more successful.
They are taken from our free step-by-step guide to finding and working with a designer which shares practical advice from other SMEs about how to find a designer, how to work with them and how to get good value from the project.
Read our free step-by-step guide to finding and working with a designer
Packaging design
Client: Ecobrands
Designer: Phelan Associates
Ecobrands develops health-related devices, usually for retailers' own brands. They commissioned Phelan to do some packaging and instruction/information design for Calista, a saliva ovulation test.
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Find out more about Phelan Associates at www.phelanassociates.com
Find out more about Ecobrands at www.ecobrands.co.uk
Branding and packaging design
Client: Brother Max
Designer: Bloom
Bloom carried out branding and packaging design for Brother Max, a baby product range which launched in January 2008.
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Find out more about Bloom at http://bloom-design.com
Find out more about Brother Max at www.brothermax.com
Branding and packaging design
Client: Filthy Food Company
Designer: Elmwood
Launched in autumn 2007, Filthy is a luxury dessert company. Its decadent brand and luxurious packaging were designed by Elmwood – and are now available in major supermarkets.
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Find out more about Elmwood at www.elmwood.co.uk
Find out more about Filthy Food at www.filthyfoodcompany.co.uk
Branding and packaging design
Client: Munchy Seeds
Designer: Ziggurat Brands
Munchy Seeds, a small health foods company in Suffolk suffered a drop in sales after losing a major client. Following a rebrand by Ziggurat Brands, business has greatly improved.
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Find out more about Ziggurat at www.zigguratbrands.com
Find out more about Munchy Seeds at www.munchyseeds.co.uk
Corporate identity and print design
Client: Gillies Jones Glass
Designer: Thompson
Gillies Jones, a hand-made glass company in Yorkshire run by a husband and wife team, commissioned Thompson to design their corporate identity.
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Find out more about Gilles Jones at www.gilliesjonesglass.co.uk
Website design and branding
Client: Good Schools Guide International
Designer: CogApp
Design consultancy CogApp generated print and marketing materials, as well as working on web development for the Good Schools Guide International.
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Find out more about CogApp at www.cogapp.com
Find out more about Good Schools Guide International at www.gsgi.co.uk