Hiring a brand and website designer is a BIG deal! Whether you’re hiring for the first time to build your brand or website from scratch OR if you’re hiring for your rebrand, it’s a big step.

And it’s not something that you should do on a whim.

There are a LOT of brand and website designers out there and it’s important that you choose to hire the one who gets you, your mission, your values, and of course the vision that you have for your brand or website. 

Many times as a business owner, you have an idea in mind for how you want your brand and website to look and feel, but bringing that to life can be another story. 

That’s one of the main reasons people outsource this task.

Even if it’s something you can’t do right away in your business, it’s usually something that comes once you’ve reached that one-year mark. 

(And P.S. – speaking of making investments like this at different stages of business, I have a whole blog post about Small Business Milestones and The Investments To Make As Your Brand Evolves in case you need more guidance on when to do what.)

When you decide it’s time to hire a brand and website designer, there are a few questions you want to ask when choosing who to hire. 

And my best advice? Shop around! Interview a few designers. Most designers offer free discovery calls and it’s always best to take your time and hire the person that is the best fit for YOU and your business.

I’m not for everyone and everyone isn’t for me, so I’d much rather a potential client come to a call with questions like this so that together we can decide if it’s a good fit! 

General Questions To Ask A Brand and Website Designer Before You Hire Them

What sets you apart from other designers?

As mentioned above, there are a LOT of brand and website designers out there and each of them will have a unique tilt. 

It’s important to understand what makes them different to understand how they will best serve you as a client. 

Have they been in the industry for a long time? Have they worked with other clients similar to you? Do they typically work with a certain industry?


These are examples of what could potentially set them apart from the rest!

What is the project timeline?

Some designers work with multiple clients at once, while others keep their workload small to focus on one project at a time. 

Your project is important to you and you naturally want it to be important to the designer, so understanding their timeline and how their specific process works is key!

How many design concepts do I get for review?

When you’re hiring a brand and website designer, you’re putting trust in their hands to bring the vision that you have to life… but what if they don’t get it right on the first try? Are you able to revise, give feedback, and make edits?  Will I be presented with multiple brand design concepts to choose from?

If not, you could find yourself in a situation where you’re compromising on a project that really doesn’t deserve to be compromised on. 

Make sure you understand their rules for review beforehand!

How will we communicate during the duration of the project?

When working with anyone, it’s important to have clear communication guidelines and knowing these ahead of time can save you a whole lot of frustration in the long run. 

For example, if you prefer to keep work communication via email, but a designer communicates solely via text, they may not be a good fit for you! You also may prefer zoom or in-person calls instead of other forms of communication. As small and silly as that may sound, it really can make a huge difference in your overall experience. 

Do you do the work or do you outsource some of it?

Some designers have teams that help them produce a portion of the work for certain projects. Some people are okay with this, while others aren’t.

Consider this for yourself and then make sure you receive clarity on it before deciding to work with someone!

What type of feedback would you like from me?

Lastly, it’s important to understand where YOU come into the equation. Most designers prefer a certain type of feedback (speaking from experience!), so it’s nice to have a clear understanding of this before you move forward with a working relationship.

I’ve personally found that guiding clients on how to communicate their feedback saves us both a LOT of time and makes the project as a whole much more fun and effective collectively – here’s my take on it!

Specific Questions To Ask A Brand Designer Before You Hire Them

When hiring for brand design specifically, there’s a few other questions I would suggest you ask before you hire them!

What is your experience in brand design?

Before hiring anyone, you likely want to know what their experience is. This includes how many years they’ve been working in the industry, the types of projects they’ve worked on, the type of people they typically work with, etc. 

Pro tip: don’t just hire based on years of experience! While yes, designers with more years in the field might have more knowledge, that doesn't automatically mean that their skill level is what you specifically need for your project. 

What matters most in my opinion is that a designer is able to understand YOU and what you’re looking for and sometimes that means hiring someone with less experience but more skill in a specific area. 

What do your brand services include?

Brand designers aren’t created equal and neither are their services. This means that one brand designer could have a package that includes strategy, visual identity, and support after project completion while another brand designer could have something totally different. 

For example, my brand design services include:

• Confidence building 1:1 brand strategy session to provide clarity and direction for the messaging, voice and visuals for your biz
  
• Target audience strategy to attract the actual customers you are trying to reach
• Competitor research to find your unique place in the market
• A full brand strategy - a documented plan that outlines how you represent your business, including ways to build relationship, memorability and a reputation that connects with your dream audience
• Aesthetically user-focused visual brand identity to communicate the credibility you deserve - this could include multiple logos, graphical elements, word marks, logo icons, graphical icons, color palette, patterns and typography
• A brand guidelines document that I call a "brand book" to help you nail that first visual impression with your customers
• Brand launch 1:1 coaching so you can get prepare and plan for your audience to get excited about your new brand and introduce it to the world
• Brand elevations to jumpstart your brand launch - things like social media templates, business cards, product packaging, etc.

Again, this comes down to choosing the person who is going to provide what YOU need!

Do you create completely custom designs?

Some designers create from scratch, while others might use templates or other pre-made designs to help kickstart your project.

If you’re solely looking for custom work, it’s important that you clarify this!

What will the initial concepts include?

Lastly, similar to understanding their review process and their service deliverables, you’ll ultimately want to know what the initial concepts will include for your project and this varies by designer quite a bit. 

“Concepts” are essentially just a fancy word for showing what the brand could be from a visual standpoint. It’s the overall presentation that encompasses the vision for the brand.

Typically, the designer will come up with multiple “directions” the visual brand could go based on strategy and then will send to you as the client to receive feedback based on the different ideas presented.

Some designers provide a full brand strategy and get that part nailed down before they move onto the visual strategy. Once the brand strategy is finalized, then they’ll often provide multiple visual concepts for the client to choose from.

Some designers, on the other hand, are considered “1 concept designers” which means they believe in a one-concept approach for a holistic and targeted design.

And then other designers could provide 10-20 versions of a logo and will get feedback from the client that way.

The way designers present the concepts differ as well – some will provide full blown examples of all of the elements they will be given at the end of the project, while others opt for mockups or mood boards. 

Basically, every designer’s process is a little different, which is why it’s important to understand how they work so that you can choose someone that aligns best with you!

As for me at Studio-A Designs, I work with clients on the heart and messaging first and foremost, and then from there I create two visual concepts, which typically includes a primary logo, secondary logo, logo marks, word marks, service icons, typography, and color specifications, along with multiple mockups of the visual brand in real world examples.

Here’s what this might look like in action when delivered to a client for review:

CONCEPT TWO:

Your designer friend always,