What you need to do before working with a brand and web designer
When it comes to designing a brand and website, there are so many different moving parts.
It’s not a one-way street where either the designer does everything how they want or the client dictates every tiny detail of how the brand and website will look. When I work with my clients, I want them to see the experience as a partnership.
I place a real focus on offering my clients a simple, streamlined and exciting process from start to finish. In order for this process to happen, there are various items that a designer (aka moi!) needs from the client (aka you!) before the actual design process begins, I call these things “client homework.” In my process, these items are due before the project start date.
Here is the breakdown of what you'll need before working with me. (Don't worry, I'll have workbooks to guide you every step of the way!)
1. An understanding of your dream client
Once you've signed a contract and paid your deposit, I'll send you some workbooks to complete. The first one being all about your target audience aka your dream client, their emotions and how this can be reflected on your new website and across your branding.
Your website not only needs to represent you and your business but also needs to appeal to the people you're trying to attract to work with you.
Now in this process, I'll be encouraging you to dive really deep into who your dream client is. You'll be encouraged to focus on just one person and get super specific. Remember that if you're talking to everyone, you're talking to no one. If you need a hand with getting to your target audience, make sure you read my blog posts on how to survey your audience on autopilot and my top tip on how to attract more of your dream clients.
2. Clarity around your brand
Along with the dream client workbook, I'll also send a brand and design workbook too.
Having a clear direction for your brand is hard. But don't sweat, I don't expect you to magically know all of this stuff on your own, don't worry, I'm here for ya! It's my job to guide you through the whole process and ask all the right questions in order to get all the right answers and nail your branding.
This workbook will cover things like the style you're looking for, competitors, website inspiration, certain design elements, and the colours that represent your brand.
3. Pinterest board
This is the really fun bit! You'll set up a new Pinterest board and fill it with pins of colours, fonts, and photos that resonate with you and your brand. It’s also useful to search for Squarespace website design inspiration too.
I love to get you to do this part so that I can get a feel for what inspires you. Plus, it's really fun!
If Pinterest isn't your thing, do not fear! You can just stick to sending me some screenshots or website links instead - this is all included in your workbook too.
4. Website copy
Most website designers don't tend to write the copy for you. Typically, that is an additional service, or you’d need to hire a copywriter who specialises in your field.
Luckily for you, copywriting is a service included in my package prices! (YAS!)
I give my clients access to a website content guide that lays out all the prompts and formulas for the most common pages found on a creative entrepreneurs website (homepage, about, services, testimonials, contact, etc.). Once you’ve filled that in, I’ll do the rest of the hard work for you!
I’ll take the answers from the content guide and, using all of the foundational strategy work that we’ve already completed, I’ll craft some unique copy that clearly communicates the key messages around your business and offerings.
5. Website images
A very common question among new business owners is... Do I need to hire a professional photographer for my website? The answer is no. Let me explain…
When you’re first starting out, it’s SO important to include at least 2 good quality photos of you on your website (I would recommend one on your homepage and one on your about page). It doesn’t have to be anything super slick or fancy, you could probably get away with using a smartphone photo if you don’t have access to an SLR camera. But it shouldn’t be a selfie with part of your face cut off, or wonky, or blurry. Sounds silly to point out, but I see this with so many new entrepreneurs on their about page.
For the rest of the photos on your site, you have three options:
• Carefully select stock photos from various websites that have a similar aesthetic and feel
• Purchase a selection of stock photos from a site like Creative Market
• Pay an additional fee to have your website designer find stock photos for you (yes, this is a service I'll be offering!)
When searching for stock images, it’s really important to search for photos with a similar aesthetic that reflects your brand. Every photographer has their own style, so even though two photographers are taking photos of laptops and coffees, they could still look very different. For more deets on sourcing cohesive stock photography for your website, check out my blog post here.
When searching for stock photography, keep the following things in mind:
What feeling do you want your site to give off? When customers interact with your site, how do you want them to feel?
What adjectives best describe your brand?
These words will cultivate the emotion that people get when interacting with your brand. Example - bold, quirky, playful, vibrant
List out the pages of your site and the key themes and images you’d like to include.
I really do believe that your choice of photography can make or break your website. But investing in a professional photographer is in no way a necessity when you’re just starting out, or are relatively new in business. Once you’ve become more established, built your client base and brought in some £££, then it’s time to hire a photographer.
So, to wrap this all up here’s a quick list of what you’ll need to have prepped before I can start creating your brand and building your new website:
• An understanding of your ideal client (my dream client questionnaire will help you out here)
• Clarity around your brand and design direction (do not fear! I've got a questionnaire to help you out with this part too!)
• Pinterest board
• Website copy prompts completed (using my website content guide)
• Website photos (if you're stuck here, I have an add-on image selection service too)
My 1:1 design services will be launching very soon, so watch this space! You can get on my email waitlist below, 👇PLUS you’ll even get your hands on my FREE brand discovery workbook too!
FREEBIE ALERT!
Fancy a taster of my project prep work?
Sign up to my email waitlist and be the first to know when my project calendar opens up. You’ll get your hands on my Brand Discovery Workbook too, which combines parts of the process I’ll go through with my clients to create beautiful, standout branding and websites.
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