by Melanie Spring, Sisarina
Last week I wrote about 10 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Designer. Now for the next step: writing your own design scope!
Every designer is different - styles, ideas, processes, vision. You can give the same design scope to 3 designers and find a very different outcome from each. Most of the time you have a general idea of what you want but don't have the artistic skills to draw it out coherently for them. Sometimes you want them to give it their own flavor. Design is very interpretive so it's key to explain yourself thoroughly.
Since designers are very detailed people, they need details to get a project started. They want to get inside your head and pull out as much information as they can so they can include all the little details you didn't know you wanted. Since a designer can't just download your thoughts (yet), I've devised a way for you to help them understand your what you expect.
Answer the following questions and give this to your designer. They can give you a much more specific quote based on your requirements and this will save them time when they start designing. Be specific & don't leave anything out. Too much information is always better than too little.
Design Scope for: (type of project – eg. website, brochure, logo, business cards, etc)
Organization/Person: (name of your business, organization, person)
Contact Info: (name of main contact, phone number, email)
WHO ARE YOU?
Tell me about your products/services/stuff. Give me details on why you are passionate about it.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?
Tell me about your goals, how you plan to market yourself/business and why you want to have this project completed.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE PERCEIVED?
Tell me how you hope you/your business will be seen by your potential customer. Use describing words. (eg. fun, engaging, serious, prestigious, stable, unique, precise, etc)
WHO IS YOUR COMPETITION?
Give me links to your competitors websites and how they compete with and/or differ from you. Tell me what you like and don't like about their websites.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE ALREADY?
Give me anything you have had designed already & tell me if you want to use them or what you like about them. This includes logo, brochure, letterhead, website, advertising, or anything else.
WHAT COLORS SHOULD WE WORK WITH?
Tell me about your favorite colors & the ones you dislike.
WHAT LOGOS DO YOU LOVE?
Go to google.com/images & type in “Logo”. Give me names/links to some of your favorites. Make sure to tell me why you like them.
WHAT WEBSITES DO YOU LOVE?
Go to stumbleupon.com and start checking out websites. Give me links to ones you like with why you like them. Be detailed. Tell me about navigation, pictures, placement of content areas, colors, features, feeds, etc.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BRAND?
Tell me about your favorite brand and how you've learned from things they've done in a marketing sense.
WHAT KEYWORDS DESCRIBE YOU/YOUR BUSINESS?
Give me a list of keywords that describe you and your business. Go to http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_good_describing_words and pick out a bunch of words that fit.
WHAT IMAGES DESCRIBE YOU/YOUR BUSINESS?
Go to www.istockphoto.com and do a search for things that showcase your business. Give me links to those pictures & tell me why you like them. They won't be used in your site but will give us a good visual for what you like.
WHAT ARE YOUR SACRED COWS?
Tell me things you MUST have in your project. Tell me things you absolutely DO NOT want in your project. Tell me your touch points. Give me as much or as little info/direction as you want.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL ME?
Check out www.pinterest.com and start pinning things to a board that will help me figure out your style, ideas and thoughts. Be as visual as possible. Once you're ready, share your idea board with me. (If you'd like an invite to Pinterest, contact me.)
WANT TO FILL IT OUT?
Download Design-Scope.doc & use it for your next project!
Have anything else to add this list? Let me know! All comments are welcome.
Photo by Vilseskogen
