In this chapter we will outline:
- Things you should consider before meeting with a designer
- The importance of personality in a good working relationship
- What you need to know about a design pitch
It may already be very clear with whom you would like to work for your project. If so, great - you can get on with pinning down the details of the design work. But if you’re finding it trickier to choose one designer or consultancy from the ones you’ve found, here are a few tips on making the final decision.
As a starter it’s definitely worth trying to see two or three different designers to get an idea of how well you’ll work together. It is also invaluable to prepare as much information as you can for this first meeting because it is then that you’ll get a sense of how the designers react to your objectives, your business and its requirements.
A good designer or design consultancy should try and extract information about all aspects of your business, so it’s ideal to have all the details to hand. Things you are likely to discuss in this initial meeting can include:
- Your products
- Your customers
- The size of your business
- Its financial performance
- Your competitors
- The reason behind your decision to commission a design project
- What you hope the outcomes of the project will be
- The business’s or product’s current position in the market
- Your aspirations
- Your ideas for growth
- A long-term vision
Thinking through these subjects in advance and preparing the necessary information will be really helpful and will make the meeting with the designers a lot more productive. Crucially, you should have a clear business case for the work you’re looking to undertake, as Jonathan Gold, founder of baby products brand Brother Max, explains:
‘It’s my job to give a huge amount of information about my customers, who I know best. The business has to provide enough information to allow the designers to understand and create relevant stand-out in the market, so I did a handover presentation to (design consultancy) Bloom rather than the other way around.’
Read the Brother Max case study.
At the first meeting you’re likely to be getting a feel for how the designers relate to you and your business and how you relate to them. Make sure you see a selection of their previous work – known as a portfolio – to ensure that it’s appropriate and of a high enough standard for you. You may also want somebody who has previous experience in a relevant market, so look out for that.
Also remember that a big factor in the selection can be based on gut feeling and personal dynamics. This is perfectly valid. The truth is that many contracts are sealed on this type of relationship. And it makes sense, because it’s going to be much more fun to work with someone you like and feel you can trust than someone with whom you feel less comfortable, even if they have a higher profile or lower fees.
‘Most decent consultancies will do a good job, so it’s about people: can I work with them?
The creative process is all about communication: firstly between a business and its design consultancy and, ultimately, between that business and its customers or users. And really good communication is likely to come from good personal chemistry.’
Read the Brother Max case study.
It may sound obvious, but in any good design process you’ll be talking a lot and it should be enjoyable and open, so ensure you get on well.
‘You have to find a rapport to let the ideas flow. Not everyone out there does that.’
Read the Ecobrands case study.
A pitch is the way a designer or consultancy will attempt to win your project. There are two main ways they can do this: they can present you with a portfolio of previous work, explaining how their experience and skills would be relevant for your requirements. This is called a credentials pitch or presentation and it is the quickest way to get a feel for what a particular designer can bring to your business.
The second possibility is that the designer puts together some initial creative ideas for your specific project, based on a request for ideas (or brief) you have given. This is called a creative pitch or presentation. A creative pitch is more likely to be used in a second round of meetings to help you decide which designer has the best ideas and so whom to appoint to the job.
Remember: it is agreed good practice to pay the designers for any time they spend preparing creative work and you should not expect them to undertake such work for free.
So, if you’d like to see some initial creative responses to your project you’ll need to factor in to your budget, say, a day’s worth of time for each designer who will be making a creative pitch. The designers will be able to tell you what their day rates are, so you can work out whether this is feasible.