Working with Freelance Clients
One of my passions is partnering with others and offering my skills to help them push their visions one step further. One way I’ve been able to channel this passion is by using my design expertise to help solopreneurs and startup companies with their branding needs.
These are typically smaller companies that have a name and a vision but need a beginning brand identity: logos, fonts, colors, and overall look and feel.
In this article I’ll share my process of working with freelance clients, focusing on my approach, the number of revisions I offer, and how I handle overages.
Kick-off
To start an engagement with a client, there is usually either a kickoff meeting or an introductory phone call. In these first interactions, we discuss their design needs, their work, their customers, and their overall vision for their company.
To determine whether a client is ready for design engagement, I note if they have a name for their business, can articulate the problem their business is seeking to solve for their customers, and can pitch me on the future vision for their company. If a client is unable to provide these details then I politely encourage them to hammer out a few more business details before hiring a designer.
During the kickoff meeting, I seek to establish three important details: their brand vision, their budget, and their timeline. I also tell them what they can expect from the brand design process: a mood board, 3-5 brand concepts to select from, three rounds of revision on the selected concept, and the delivery of final branding.
Design Engagement
Once we’ve determined budgets and timelines and drawn up a contract, I create the mood board. A mood board is a collection of look-and-feel inspirational pieces, existing logos that are similar to what they are looking for, and a variety of color palettes and fonts that may align with their vision. Mood boards are incredibly useful; they allow me to depict my understanding of what my client is looking for, and they allow my client to see and critique a tangible manifestation of their vision. Typically, I either meet with the client in person to explain each selection, or I use Loom to record a video voiceover and send it to them for their feedback and reactions.
Example of a mood board for Magenta Consulting
Once we’ve aligned on the vision, I begin the brand creation process. Using the mood board and the client’s feedback as an anchor, I lay out a PDF of options for the brand, starting with 3-5 brand concepts. A single brand concept contains a pair of fonts, a color pallet of approximately 6 colors, and a medium fidelity black-and-white logo. I also include a 2-3 sentence write-up of the brand’s tone and meaning, why this concept makes sense for my client’s business, and how it captures and communicates their message visually.
I ask for feedback on each of the 3-5 brand concepts and request that they let me know which brand concept they favor and want to proceed with. Once they’ve chosen a direction, I use all of that feedback to hone in on their branding. I find that typically clients need three rounds of feedback and iteration. So, after concept selection, I offer three rounds of revisions on the chosen brand concept to deliver their final branding.
The majority of my clients are satisfied with their branding after three rounds of feedback and iteration. And if by chance they aren't, I just draft up an amendment to the contract with an hourly rate, and we keep going until they are satisfied.
Example of completed branding for Magenta Consulting
Wrap-Up
When my client is excited about their branding, I export their logo files and fonts to them. I like to send them all possible variations and color combinations of their logo in multiple file formats so that their initial business needs will be covered.
I also send them a thank you email for choosing me to help push their dream one step further. In this email, when it seems appropriate, I might also mention other services I can provide, such as social media banners, stock image sets, business card design, or website design. It isn’t a bad opportunity to “upsell” additional services, and if we liked working together, why not keep it up?