Graphic Design Services - London, UK

"When you want graphic design services such as logo design, web design, annual report design, etc. appointing the right design company to carry out the work will be a big decision". 

What kind of design company?

Design companies vary in the provision of services and variety of design disciplines available to clients.

Design companies broadly fall under four categories: those which provide services specific to certain industry sectors, e.g. for charities or financial institutions; those providing a limited specialist range of services, e.g. web design or corporate identities only; freelance designers often specialise their design work to a particular style, e.g. they may use a particular style of illustration which they would utilise for all design projects they are assigned to, and finally multidisciplinary companies provide a host of services for a wide range of industries.

If your company is launching a campaign, for instance, that requires a particular approach then you may work with a company that specialises in that approach i.e. illustration. Many large companies tend to follow design trends and commission a particular designer or company to apply their style to a specified campaign. This is common with companies like Nike who have so many products and like to stay in touch with trends as this helps them reach their specific target audience.

There may be benefits to commissioning a design brief with specific requirements to a specialist design company due to the experience and knowledge they possess in their field. There are also disadvantages due to the risk of narrowing your project brief to a pre-determined solution and not having explored all the possible avenues available to it.

"When you want logo design, web design, annual report design, etc. appointing the right design company to carry out the work will be a big decision".

Outline Brief

The purpose of a brief in simple terms is to create an understanding of your requirements. It should outline and clarify the project objectives in an informative manner and thus time and effort must be spent in its formulation.

In short, the brief allows the client to present the weaknesses of the company or the particular requirements of a specific area(s) of concern, for example, the brand image, marketing material and so on, also to state what goals are to be achieved. It may be a good idea to get colleagues or those who may understand the company’s goals to contribute in the formulation of the brief.

Often the client will provide the design company with a brief prior to the commissioning of the project tasks. For lengthier projects, the client may require input from the design company or alternatively the responsibility to produce the entire brief. Either way, an in-depth discussion with the client will identify the project requirements from which the detailed project brief can be written. The detailed brief will provide the direction in which the work will be carried out.

The brief is the key focal point of the project since it will be referred to at all times and formalises the task to be completed. However, the brief should not be considered as a static entity since should there be any necessary amendments to be made to the project objectives, the brief should also change to accommodate this. 

The brief will not only help the designers to understand the problem to be solved, but provide the client with a clearer idea of their requirements and remove preconceived ideas of solutions. It will also clarify the deliverables the design company will supply. This should help avoid any misunderstandings as to what should have been delivered at the end of the project.

Although the above-described brief process is often used for larger projects, some kind of brief or basic project requirements document should be created even if the company uses it for internal purposes. This will always help avoid confusion and miscommunication on the deliverables.