Clients. They all know exactly what they want, don’t they? We’ve all been there, you’re asked to create a logo to a certain style then when you present your draft it’s just not right. You spend a further 10 hours and numerous revisions tweaking, re-drafting, and emailing back and forth to ensure you’re on the right track.
Save yourself and your client time and frustration by asking the right questions before you start. This is not a definitive list but should give you a good starting point and a glimpse into your clients mind. My suggestion is to take these examples and change them to suit your needs and customer base. Don’t forget to always leave room for any other comments or ideas that your client may have. I also use this opportunity to ask for contact details if I don’t already have them by prompting as part of the questionnaire. If you think it would help your client, consider adding some example answers after each question – this can help to make sure you get the type of replies you’re expecting.
Be careful!
Whilst you want to gather as much information as possible, be careful not to ask too many questions as that could put off potential clients – no-one likes to spend an hour completing a questionnaire so try to ask the minimum you can to achieve the answers that you want. Clients with established businesses will expect you to have done your own research so avoid questions that duplicate information already on their web site.
- Full name to appear on logo
- Slogan to appear on logo if any
- Where will the logo be used (print, web only, signage, vehicles, buildings etc)
- Should the logo be text only, or text with an image?
- What does the company specialise in?
- Do you have competitors? If so, please name them below and provide web site links if possible
- Who are your customers?
- If you already have a logo please tell me what you do and don’t like about it
- Do you have existing company colours that need to be incorporated?
- How many colours should be used?
- Have you seen any logos that you like the look off?
- If your logo has an image, will the text and image ever be used separately?
- Do you have a message or feeling that your logo should portray?
- Describe your company in one sentence
- Are there any interesting and unique facts about your company?
- How many people will I be dealing with within your business and who are they?
The final question here is as important as questions about the company and the logo design itself. If you know early on that you’ll be dealing with four people, you can work out how you will communicate. When a number of people are involved, it’s much simpler to arrange contact via one representative to avoid any confusion.
Hopefully it’s clear why I have included each question – but if you don’t know why I’ve included a certain item let me know and I’ll provide explanations.
Anything else?
Let me know of any others I haven’t included and please remember to leave a comment if you agree/disagree with anything. If you plan on using anything from the list, please show your appreciation with a re-tweet!
