How to maximise your budget with a Graphic Designer

Design briefing tactics that will get you the most bang for your buck, AND respect your budget...

"Designers are like superheroes – they need tight briefs."

Delivering a lucid brief to a designer is the best way to stop them from going down the wrong pathways, ultimately using up more of their time and subsequently costing you more money than you may have budgeted for. That doesn’t necessarily mean knowing exactly what you want; otherwise, what’s the point in commissioning a creative to do the work? It means telling the whole story, being clear and being distinct. Here are 5 quick tips to bear in mind when briefing your designer that will ensure you get the right message across, ultimately proving for better early-stage outcomes.

1. Define a clear objective

What is the point and purpose of this project? What are you hoping to achieve? If it's to gain more exposure, tell a story, or increase sales, how exactly are you hoping to do this? Asking all of these questions is key to pinning down a clear objective from the get-go before you have started spending sacred time and budget with a designer. If the designer has a definitive, clear objective at the forefront of their mind as soon as they get started, it will make the process much smoother, and you'll both be singing from the same hymn sheet.

3. Embrace your budget

Embracing and outlining your budget before briefing your designer is the best way to avoid disappointment and confusion. If you're not sure whether £X will be enough to get you an all-singing, all-dancing website, then tell them what your budget is and you can both work together to get the most out of what you can afford. You never know, there might be the option to spread the cost or manage the project in portions. Being aware of your budget ahead of time will mean you are less likely to have to cut a seamlessly-flowing project short and be forced to prematurely 'sign off' before you are completely satisfied. If you don't have a set budget but understandably want to keep an eye on costs, a well-trained designer will be sure to keep you updated on time and cost throughout the project so that there are no surprises at the end! I tend to look at the process in a similar way to construction work. You may have to navigate over and around a few hurdles during the project; however, if you were to grind to a halt because your budget ran out, you could be cutting off on something crucial or functional to the purpose of the project and its success. This isn’t to say design work can’t be reasonably priced, however, supplying a rock-solid brief will be your best bet when it comes to getting your money’s worth.

4. Set a reasonable deadline

All designers will understand the nature of ad-hoc work, we know sometimes it's unavoidable to plan well in advance. Often I hear my clients say 'I need it, like, yesterday!'. As loyal designers, we all aim to do our best and meet the expectations and needs of our clients, but sometimes due to other commitments, this just isn't possible. With any project – particularly big ones with multiple deliverables – you should try and set a realistic deadline for work completion. Giving your designer enough leeway to finish the project without feeling rushed will only result in a higher quality end product.

5. Focus on feedback

So, you've supplied your designer with a clear-cut brief and you've received the first design(s), what happens now? If you're happy with the first-round outcomes, that's great! If not, you'll need to think carefully about providing the designer with structured constructive and objective feedback. It’s absolutely fine to have a personal opinion, but they will need more to go on than just ‘I don’t like it.' It's also important to remember that the final design doesn't always have to be something you like, but more importantly, you should ask yourself whether its something your target audience would approve of. This is a good reason why you should be wary of showing designs to family and friends. Everyone loves to give their opinion, but they might not necessarily be the group you are aiming at. I often like to refer back to the quote from renowned Graphic Designer, Sagi Haviv; "A great logo is not about what one likes or dislikes. It's not about you. It's about what works. And what we want to determine is: What problem is our Client trying to solve?".

6. Ask for feedback from trusted figures, NOT your friends & family

If you're a successful small business owner or even a larger company, you've likely had input and advice from trusted advisers over the years to get you where you are. Having those people that can offer valuable input and advice is one of the most useful assets. It's important to recognise that those people are not likely friends or family. Asking loved ones for advice can even have a negative impact on your decision making. Whilst they love you and want to see you and your business succeed, it's unlikely they'll have an understanding of the context, market and/or industry that you're operating in, and in most cases asking for their uninformed opinions will only skew your own business focus and vision.

It's much nicer for both the Designer and Client when we can confidently look at any given outcome and feel that in relation to the Client's spend, the Designer's time and the quality of the deliverable, it has all seamlessly 'clicked' together.

But if there is room for improvement with your briefing and communication, hopefully, these few tips might help you nail it down even better next time...