I’ve worked with graphic artists in the past producing logos for clients and if it’s one thing that makes their lives miserable is a client that says ‘oh, just sketch something and we’ll talk about it‘. Usually good graphic artists reject projects which give them no guidance and rightly so. How can you do your job to a high standard if you don’t have the tools?
Here is what I’ve learned (so far) that you need to have before you even start talking to a graphic artist or even thinking about a logo.
What your company does
This is not as easy as it looks. We sat down and analysed what we’ve done in the past, our skillsets, what we could outsource, our contacts, our aims, our plans for the future.
What is your business plan
I know the phrase sounds scary – I left it up to Manolis to draft and then we sat down and discussed it, even though we still have some way to go. For the first few weeks I always think it’s neccessary to think about market position, gaps in current offerings and why it makes sense to work the way you intend to work.
The name of the company
Explain – this also helps focus your mind, let alone the designer, on what the name stands for, what it represents. For us it’s all about our skillset and our belief that the combination of content and code does wonders.
What sort of clients/ projects are you going for?
The audience shapes the message – I think I don’t have to analyse this more.
So, what have I left out?
