Choose and work with a designer

You're probably making design-related decisions in your business every day. You may be modifying your products, building your brand or improving the processes behind your services.

Using a professional designer or design agency can help you strengthen this decision-making and ensure that your design focuses on your customers' needs.

Benefits of professional design

You can draw on a designer's skills throughout a project, from strategy and idea generation to implementation and evaluation.

Designers can contribute most when they're involved from the earliest stages to help generate new ideas. They can then visualise those ideas and test them to shorten time to market and increase the chances of success.

Why you need a designer?

Designers can help you deliver a broad range of projects including:

• a new website to communicate your brand and offer an online sales platform
• a new or updated product to keep you ahead of the competition
• packaging to make a product more attractive or easier to sell
• new branding to reposition your business or launch it in a new market

They can also help you to:

• improve your internal or external communications
• improve working or retail environment to boost productivity or sales
• make your business more sustainable
• research your customers' needs and wants

Choosing the right designer for your business or product is not always straightforward. To give your project best chances of success, you will need to find someone who is competent, creative and the right fit for your business and budget. You will also need to work out what way you will collaborate - on a consultancy basis, hire them for a period or employ them into your company.

Reasons to hire a graphic designer

Graphic designers are great at communicating messages through visual mediums. They can create and assemble images, typography, etc to improve the aesthetic appeal of your business. They can help you:

• create a stand out brand
• make your business more professional
• appeal to new audiences
• provide expertise and a specific set of skills to your project

If you are struggling to find the right person or agency for your project, you may want to seek help from business support organisations such as Invest Northern Ireland.

A good design team will comprise a number of key people within your business. They will each have key roles and responsibilities to ensure that your design project is delivered on time and meets its objectives.

Design team roles and responsibilities

Most design teams include four general categories of people:

• designers
• managers
• subject matter experts, eg users of product or service that is being developed
• stakeholders

Every business is different so your circumstances will dictate how your design team forms and functions within your organisation. You may need to work with several designers - including a lead designer, product designer, graphic designer, user research or user experience designer, etc.

It's generally a good idea to try to agree some level of processes and guidelines for your team - for example, around communication or sharing assets and project files.

Project manager relationship with design team

Behind every great project is a great project manager. You should identify a manager for your project from the outset - a person who will have responsibility and authority for design-related decisions.

Your project manager should consult on an ongoing basis with the designers, as well as the key departments in your business, such as sales, marketing and production - since the design project will benefit from their input.

The project manager should be responsible for:

• defining the parameters of the project
• co-ordinating brainstorming and other design-related teamwork
• setting targets and deadlines
• managing budgets
• assigning specific tasks
• identifying ownership and intellectual property issues
• communicating the brief to everyone involved
• determining how the larger team functions
• facilitating co-operation
• debriefing at the end of the project

Project team

A project team within your business can act as a sounding board, take responsibility for the project and ensure it retains momentum.

For a project team to be effective it needs to include - or consult frequently with - representatives from across your business as well as key people from outside it. Your project team might include some or all of the following:

• salespeople or other customer-facing employees
• engineers - to advise on technical feasibility
• marketing and research staff
• selected key customers - to take part in user-research work
• key suppliers
• third-party resellers

See more on managing your design projects.

Design businesses range from sole traders to large consultancies. They may specialise in one design discipline, or offer a range of skills and services. If you're starting out or rebranding an existing business, choosing the right designer or agency for your project is key.

How to find a professional designer?

Start with looking for referrals and recommendations from business acquaintances. You can also search online, in professional directories or enquire with local business support agencies.

If you come across design work that impresses you, find out who did it, but don't be swayed by one high-quality project you have seen. You will want to make sure that the designer has:

• good credentials
• an extensive portfolio that shows high standards of creativity and skills
• a track record in problem-solving and achieving success

Draw up a shortlist of designers by looking at recent work. Ask them for a summary of their credentials and what approach they would take to your project. You should also ask them for a quote or to tender for the job.

By this stage, you should have a clear idea of the budget for your design project. Keep in mind that the larger the company you hire, the more complicated the fee structure may be. Budget is one of the key things to agree with your designer.

Questions to ask a potential designer

When choosing a designer, you may want to ask them the following questions:

• Are they specialists in your sector?
• Have they the necessary skills to take on this project?
• Can they meet your requirements within budget and deadline?
• What systems do they use and are they compatible with yours?
• What are their estimated response times - can they be flexible?
• Will they maintain confidentiality about your project?
• What do they charge and how do they want to be paid - is there a fixed rate for the job or are extras to be negotiated?

Personality and ethos matter too. You should choose a designer with whom you feel you could develop a good working relationship.

Creative vs credentials pitch

While you are shortlisting, you may want to invite a few preferred agencies to 'pitch' their services to you. Two most common types of pitching are:

• creative pitch
• credentials pitch

Creative pitching sometimes involves a designer doing free creative work in the hope of winning a contract. This does not necessarily mean they will produce the best solution for your project.

Credentials pitch allows you to interrogate past work and experience, and assess the designer's proven capabilities, expertise and record of accomplishment.

Regardless of the nature of the pitch, you will typically have to give the candidates an outline brief of your project's objectives and business goals. See how to write an effective design brief.

You will get a chance to ask further questions during the pitch. This will enable you to get a better idea of the designer's approach, and decide if they are the right fit for your project.

The designer's job is to come up with specific, workable solutions for you. The more information you give them, the better the result they'll produce. This is where a design brief comes in.

What is a design brief?

A design brief is a concise, written document that outlines all of the main considerations for your project. It is a critical part of the design process, as it sets clear expectations and goals for everyone involved.

Creating a design brief will give you chance to consider and discuss all the important design issues before you actually commission a designer to start work.

How do you write a design brief?

A brief should be a point of reference at all stages of your design process. It should clarify what you want to achieve, what you expect from the working relationship and if any limitations apply.

Your design brief should include:

• Company background - a summary of who you are and what do you do. How long have you been in business? Who are your customers or target audience? What is your market? Your competitors? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your strategic objectives?
• Project background and aims - give a clear description of the project in as much detail as needed. Explain the problem that the design seeks to resolve. Where does the project fit within the business? What services you require? What aims and objectives must the project meet? For example, is it expected to increase sales, market share, brand awareness, etc? Detail any previous work and explain how you will use the finished design.
• Budget - you may not know the full extent of the project budget at this stage, but you may want to be clear what your position is. For example, if you're looking for quotes, if you have a ballpark figure or are willing to negotiate on price, or if you are looking for proposals that could be delivered against a set budget.
• Timescale - include in the brief if you have a project plan or milestones in mind, or a deadline you must meet for the delivery of the project.
• Approval and management - provide details of the internal teams and outline who will be involved in any approval process. Who will be responsible for the project? What stages will require sign off? How long should this take? Describe how you will manage communications and measure outcomes and success, and if this needs to be in accordance with a business plan or business case raised for the project.
• Design constraints - does the project need to fit with other designs? Does it need to follow any existing style or brand guidelines? Who will own intellectual property rights to the created designs? Are there any specific technical or legal requirements or location constraints?

While a brief should be concise, more information is better than not enough.

Refine the design brief

A good brief will help develop trust and understanding between you and your designer. Your designer may want to review or refine the brief with you to make sure that all considerations are covered and understood. See key things to agree with your designer.

Design brief example

Download an example design brief for a website (PDF, 28K).

Before your design project starts, you should agree a number of key things with your designer or design team. These include:

• Objectives - these should be specific, measurable, realistic, time-limited and understood by both sides.
• Internal resources - take into account all the people and information the project will require, from materials to manufacturing techniques.
• Costs - agree with a designer how you will pay them and will there be additional costs, ie are the design fees an estimate, fixed-price or on a 'price-not-to-exceed' basis.
• Schedules - include the design team in your timetable and make them aware of any critical milestones along the way to the final deadline.
• Communication - aim for open discussions with your design team and a steady flow of ideas between both parties to help ensure the right design is picked for development.
• Control - aim for firm decisions at all times to avoid wasting money on unproductive ideas.
• Progress reviews - hold regular reviews that keep everyone up to date.
• Intellectual property (IP) - agree any IP issues in advance. You can draw up contracts to ensure that your business retains any IP created as part of the project.

Preparation is key to ensuring that you get the most from your discussions.

Estimate and negotiate your design budget

Designers usually charge either a daily or hourly rate, or a fixed fee for the entire project. Sometimes, they may wish to arrange the payment on a royalty basis, as a share of the revenue generated by their work.

Depending on the agency size and structure, and the scope of the work, the fees may involve:

• a pitch fee
• the design work fee
• copywriting
• print or production
• specialist skills or equipment
• prototyping and testing
• market research
• IP assignment

It is important to discuss all the costs involved to make sure that both sides understand what they are agreeing to.

Design proposal document

The designer may wish to develop a formal proposal document in response to your design brief. In this proposal, the designer will work out what they need to do, how long this is likely to take and how much they need to charge for it. They will also outline what you will get for your money.

After agreeing the brief and the proposal, the designer will proceed to explore possible solutions. From this point, it will be important to manage your design project effectively.

Once you chose your designer, it is vital that your team runs the project effectively. Just dropping in occasionally to check on the design process isn't the best way forward - your input will be important during activities such as research, brainstorming and user testing.

Design process key stages

The various stages of creative work include:

• Concept development - the designer explores various design options as initial concepts. You'll be involved in helping to choose which one goes forward for further development.
• Design development - once you and the designer establish the basic concept, you will have to refine ideas and choose one to work up to a final solution. Again, you will be asked to sign off each stage.
• Testing - the project evolves to the stage where you can evaluate, test and review progress.
• Implementation - finally, depending on the project, the final design may go live, to print, production or be communicated to target audiences.

See more on the key stages of the design process.

Design project review

During the development of your design, you will have to evaluate the work against project requirements and outcomes. This may involve, for example, reviewing sketches for layouts, suggested brand colours and typography, or product prototypes and mock-ups.

When and what you review may depend on the needs of the business and the specifics of the project. However, in most cases, there are a number of natural stopping-off points where you will be expected to sign off, eg after the initial designs and after the revised designs. Identifying these review stages in advance, helps ensure that you can deal with any problems swiftly.

Throughout this process, your project manager needs to communicate with everyone involved at all stages. Find out more about managing your design project.

Design approval and sign off can be useful milestones for your business. They can help keep your project on track and moving forward, making sure that you are happy with the development and the delivery of your design. However, they can also be one of the most challenging elements of the design process.

What is design sign off?

Sign off typically implies that the design is final and no further revisions are possible.

The development process may contain several sign off points where you will be expected to approve changes, before the designer can continue the process. For example, you may be asked to sign off on a web design before the designer begins the build.

You will want to agree these sign off points in advance, to allow you to discuss and collaborate on the design. Having a chance to agree on certain design assumptions or details can result in faster development and ensure that your project stays in scope and on budget.

If you follow this collaborative approach, by the time you see the final design, you are less likely to have issues with signing off since you have contributed to creating the solution.

Managing design approval and sign off

Before the project begins, you need to establish who has the authority to approve and sign off on the various stages. This might be a team member, the project manager, a senior manager or the business owner.

You will also want to agree on the level of iterations and revisions you can expect, and whether certain types of changes are in scope or not.

Finally, you will need to decide when and how the project will end. For example, if issues come up after you manufacture a new product or launch a new website, have you allowed for further revisions to the design? Or are you going to declare that project complete and start a new design phase later?

After the project ends, you should set up a final review to assess how the project was handled and if there are any lessons you can learn from the experience. The review will also allow you to evaluate your design investment properly.

See more on managing your design projects.

Design is integral to almost any part of your business operations. From website development, brands and logos, to marketing and product or service development - all these elements rely greatly on design. It is therefore very important to manage your design projects efficiently and methodically.

Here are some steps you can follow to help you manage the design process while working with creative people like product designers, brand consultants or web design agencies.

• Project team - you should build a team to work out how design can address your business problem and manage the design process. See how to create an effective design team.
• Team leader - you should assign a project manager with the authority to make decisions and consult the whole business to define the design process objectives.
• Targets - you should set budgets, timescales and measurable targets.
• Research - you should investigate your customers' needs and make sure your project responds to them.
• Design brief - make sure your brief outlines the project's aims, budget, timetable and any legal, technical, or other constraints on the design.
• Consultation - you should speak with as many people as possible in your business to help you create the brief. See how to write an effective design brief.
• Designer - carefully research different designers before making a choice. See how to choose the right designer for your project.
• Design concepts - you should aim to develop your concepts from an original idea. See how to manage your design project effectively.
• Prototypes - you should create, test and evaluate prototypes of your designs.
• Evaluations - you should use these to refine your design prototypes and concepts.
• Implementation - you should sign off on the design before it goes live, to print, production or manufacture. Read more about design sign off and approval.
• Evaluate - appraise the procedures involved and the overall success of your design project.
• Review - assess whether you have met your objectives and whether you could improve the process in future.

For more information on the design process, see managing your design projects.