How to Flirt with a Designer 101
As a graphic designer I love when people talk creative to me. 😏
Conceptualizing people’s ideas and communicating it through color, fonts, and logo marks is at the core of what we do, and having open conversations about it with others inspires some of our best work.
When I was first getting started, I would receive a lot of comments and questions like;
“Do you do logos?”
“I have a logo and need a website, is that something you can do?”
“I don’t need a brand, just a logo.”
“I created the logo myself, can you make it digital?”
The answer to these questions as an expert in Adobe Creative Cloud is Yes, I can do all of those things. However, as a designer the answer is No. Why? Because designers do much more than just a logo, they are creators, storytellers, and branding experts.
If you are someone who has asked this question before—it’s okay! Even designers have asked these questions before they started building meaningful brands.
Knowing what all a designer actually does will help you have a more in-depth conversation about your brand.
So what do designers do?
Designers work through creative processes to problem solve. Though every designer's individual process is unique to them, an experienced designer's process should follow this structure;
Collaboration & Strategy
Brand Story Generation
Moodboard & Research
Drafting/Sketching
Typeface Research
Logo Marks
Color Exploration
Branding Elements
Brand Identity
The purpose behind the process is to ensure that the identity we are building will align with the goal of the brand. That’s why “I don’t need a brand, just a logo” doesn't work except if you go to 99designs. Understanding what goes into this process will also help you find the designer who is right for your project. Someone who doesn’t take the time to understand the story your brand is telling may not be the best fit to building a purposeful brand.
Do all designers have the same specialties?
No. Everyone is different, and that’s the beauty of having a collective with so many unique badass creatives. Designers may all have a similar creative process but our individual skill sets can vary from;
Brand Identity
Print Design
Typeface Development
Product Design
Packaging Design
Website Design
UX Design
UI Design
App Design
Illustrator
Motion Designer
Animator
Depending on what you need, you may need a few designers to collaborate on a project. You may find someone who dabbles in a little of everything, however, find designers who specialize in the areas you need. A jack of all trades may seem like the more efficient way to work but for higher quality design find experts in the design disciplines.
And now you know what it really means to be a designer and what it takes to impress us.