The Definitive Guide to Delegating Your Brand Design Effectively

With a decade of immersion in the digital industry, I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with an array of specialized agencies and rub shoulders with prominent professionals in the digital market hailing from every corner of the globe, from India and Pakistan, to China and Venezuela. This experience has granted me invaluable lessons on how to delegate digital projects without compromising on quality or efficiency. In this article, I will share a tried-and-tested approach to delegating brand design. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Define the Direction, Industry, and Market

Before embarking on your journey, clearly define the purpose of your project, the nature of your business, and your target market. Understand precisely what you are offering, how you plan to position it, who it is intended for, and the motivation behind it all.

2. Establish a Name and Sense of Identity

The name of your brand serves as the cornerstone of your company's identity. It needs to effectively communicate your brand's personality, values, and essence. For example, if you are launching an eco-friendly clothing line, you might choose a name that reflects nature and sustainability, such as "Green Threads". Your brand's name should be easily remembered, appealing to your target audience, and evoke the intended associations and emotions.

3. Choose the Intangible Elements - Emotions and Colors

Your brand is not merely a name or a logo; it's a feeling. It's important to think about the emotions you want your brand to evoke. Is it excitement, trust, joy, or perhaps a sense of belonging? For instance, if you want your brand to inspire trust and reliability, you might opt for a cooler, more subdued color palette featuring blues and greys.

Colors are psychologically tied to certain feelings and ideas. For example, red is often associated with passion and urgency, blue with trust and calm, green with nature and tranquility, and yellow with happiness and energy. A well-planned color scheme will strengthen your brand identity and enhance its emotional resonance.

4. Provide References

To ensure your design team fully grasps your vision, it's a good idea to provide them with a set of reference images that align with your brand's style. This could include logos, fonts, color palettes, illustrations, photographs, or any other imagery that inspires you. For instance, you might provide examples of minimalist logos if that's the style you're aiming for, or a vibrant, colorful palette if your brand is meant to exude energy and creativity.

5. Define Sub-deliverables

Breaking down your project into smaller tasks, or sub-deliverables, can help make the process more manageable and less overwhelming. These could include initial sketches, color scheme choices, typeface selections, logo drafts, mockups, and final design files.

For instance, if you're working on a logo design, the sub-deliverables could be: brainstorming and sketching, selecting color palette, choosing typeface, creating initial digital drafts, refining chosen draft, and finalizing the logo design. This approach allows for more transparent and effective project management, with clear milestones and achievable tasks.

6. Opt for Hourly Work and Continuous Deliveries

A work scheme based on hourly rates with regular deliveries will keep the project moving forward and allow adjustments as it progresses, following the Kanban style.

7. Monitor and Triangulate Decisions

If you lack sufficient knowledge in a specific area, it's essential to learn how to garner opinions from different experts to make more informed decisions.

While these steps already form an effective process, here are a few additional suggestions to further enhance this process:

Competitor Research and Analysis: Understanding what other brands in your niche are doing can help you stand out.
Involve the Designer from the Start: The designer can provide valuable insights from the onset, helping to align the brand with the purpose and vision of the company.
Brand Testing: Test your brand with a small segment of your target audience to glean valuable feedback before launching it on a larger scale.
Brand Launch Plan: Planning how you will introduce your brand to the world is essential for it to effectively reach your target audience.