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Tips to help your outsourced designer translate your vision

Written by: Jan Erick Tutaan
June 14, 2016 • 5-minute read

Tips for Outsourcing Designers

Getting a designer to translate your vision is a very exciting prospect. But all this excitement can go down the drain once you realize that the designer is not really getting it. It’s normal to see a frustrated client because designers can’t seem to translate their vision.

This is a problem that has been plaguing clients and outsourced designers for years, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Below are a few tips on how you can make it easier for your creative designer to translate your vision and make it a reality.

 

1. Give a clear creative brief

A clear and concise creative brief is very crucial when starting a project with outsourced designers. Giving a creative brief before the beginning of a project is important because it establishes the project’s timeline as well as the goals that both parties must achieve, and makes it easier to map out the right approach to achieve those goals.

When crafting a creative brief, you must consider key details such as: (1) a short description of the project, (2) what you need e.g. website design, newsletter layout or advertisement copy, (3) the buyer persona or target audience, (4) the background for the project, and (5) the estimated budget. These details will be the basic points that will act as guidelines for all decisions within the project. 

 

2. Provide a style guide

Style guides allow your designers, whether internal or external, to create design collaterals that are consistent with your company or brand’s visuals, word choice, tone and messaging.

Providing designers a copy of your corporate style guide allows them to create designs that are faithful to your company’s design sensibilities while still giving them the creative freedom that they need. It also makes it easier to remain consistent with the designs when starting another project or even when giving an ongoing project to another designer.

 

3. Use visuals to express your very own ideas

Most of the time, short descriptions are all you need to get your designer going. But sometimes, those are not enough for them to be able to translate your vision, which can be a waste of time and effort later on. What you need to do is aid them by using visual examples.

Including visual references, such as links to pictures and website screenshots, along with your short descriptions, increases the chances of the designer getting what you have in mind. Or, if there is no available visual reference to match your vision, you can also draw what you have in mind yourself. Drawing on a paper, scanning it, and sending it over to the designer will do. It doesn’t have to look beautiful; that’s what you hired the designer for.

 

4. Provide actionable comments

There is a chance that your designer will not be able to translate your vision on first try, and that’s okay. What you can do is provide actionable feedback so you can lead the designer to the full realisation of your vision.

Begin your feedback on a positive note to set the tone for the rest of the project. Also, don’t beat around the bush when giving feedback. Instead, go directly to the point. Doing so not only saves time for both you and the designer but also makes your feedback crystal clear and easy to understand. Also, offer suggestions as to how the design can be improved, but don’t discard your designer’s suggestions.

 

5. Communicate early and often

Maintaining constant communication is important in outsourcing, especially so when it comes to design. By doing this, you will be able to provide your designer with guidance, from the pre-design phase, to the designing proper, and even during finalisation, and make sure that the design is not moving out of line.

Scheduling regular calls for example, will allow you to get updates about the design process regularly. An open communication also allows both parties to let each other know about urgent concerns, so that these concerns can be resolved quickly or changes can be applied as soon as possible.

Remember these points the next time you hire designers for your design collaterals. Outsourcing your design needs is a great way to make your vision a reality, and all you need to do is be there every step of the way.

Interested in outsourcing all your design needs? Contact us now for a free consultation!

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Jan Erick Tutaan
WRITTEN BY:
Jan Erick Tutaan
Jan Erick is a seasoned writer. He used to be a journalist prior to joining StraightArrow as a Content Specialist.

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