Branding FAQ
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1. What services do you offer as a freelance brand designer?
I offer branding services for fun, subversive, illustrative brands that want to be more than a logo. If you’re looking for corporate and serious, I’m probably not your gal, but I can certainly recommend some great designers who are. I can also provide an analysis of your current brand position and strategy, which takes the form of a report and suggested actions. These vary in size and scope depending on the client’s current level of reach. These can include analysis of positioning, competitor comparisons and brand communication effectiveness.
2. How much do you charge for your branding services?
My pricing depends on the size, complexity and risk of the project, the features required, and the amount of time it will take to complete. As a rule, my day rate is £280 and £35 hourly for brand services, though larger projects will be priced at a discounted rate. I provide custom estimates based on the individual requirements of each project and client.
3. How long does it take to complete a branding project?
That very much depends on the complexity and application required. A minimal brand may take a few weeks, while a more complex illustrated approach could take several weeks or months. Additional application elements and guidance such as brand guidelines, templates and social media assets etc. An estimated timeline will be provided for sign-off, subject to change requests.
4. What is your design process like?
The design process typically involves an initial chat to understand the requirements. At the end, I’ll provide a client workbook to help extract some of the more deeper issues you may have found hard to articulate. Once an initial estimate is supplied with an agreed deliverables list, i’ll get to work on some initial stylescapes. After a pre-agreed number of feedback rounds, and once the design is approved, I can package up files and provide in a pre-agreed format for you or your team.
5. That’s nice, but…what’s a stylescape?
Stylescapes are idea boards created to give a feeling of the desired route, before going too deep into design. Essentially, a mood board on steroids. These may show colour swatches, fonts, image treatment styles and example logos, all worked together in a single frame. I often provide 2 or 3 of these in different routes, depending on budget. It helps clients to feel an end-product without seeing any design at this early stage.
Here’s an example:
6. How do you hand over your files?
I provide your logo files in all standard formats for digital and print, including WebP, SVG, JPEG, PNG and EPS. I also include, as standard, a quick cheat-sheet with colour and font references. I can provide a more substantial brand guide and this will be costed separately.
7. What programmes do you use in your brand design projects?
Primarily Adobe Illustrator, but i’ve started to provide brand kits in Adobe Express for those who have access and use Express to create content.
8. Can you provide examples of your previous work?
There are some on here, and I can provide additional examples if you wish to see something specific.
9. How do you handle revisions and feedback during the design process?
I’ll always pre-agree the number of design revisions prior to committing. There’s always going to be disagreeing opinions in your team, so if it looks like we’re going round in circles we can always arrange a meeting to hash out any sticking points. Once decisions are made and sign-offs are complete, any additional feedback that sits outside of the original scope will be treated like additional time and be billed at a pre-agreed rate.
