How to Communicate with a Graphic Designer
In addition to offering world class printing services, Pel Hughes provides in-house graphic design for our clients who need new logos, signage, direct mail, business cards, and other print materials. If you’re new to working with a graphic designer, you might feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect from the process. The main thing to keep in mind when working with a graphic designer is that the process is collaborative. Your feedback is an important part of the process. That being said, there are some ways you can streamline your communication and expedite the design process by avoiding common faux-paus.
Following are some helpful tips to make your collaboration with a graphic design team more productive.
#1 Keep Realistic Expectations with Your Graphic Designer
Creating a graphic for your marketing and advertising materials is a process. The first draft you see might not be in line with your expectations. This is normal; however, as most first drafts are used to guide the design process. The end result could look radically different from its initial draft. Consider the first draft a litmus test for what you like and what you don’t like.
#2 Ask Questions
It’s perfectly acceptable to ask a graphic designer questions. Seasoned graphic designers know that many folks are not acquainted with the design process or industry lingo. One way to make your communication especially effective is to send your questions via e-mail. Interruptions—particularly telephonic ones—can slow the creative process. While not all questions are easy to formulate in written form, most are, so feel free to send e-mails with your burning questions from time-to-time.
#3 Provide Examples of What You Like
Although graphic designers are talented folks, they aren’t mind readers. Before you initiate the process for the first draft, we recommend sending over examples of logos, color schemes, fonts, and print materials that you find striking. Even a cover photo on Facebook or an Instagram post can make for great inspiration.
When you send examples to your design team, it helps them understand the overall aesthetic you desire and can help them develop a clearer path forward.
#4 Avoid Using Bland, Non-Descriptive Feedback
Throughout the design process, your feedback will help determine the direction of your project. Non-descriptive and general feedback is usually not very helpful to the process. There are five major components to design, which are: layout, fonts, images, color, and general aesthetic. When providing feedback, discussing what you like or don’t like about each specific component is helpful.
For example, many clients may ask their design team to make their project “pop”. These kinds of statements don’t really move the graphic design process forward. Instead, specifics like “could we try a white background to make a logo stand out more?” or “Could we try a different font?” would be more beneficial to generating a design you like. Details with clear and direct instructions can make a world of difference for you and your design team.
The design process can lead to generating beautiful and well-received materials for your business. If you’re looking to create stunning print pieces for marketing and advertising, give our helpful team a call at (504) 486-8646 or request a quote online.
