If you’re commissioning an artist, working with a graphic designer, or requesting written content, it can help to have some tips handy that will make the process smoother for everyone involved. Let’s discuss what you should communicate before and after starting your project.
Get Started and Maintain the Momentum
When you provide first-time and ongoing instructions for a creative professional, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Try to get some background information about the type and amount of work required from the tools or software they use. Do some informal research on the timeframes, rounds of revisions, and pricing of projects from freelancers, studios, or agencies with similar experience levels as well.
- Communicate your budget, timeline, and expectations about style and tone to your artist or designer to help them understand the project’s scope and set realistic expectations. Or, if you’re unsure what to ask for, ask them to send a proposal with some options.
- Before any work begins, ask for a formal design brief and mutually-signed contract to ensure that the professional you’re working with is on the same page.
- In addition to sending emails and signing your contract, you may want to participate in more immersive communication methods through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, or even video conferencing — something Laurelow offers through our creative advising service. Our video calls allow you to see and influence the direction of your project in real time while learning how your suggestions might align with best practices to influence your business’ success.
- Be as descriptive as possible about what you want at each stage. It can be helpful to provide examples of other designs that you like. If you have an idea in mind, explain it as clearly as possible using visual and emotional language; something like “make it pop” might be transformed into “increase the contrast between these two colors by about fifty percent to create a sense of more vibrance and liveliness”.
- Describe how much flexibility you will grant your hire. How far can they diverge from your original idea? For example, if they are a fine artist or illustrator, how accurately should they depict your original subject matter? Will it be photorealistic or barely recognizable?
- If you could use clarification about a particular choice in style or strategy, don’t be afraid to ask why it was made and suggest alternatives if you have a different form of reasoning.
End With More Messaging
After the project is complete, be sure to give feedback on the work. If you’re happy with the results, let them know exactly why! A little positive reinforcement goes a long way in building a good working relationship with your artist, designer, or other creative. If there are changes you’d still like to see, be specific and constructive in your feedback. With deliberate communication, you can work together to make revisions that will result in a final product that you’re both happy with — and many more to come.
At Laurelow, we have maintained long-term, communicative partnerships with service-based businesses across the United States. Book a free discovery call about your needs.
