Being a Great Logo Design Client: The Open Letter

Hey designers, this is an article you can kindly and humbly send to your clients and prospects. The client-designer relationship can be a tough one, but alas, we are here to help. Being a great client helps you get great, quality work.

Dear Clients and Prospects,

You need a logo designed for your business. Which also means you have to find a graphic designer to create that ever so perfect logo for you. Perhaps you haven’t worked with a graphic designer in the past, or maybe you just need to brush-up on best practices for working with a creative professional. Regardless, there are a few things you should know when working with a designer!

Keep these tips in mind and keep your design service happy (this is very important!), and you’ll be on the road to having a great logo.

Communicate clearly – One of the biggest complaints of freelancers get is a lack of clear communication with the client. From the beginning, tell the designer what you want and need out of your logo. Remember, they can’t create something that wasn’t asked for—they aren’t mind readers.

Be specific –During the initial meeting, be sure to let the designer know which deliverable you want in the end, and be as specific as possible. Here are some common deliverable to consider:

• Primary logo and all related files
• Website banner
• Printer and/or Web logo
• Facebook and Twitter logo
• Letterhead
• Business cards

Set a reasonable deadline – Quality work takes time for creation, revisions, and client feedback. Plan accordingly from the beginning of the project and allow enough time for a great design. Rushing a project could actually have the inverse effect in the quality of work (freelancers should have an idea of their own time-frames).

Set a fair budget – Similarly, offering your designer a lower-than-market rate  (or worse) can result in poorer quality work. Often, offering price usually dictates the amount of work a designer will put into your project. Lower offer, lower amount of time spent. Quality, ideally, stays the same, but less time is put into the ideas, execution, etc.

Be available – Even after the initial meeting, your designer may run across questions that are pertinent to the final logo—and there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to get in touch with you to learn the answer.

Don’t second-guess – Constructive criticism and positive feedback is very helpful to a designer, but don’t continually second-guess their work. You’re an expert in your industry and they’re an expert in theirs. Just remember that you hired them for their talent and creative eye—trust that they’re doing it right.

Pay on time – After your project is complete and your designer sends you the invoice, don’t sit on it for weeks. Take note of their payment terms and make sure you meet them. Plus, not paying for weeks could give you a bad reputation among other freelancers in the area. People in the industry do talk about clients they’ve worked with and who they’ve enjoyed the most.

Spread the love – If you’re particularly excited about the work your designer did, give them a “pat on the back” and let them know how happy you are. And, next time someone asks you for a recommendation for a designer, it wouldn’t hurt to mention his or her name.

Thank you for reading, client or prospect! The above advice can go a long way toward a healthy relationship with your graphic designer—and a great logo for your business.

Sincerely,
The Design Community