1. You’ll be Questioned...and that’s a Good Thing for your Brand

A professional designer will ask for branding guidelines (and help you establish them if you need to), and they’ll use a creative brief to define clear objectives for the project.  It’s a helpful, formal process that doesn’t always take place in small and medium businesses or startups— and it’s one that forces you to think about audience, goals, and format.  It's a chance to answer questions about your brand that often need attention. Picky questions.  Do you need to use the tagline on your logo everywhere? Is this the right color blue? Is it ok to introduce a few new colors? Who can answer these questions, and how rigid are "the rules"? The answers are different for every company, and it’s an important part of brand management to define what they are.

2. Collaborate with Fresh Eyes

Speaking of rules, if you have a designer you always work with, or you’ve got an in-house team with a set of established guidelines, the rules become ingrained. Everyone knows them, everyone follows them, no one strays. That’s the point. Things are what they are, and nobody questions it.  The danger here is a creative team who feels confined, and brand messaging that feels stale or uninspired. Bringing in a “brand novice” for a temporary gig can shake things up in a positive way that customers will notice.  A brand novice will ask questions about your products and services that seem obvious, and they won’t understand the internal jargon or technical answers, much like a potential customer. You’ll get a whole new way of looking at your products, all within guidelines of course.

3. Discover New Ways to Express Ideas

Think beyond the project at hand. Breaking things down for a brand novice helps you break things down everywhere. You’ll be able to express complex ideas with greater simplicity and clarity going forward. An innocent gig with an independent designer can have a ripple effect that reaches far.  You just might plant  seeds that lead to creative growth and brand development in the future.

Wanna Try Something Different?

Get personalized advice, ideas, inspiration and a wide range of creative support services from a seasoned business pro.  Contact me for a free design consultation.