how to prepare for brand identity design.

prepare for logo design | dotted design

Yay! You have a new business. You're so excited to get going and share it with the world. But first: you need a logo and a brand identity.

One of the biggest mistakes that businesses can make when seeking a new logo is working on it too early. Your brand's visual identity is a reflection of what you stand for, the clients/customers you want to attract, and the product or service you will provide. If you aren't sure what these are yet, then it is probably too soon to start working on the logo.

So, what should you know before reaching out to a designer to work on your logo and visual identity?

• Why did you start your business? If you aren't sure why your business exists or what you hope to accomplish, it will be pretty difficult to build a brand that reflects that. Know what you are offering and how it will serve your customer!

• Who is your target audience or dream customer? Your visual identity will want to be something that resonates with this crowd and connects them with you or your products. Define who it is your business will connect with and serve, and this will help your designer build something that appeals to that audience.

• What makes you uniquely able to provide this product or service? No matter how many other people are out there doing what you do, there is something that makes you distinct. Knowing these quirks or special angles of your business can help a designer translate that into the visual aspect of your brand.

• Where will your logo be used? Maybe your business is all online, and it will live mostly on web pages. Perhaps you are a brick and mortar and it will appear on packaging and stationery. Having a logo that can adapt to all its applications is key to a successful identity.

• Do you have any strong preferences about color and type? Maybe you can't stand the color orange or you love when words are in all-caps. It's no problem if you don't have any strong feelings, but any that you do have should be mentioned up front. You'll use your visual identity too much to have something you don't connect with.

As you can see, knowing all about your business is essential to create and logo and identity that truly reflects what you do and connects with your people. What piece of information do you think is most important to share with a designer about your business?