Rebranding: How to Get What You Want and Communicate with a Designer
Episode 455: Show Notes
Today, we are so excited to have this conversation, mostly because one of our favorite things in the world is to either learn, do something, or unlock a strategy, and then, in two seconds, turn around and start talking about it! We don’t like to let things fester for too long and want our listeners to take a peek behind the curtain as quickly as possible! Some of you might have seen on Emylee’s personal Instagram (@emyleesays) or our stories @bossproject, that she just did a rebrand! It’s so different in an amazing kind of way!
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Part of why Abagail loves it is because for the first time in forever, she didn’t do it herself, so it turned out nothing like it would if she had done it. It’s modern, woo, and earthy! For the first time in forever, Emylee was the client, so today, she gives some behind the scenes insights into how her rebranding process went. She talks about how long it took, what she did herself as far as preparation, the relationship she had with her amazing designer, and a whole lot more!
Finding the Right Designer, and How to Know When You’re Ready for a Rebrand
Emylee’s process with her designer went through many phases and when she shared her first version on her maker's group she got many questions and comments from people all wondering something similar. For many of us, hiring a designer can be daunting. You might be wondering how much of the creative direction rests with you versus your designer. Your brand is an extension of you, so placing the process of rebranding in somebody else’s hands feels like you are entrusting them with a lot! It’s so important to find somebody that you click with from a personality as well as a style perspective. The reason Emylee knew she was ready was that while she has an amazing eye for design, the moment she tries to apply it digitally, her brain just blanks! So if you are in that state, one of the things you need to do is figure out whether you want a semi or full custom rebrand. The great thing about this project is that you’ll find services at many different price points. Identify a designer who you click with and be aware that while designers say they are flexible, the product they can offer you will look like their past work. Some designers will have package rates and others won't, and this is another indicator of their personality type. If you have a whole package of items you need to rebrand, it’s a good idea to list them in an email. Do yourself a favor and multiply the rate the designer quotes you by 1.5 in case you need extra work done, and also find out if they have the time and are willing to work longer for you than what you first agreed upon, in case you need to tweak things!
What to Expect in the First Stages of Finding a Designer: Emylee’s Process
When you are first speaking to a designer you might go with, make sure they have given you clarity about whether or not they can do the job for you before you have paid them anything. If a designer tries to charge you before this, they are shady and you shouldn't work with them. With good providers, there is always a vetting process where you might hop on a Zoom call together before you have paid them anything where you see if you are a good fit for each other. For Emylee, after finding her designer Julie, she knew she wanted her branding to slightly push her boundaries. Neutral shades were the name of the game for Emylee when it came to her previous decorating style, but her art is bolder than that. So when the first batch of designs came through, it all felt amazing but a bit like the old her. Usually, when Emylee loves something, she expresses it instantly but tends to start finding things she isn't that happy with after a few days. So this time, she decided to give herself three days before responding and is so grateful she did because it gave her time to talk to other people and process her thoughts. She needed time and advice to find the words to articulate what it was about the first phase of the design that she needed to tweak, so she could arrive on something that truly fitted!
Picking Fonts and Colors, and How to Talk to Your Designer About This
After the few days Emylee spent speaking to Abagail and her other connections, she had all the jargon and feedback she needed to give Julie clear instructions about what to change. Just a few days later, Julie came back with absolute fire. This proves the importance of knowing how to brief your designer! So how can you get better at it? For Emylee, having Abagail was a huge help. Abagail played a big role in helping Emylee pick a more outlandish color palette and break out of her neutral tone comfort zone! When you are talking to your designer about color, don’t be afraid to get specific. If you hate a particular blue color, say it, but also try to provide an alternative that you like more. You can even give your designer a photograph which contains the color you prefer. They will know what to do from there! When it comes to font, Abagail had some great tips for Emylee too. She gave Emylee the jargon she needed to go back to her designer and give her specific instructions about which direction to go in next. When choosing a font, there are several things to consider too. Legibility is a big one. Hand-drawn fonts have their place, but at the end of the day, you need to be able to read what is being written on a brand’s logo. Sometimes people choose a handwritten font for a logo and then use a similar digital font for the other packaging. Finally, be aware of how you will use your font. If it’s just for a web page heading versus business cards and more, this will affect the thickness, embellishment, and legibility of the typography you go with!
A Hack For Regulating Your Quote Price By Doing Some Legwork Yourself
Emylee shares a great hack here for people who don’t want to spend $5,000 on a rebrand but also have more than a $350 budget. For a situation like this, it’s good to have your ducks in a row to the extent Emylee did. What this means is that Emylee had all her files of a correct size and she came to the table with her brand elements already purchased. Julie then just had to put these together, so this semi-custom job produced a nice mid-range price. There may be times where you want elements that exceed your brand package and you’ll be charged extra for this. So, just be aware that there is legwork you can do to bring your price down. Paying more for things is OK though. As Abagail says, a lot goes into building a font, so a good one is worth the money!
Important Details to Bear in Mind About Licensing and Timelines
When you are thinking about rebranding, you must understand some of the finer details around licensing and also what to expect in regards to budgets and timelines. As far as licensing goes, there are always going to be different regulations about the usage of design elements you purchase. Some packages only allow for personal use, others can be used to rebrand your business; still others might even allow you to use them for your clients. These legalities are important so make sure you get familiar with them. From a timeline perspective, Emylee’s whole process with Julie took around three weeks, but this is quick when it comes to the typical amount of time a rebranding should take. The reason for this was that Emylee had an existing relationship with Julie so a lot of the legwork that would usually go into a process like this didn’t need to happen. Emylee knew Julie’s pricing structures and there didn't have to be too many preliminary things like brand questionnaires, handing mood boards back and forth, and so on!
Tips for A Designer and Client Who Want to Be the Perfect Fit
There is a big lesson for designers in a story Emylee tells about the main reason she ended up going with Julie. Emylee was trying to make a sticker on her own and was having a huge amount of trouble using Cricut. The end product was terrible and that was when Julie reached out to Emylee with the perfect solution. The fact Julie took the time to do this for Emylee, that she chose to do free work, really impressed Emylee. Abagail talks about how when people prove that they are willing to put work in and help her out for free all she does is want to hire them. So, for all you designers out there, remember: Paying attention to people’s needs and helping them out for free is a sneaky way to get clients! The relationship between Emylee and Julie was so good from the moment they started working together, so when it feels right you know it’s right!
One of the small stumbling blocks for Emylee though, especially since she liked Julie so much, was having the confidence to give Julie constructive criticism because she didn’t want to hurt her feelings. What helped her speak up though in the end was first that she was paying Julie, but more importantly, what she remembered about service providers wanting to make their clients happy. People want to do a good job and Abagail and Emylee both talk about how they would hate it if somebody who paid them to do something was walking around feeling unhappy. The same was true for Julie, and the feedback Emylee gave ended up producing an amazing product. A tip here for clients of designers is to know how to give proper feedback. This way you get a better result and the designers won't end up feeling frustrated, confused, or hurt. Often designers end up doing better work with some feedback in any case, and they’ll thank you for this later! At the end of it all, Emylee spoke to Julie and said she hoped she wasn’t a nightmare client, but Julie said she was the best one she had ever had. So the lesson here is that you need to speak your truth to your designer and not worry about the relationship going bad. If you know what you are talking about, everybody wins, and you’ll keep loving each other once all is said and done!
Quote This
When you have a good relationship with your designer, when you speak up for what you want, you guys will create magic together.
Highlights
Finding the Right Designer, and How to Know When You’re Ready for a Rebrand. [0:05:11.1]
What to Expect in the First Stages of Finding a Designer: Emylee’s Process. [0:13:18.1]
Picking Fonts and Colors, and How to Talk to Your Designer About This. [0:16:44.1]
A Hack For Regulating Your Quote Price By Doing Some Legwork Yourself. [0:27:29.1]
Important Details to Bear in Mind About Licensing and Timelines. [0:30:35.1]
Tips for A Designer and Client Who Want to Be the Perfect Fit. [0:30:35.1]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
KEY TOPICS
Rebranding, Finding a designer, Collaboration, Licensing, Fonts, Picking colors, Communication, Feedback
