Choosing a design firm can be overwhelming. If your marketing is long term then your relationship becomes like a marriage where in you rely on each other. Every firm has its’ own talents, its’ own blend of personalities, and its’ own marketing focus. Some firms are specialized, while have others multi-disciplinary experience.
We have developed a series of “conversation starters” to help you get through the interview process with a potential design and marketing firm. We hope this helps.
The internet is a great place for research but it can also be great place for a design firm to hide their true size and level of experience. Many firms fill their sites with stock photography or misleading images that have nothing to do with their actual accomplishments. It is critical to see where they work and how they work. Is it creative? Is it organized? Or is it an apartment? If you are looking for a firm that will be around next year then get referrals, get references, and ask for testimonials.
Size matters: Find a firm that fits your needs. If you have a small project you may be wasting your time trying to work with a large firm, and on the other hand, a large project can overwhelm a small shop.
Make a connection: Spend time with everyone that you may be working with to make sure they are a good fit. Marketing projects are collaborative and you have to be very comfortable with the personalities, experience and talent of your team. Don’t just judge a firm by the salesperson, as you will mostly be working with the design team and project managers. Sales people are personable by nature, and you need to connect with everyone.
What’s done in-house? Does the firm use freelance or in-house designers? For a one-time project freelancers work fine, but for ongoing marketing programs, you need continuity and a strong, long term understanding of your company. A firm that cares about your design and marketing would not rely on freelancers. Great marketing requires a great team of designers that work together everyday.
Longevity: Establish how long the key employees have been with the company. It says a lot about the quality of management if the designers and production team have been dedicated to their company. If they have been, then they will be dedicated to you.
Research the employees you meet to make sure they are as professional as you. Use Linkedin, Facebook, etc. You should feel like the design firm is your partner.
The Portfolio: Review the firm’s portfolio in detail. Ask questions. A company may exaggerate their role in a project or their capabilities. Be cautious if they only have a single example of work in any one design category. EX: DD has designed a few web sites but we would not consider that the experience needed to list it as a core competency.
Project Goals: Make sure your designers don’t just understand your goals, but have the same goals. Many designers are trying to design projects that they can submit for awards, yet award winning projects rarely sell your products.
Save Time and Money: Always remember that a design and marketing firm is a service company and time is money.
Consider these thoughts:If your final search has more than four or five firms vying for a project, then you’re going to waste a lot of your time and money along with the design firm’s time and money. Again, go to their design studios and you will be able to quickly narrow your search to two or three.
If you use a “Request For Proposal”, make sure it fits the scale of your project. If an RFP is too extensive or overwhelming then you may drive away more qualified firms that know it is a lot of paperwork for a small project. A small or medium project rarely warrants an RFP. The more time a company spends chasing projects, the less time they can spend on research and design.
Try to have a budget range. Without a budget, there are no clear goals for anyone to aim for. If you have a budget limit, ask the firms to show you examples of a comparable project that would be in that range.
What is “spec” design? Some firms will do free design, called “Spec”, in an attempt to land clients. This is sometimes done for very large marketing projects but not smaller projects.
Good luck in your search!
