Thursday, 3 April 2008
Graphic Design companies can offer a wide range of graphic services from the simple design of stationery to leaflets and brochures and also the more complex projects of Logo Generation, Branding and Identity.Generally most Graphic Designer organisations will be able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Client with a complete Graphic Design solution. However, some designers may offer particular specialisations such as; Financial Reports, Advertising, Exhibition Design, 3D Signage, Point of Sale.
In addition, most designers offer Project Management or Print Management and they should be experienced with the practical and contractual procedures required to undertake the project through to completion on your behalf.
Although a Graphic Designer may not have direct experience, they should have the understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals of working with many types of business customers. This can be of great benefit to the Client as it gives an outside view of the business that covers so much more than just the image. In selecting a Graphic Designer the project brief will establish what kind of service you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the Designer's portfolio of work to find the connection with your own project brief, however, you are advised to look outside your field of retailing and experience in what the Graphic Designer has undertaken for others. If for instance you have a Travel Brochure you wish to be designed, don't just look for Designers that have done lots of Travel Brochures, you could be missing out. There could be a Graphic Design team that is just right for the project with lots of experience and talent in other areas of business, but has not carried out a Travel Brochure - yet! When it comes down to it, a good Graphic Designer can design to anything, it matters very little difference if its designing a Logo say for a Solicitor or Signage of a Woman's Fashion Shop the principles of good Graphic Design sweep across the whole Business sector.
Many Interior Designers that work in the Retail and Leisure sectors have Graphic as part of their Design Services. This works partially well where the project is 3D driven, such as Shop Design, in designing the retail environment to combine the 2D graphic image at the same time from the single design source results in a seamless and uniform identity. If you are about to commence a project that requires an Interior Designer, let them lead and control the graphic identity, don't split it into two separate exercises with a Graphic design team as well. The one thing you should not do is to get your Graphic Designer to undertake a three dimensional Interior project, they may say they can do it, but working in Interior is a extremely specialised field that requires experience in working with technical and higher value projects.
Once you have chosen and engaged your Graphic Designer use them as part of your Business Team.
