Choosing a branding and design agency
Choosing the right agency (or even freelancer) for your branding project can be daunting. Can you trust a one-man band to deliver? Can you afford a big international branding agency and is the cost worth it?
In this article, we explore what options there are, what the pitfalls may be and aim to help you select the right agency for you.
What sort of agencies are there?
There is a huge range of potential freelancers and agencies to choose from, so how do you make an informed decision that will give you the best result at the right price?
Below, I have broadly broken down the options that are available to you when choosing a branding agency.
Freelancer: Typically working alone from home. These people can be highly creative but may not have the capacity and experience to deliver a wider project with deeper insight. They can deliver excellent value for money.
Small agency: A good choice for small businesses, these smaller agencies tend to be director lead with a small team for delivery. Make sure their experience meets your needs. The agency does not typically need to have worked in your specific industry.
Medium-sized agency: These agencies tend to be established a little longer and have a broader understanding of the branding process and the subsequent rollout. They should have the team and suppliers to deliver.
Large agency: Expect a dedicated team, account managers and creative director and the costs that are associated with that.
Specialist agencies: Medium to large agencies can and should be able to tackle any brief for any sector without any issues. However, there are agencies that specialise in specific branding projects for instance, the drinks industry.
Scope the project
Do what you can to set out the scope of the project and consider writing a creative brief. If you are not experienced in doing this sort of thing, the agency should be able to help you. We see this stage as one of the most important. With a round of questioning and defining the scope, you and your agency will have a clear understanding of what you want and how they are going about delivering.
With any branding or rebranding project, there are often wider considerations to take into account that you may not have thought of but can make a huge difference. For instance mission, vision and descriptors.
Please don’t request creative concepts as part of the tender response. Firstly, it is unprofessional to ask for free work and secondly, you are asking for a solution without going through any process. It is a waste of time and will deliver poor results. If you want a cheap job, there are lots of places you can go.
What you should expect to pay
We are fortunate to get a lot of enquiries for branding and rebranding projects. They come in all shapes and sizes and a common theme is the resistance to declare a budget. From a client’s perspective, I can see that it is tempting to set an ‘estimate battle’, but you will either get a cheap price from a desperate or inexperienced agency or a wild and varied set of proposals that will be near impossible to decipher.
We ask for an indicative budget (after seeing an outline scope) because on occasion we get enquiries for £500.00 and a project scope that includes the moon on a stick. So it’s best to be upfront from the start and assess the agency on their experience and what they can deliver for your budget.
A branding project is collaborative and based on trust.
How long will it take?
There are various factors of course. These include:
The scope of the project
How many stakeholders need to be consulted on the client side
And that’s about it, to be honest.
Assuming we have a detailed brief that the client has signed off on, we’d expect to have the creative back to you in two weeks, or 10–14 working days. Maybe more depending on any technical considerations. For instance, if we are designing for a bakery, we don’t need to consider quite as much as we do when we are designing for an airline.
If you are factoring in market research, positioning etc, allow another month, at least.
Are there any pitfalls?
Yes, shed loads. Too many to list, but let's have a go:
Not defining the project scope from the beginning
A CEO’s view based on nothing more than a personal view
Too many stakeholders
Design revisions and adjustments not based on any real foundation
Designers driving trends rather than long-term brand value
Poor communication between client and agency
Allocating the budget to the things that matter
Trust
Navig8 is a medium-sized agency. We’ve worked with the local hairdresser and some of the biggest brands in the world. Our clients range from the UK, Europe (including Spain, Italy and Germany) Norway and America.
We are a London-based agency, established in 2000; we are creative, excellent value and a ‘safe pair of hands’ with a proven track record.