The Hardwired Process
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Proposal
Whenever possible, I prefer to kick things off with a face-to-face meeting (though a call will do in a pinch) to discuss your objectives and which services will best help you achieve them. After this conversation, I'll send you a proposal of services detailing your project, timeline, payment terms and more. Your approval plus a standard 50% deposit is required for us to begin the project. The balance is due upon completion of the work as specified in the proposal. If an alternate payment plan is required, options will be discussed. When everything's in place, we'll schedule our creative kick-off! |
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Discovery
This is the research phase, and it's what distinguishes brand identity design from simple graphic design. We can’t design a logo or the look and feel of your brand without a set of well-informed parameters, and in this step, we’ll identify them. I’ll provide a brief questionnaire designed to help us both understand the unique attributes of your brand and the people who drive it. I’m interested in your goals and objectives, your company’s capabilities and values, identifying your target market, your current positioning, and where you want to take the brand in the future. I’ll also audit your existing logo, website, print and digital materials and your competitive landscape to understand the context in which your brand will exist. The deliverable for this phase is called the Design Brief. It's a bit like an owner's manual and will serve as our guide for this project as well as future initiatives over the lifetime of your brand. |
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Concept Development
Here's where it gets really fun! I’ll work up 3-6 distinct yet equally viable solutions designed to the parameters set forth in the Discovery phase. The tough part, of course, is deciding! To make it easier, concepts will be presented in both color and B&W, large and tiny, and in one hypothetical context of your choosing, such as a schematic business card layout, homepage, or label design. |
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Refinement
When you've made your selection, we’ll tweak and polish until it’s perfect. My standard proposal includes up to three rounds of revisions. Additional requested revisions will be estimated for your approval. Each round of revisions takes approximately one week to complete. |
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Launch
Your brand is ready for its close-up and it's time to go live! When you’ve approved the designs, I’ll deliver final digital art files to you and/or your approved vendors. If needed, I’ll contact printers for quotes and manage the printing process for you. If your identity design project includes a website, I'll deliver concepting to your developer. If your project includes a brand style guide, all the elements of your brand identity – logo, typography, color palette, photography style, icons, patterns, and more – will be in this handy reference document to help you maintain consistency as you go forth and CRUSH IT! |
