Like all businesses, there are procedures in the creative process that are important to understand so the client and designer can maintain a long-lasting and positive working relationship.
Goals
One of the most important matters we address is your goals. Defining clear expectations is what will allow us to agree on an objective vision of the project, and help me craft the best possible solution for you.
Pricing
We don’t discuss money during that time, because we need to focus on your project and your goals first. I can’t answer the question "how much do you charge" before we’re done talking, the discussion is what will help me determine it. Since I don’t charge hourly, I need a clear and thorough understanding of the project to evaluate their value.
Estimate
When we're done, I submit you an estimate which goes over everything we discussed. The work I will do, the files you'll receive, when you'll get them, under what terms and how much it will cost, it details every aspect of the project. We start as soon as I get the estimate back signed, along with your deposit.
Ideas
Once we begin, I will create a moodboard based on your vision. This ensures we are in agreement on style and direction and are confident in moving forward to the exploration phase.
Making choices means giving up: many ideas look seducing, but they're not all as efficient. Enabling excellence involves saying no to what doesn't work. My clients don't pay me to do half the work, I consider it to be my job to pick what's best for you. I don't subject you to design decisions, because this isn't your role: that's what you hire me to do.
Initial Pen & Tool redesign sketch exploration.
Creative Process
Logo design is an iterative process that requires deep thinking and sketch work. This can't be imagined beforehand. Throughout the research phase, I explore many ideas. This process helps my creativity feed on a visual collection of the many possible directions. I base my work on our discussions and the goals we established. I also make a thorough study of your field of activity, target audience and competition.
My work at this point is to reduce the possibilities. I materialize everything I have in mind, so I can drop a great number of what won't work. This is how I can confidently pick the right direction.
Sketching
Once I'm done with picking the right concept, I start executing it on paper. I spend a lot of time sketching, polishing and refining until I get something that's extremely close to the final product. All the creativity happens during that phase, everything after that is execution.
Vectorized options for logo redesign.
Digitization and Refining
I digitize the work by hand: I refine every little detail until perfect. I review every aspect relative to the usage of the logo: legibility, scaling, color compatibility with printing standards, effectiveness on various supports, etc. I regularly leave it to settle for a while and allow my eyes to rest so I can get back and have a fresh look at it. This way, I can spot all the flaws, and do much more effective quality control.
Final Delivery and Case Study
Once I'm done, I send you a presentation of your logo along with a detailed case study. This is where I explain you every design decisions, how I approached the project and how I came to the final result. This allows you to understand how every detail objectively fulfills the goals we set.
Usage
After I get your final payment, I email you the high resolution deliverables along with branding guidelines. They're made to help you use your new logo and optimize its readability on specific supports. It also works as a technical cheatsheet to provide your suppliers and other services.
You are now ready to unveil your freshly baked new branding to your audience and reach new heights!
Investing in your brand is exactly that, an investment. You brand is the baseline for how you approach customer service, fleshing out documents, products, and your digital presence. If you do not have the funds to invest in your branding, push through with what you have. Use alternative options or do what you can yourself until you are able to invest more. Don’t wait for your brand and every detail to be perfect. Time is the most valuable thing we have so don’t waste time waiting for all the stars to align.
