One question I get asked often is “what if your client doesn’t like what you’ve designed?” The answer I give is, “if that does happen (and it very rarely does), then it’s down to a failure to get a decent design brief.”

The key to success when it comes to logo design, or design of any other kind, is to glean the right information at the initial stages before pen even hits paper.

This all comes down to:

1. The design brief
2. Feedback stages throughout the design process
3. Open and clear communication about what the client likes and dislikes

Getting your brief together before approaching a designer is a sure fire way to make you money in the long run, because the more guidance your designer has, the better the outcome for you.

I use a logo design brief form with my clients, which is an interactive PDF form that I complete in person or over the phone. The questions include things like:

-Describe how you want your business logo to look/feel in 5 words (eg. cool, modern, open, friendly, forward-thinking / established, traditional, high-end, trustworthy, premium)
-Describe how you DON’T want your logo to look/feel
-What are the values of your business?
-What are the demographics of your ideal customers? (e.g. children, adults, values, lifestyle, income, location)

The answers to the questions direct me throughout each stage of the design process. Each time I work on the logo I will have the brief open in front of me to make sure I’m meeting all my client’s needs.

With logo design, it is useful to have both written and visual clues to guide the design work. That’s why I also have my clients join a Pinterest board into which myself, my colleagues and the clients all drop pins for research and inspiration. This is the second most important part of the process.

Lastly, I listen to what my clients are saying after the initial design presentation and each time I ask for feedback. I take careful notes on what they like and dislike and feed this back to my team. I will always give my professional guidance, but ultimately the final design outcome should be a collaboration between client and designer.