Asking the tougher questions

The crux of a healthy design brief lies in the questions you pose. Obtaining this information isn’t difficult. You just need to ask.

What follows are some suggested questions to use as a starting point. Keep in mind, however, as you form your own list, that the needs of each industry and every company vary.

What does your audience care about?

Asking this question not only helps focus and orient your creative efforts around what appeals to your client’s customers, but it also shows that you have an interest in your client’s customers, and not a simple wish to please personal tastes.

How do people learn about your product, organization, or service?

Knowing how your client reaches out to its customer base will help you picture how and where the new logo will be used. This knowledge will affect the type of design you suggest and ultimately create. If the company promotes itself via leaflets at trade events, you might remind the decision-maker that his multicolor rainbow effect will cost more to produce than, say, a cool gray monotone design. Having an understanding of the client’s promotional strategies not only allows you to play a role in helping the company stay on track, but also enables you to deliver a cost-effective design that works on many levels.

Why does your audience need a new brand identity?

In answering this question, your client is forced to articulate why a new identity design is necessary. Sometimes companies are reacting to their competitors—a rival may have launched a new visual system, for instance—and the company wants to respond by doing the same. In this case, encourage your client to proceed slowly and cautiously, and refrain from responding to a gut reaction. The company may have built enormous equity around a strong and longstanding brand identity, so it’s vital not to disregard it entirely and all at once.

A better idea might be to refine or refresh the current system, rather than opt for a complete overhaul. We’ll talk more about this in the next chapter.

What words do you want people to associate with your company?

You may want to suggest a few adjectives, such as “creative,” “professional,” “traditional,” or “playful,” to help get your client started. The replies can direct you towards specific styles of design.

Generally, what logos do you think will appeal to your customers, and why?

By switching the focus away from your client’s individual design tastes and onto those of the customer, you keep the process aimed at the good of the company as a whole, and not just the personal preference of one person.

How many people are responsible for use of the brand identity?

It’s important for your client to keep a tight reign over the use of the work you create. As an extreme example, you don’t want a low resolution “saved for web” logo file to be enlarged and used on the cover of a printed sales manual. It defeats the purpose of hiring a specialist. By asking this question, you invite a followup conversation about the importance of brand guidelines. You might even, at some point, offer to create a logo style guide that illustrates for the company how to use, and not use, the design.