35 Questions to Ask a Client
When asked to design a logo, having a prior understanding of the brief will save you time and money. Don’t hesitate to ask the client for a meeting before designing their logo to deepen their needs and vision and eventually avoid redesigns and misunderstandings during the design process.
To ease you, we’ve divided the questions into topics so for you to go straight to building a coherent plan without missing out on essential aspects of the logo design process. We advise using this as a checklist. Don’t conceive it as an interview with your client, as this may appear uncomfortable! Informally, ask the ones you think the best fit for the logo design project!
The Company
1. How long has your company been established?
2. Can you describe your business?
3. What is your company/organization/product/service name?
4. What services or products do you provide?
5. If you had to describe your business in one word, what would it be and why?
6. What sets your company apart from the competition?
7. How big is your company? (number of employees? revenue?)
8. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your company?
9. What are the long-term goals of the company?
THE TARGET AUDIENCE
1. Who is the primary target audience (age, gender, location…)?
2. What is the average household income of your target audience?
3. Are there any new markets you’d like to break into? If so, what would they be and why?
4. If your customers had to describe your company in one word, what would it be and why?
5. How do most of your customers find out about your company?
6. How do you plan to communicate with your target audience?
The Branding and Design
1. What are the values and/or mission statement of your company?
2. What is the current logo?
3. Why are you looking to change the logo? What do you want the new logo to accomplish?
4. Do you have a strapline or slogan that goes along with your logo?
5. What three attributes would you like your target audience to consider when they look at your new branding?
6. What colors or color palettes do you like and why?
7. Where will the logo be mainly used? Print, web, etc.?
8. In your opinion, what defines a successful logo?
9. Is there anything that must be included, like existing brand elements, words, or icons?
10. Are there any logos that you particularly like or dislike, and why?
The Budget, Deadline and Management
1. Do you have a budget for the new logo and a deadline that needs to be considered?
2. Will there be anyone else involved in this project? Any third party sub-contractors or other agencies/freelancers?
3. Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t already covered?
4. Who will be the internal decision-makers on this project? Giving feedback and approvals? (Stress to the client that the fewer decision-makers, the better!)
EXTRA TIP: A SHORT SURVEY FOR CLIENTS TO HELP THEM FIGURE OUT THEIR COMPANY LOGO’S NEEDS.
At last, if you still notice your client is a bit confused about what they really want, friendly consider sending them a printed or digital copy of this short survey for pushing them to build a sharper need and brainstorm a bit more.
1. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Traditional or modern?
2. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Friendly or corporate?
3. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? High end or cost-effective?
4. Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Consumer or Trade?
5. Why does your current branding use those colors, fonts, etc.?
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