What My Design Process Looks Like When Collaborating With You On Your Brand
I recently asked my audience on Instagram Stories if they were curious about my design process over here at the C.Willis & Co. Studio and the response was an overwhelming, YES!
Truthfully, when I spontaneously asked this question on my Instagram Stories, I didn’t think many of you would be interested, but that just goes to show that you can’t always assume you know your audience without doing a bit of market research (one of the important aspects of brand strategy)!
So, in response to the overwhelming yes, I decided to turn that inquiry into a blog post!
If you’ve been following me for a while and are curious how about my design process for health, wellness, and lifestyle branding projects, then read on through because this post is for you!
The “Coffee Chat”
If you come across my Instagram or website content and feel like what I post resonates with the direction you are wanting for your health, wellness, or lifestyle business, then this is the time where I encourage you to reach out to me through my contact form.
Once I receive your inquiry, you’ll receive an email from me where I send you a link to book your virtual call.
Some people call this the discovery call, sales call, or compatibility call, but I like to call it a coffee chat. I see this as a time where we get together on a virtual call where there’s no pressure but enough time for you to talk about what’s on your mind when it comes to your business & brand.
From here, we both discuss and figure out if my services and offerings are right for your business & if we are a good fit together.
If all boxes check off and we hit it off, then bravo! We’ve advanced you to the next stage of the process.
Our Collaboration
Once we decide together that my services are in alignment with your brand goals & I can assist you moving forward, you are sent a proposal that outlines your contract, agreement, and invoice.
I also start your onboarding process in my favorite client management system, Honeybook* & my favorite project management system, Notion where I provide you with a short questionnaire to fill in.
Once the invoice is paid & the contract signed, guess what friend - we are officially in business together.
The Strategy Is Where It’s At
This is where the real work begins that will elevate your brand.
Once you are onboarded into Honeybook* & completed your questionnaire in Notion, you and I then find a date that works to dive deep into your Brand Strategy Workshop.
In the Brand Strategy Workshop, we sit down for 90-minutes together and go through a series of questions, unique characteristics, market research analysis, and a sales journey map (just to name a few things) that really help to provide me with the clarity and direction for your brand.
I really love the Brand Strategy Workshop. It’s almost an equal parts business coaching, mindset work, and strategy all mixed into one.
The clients I’ve worked with in the past have said that the workshop was one of the most eye-opening experiences they’ve gone through in relation to their business & that makes me super happy :)
The One-Concept Phase
After all the research gathering, this is where I take a day or two to review the common themes from your brand strategy workshop and I get started on building out your brand proposal.
The brand proposal encompasses your mission, goals, and any other relevant information needed that I see will help level up your brand.
I like to also include any important points of direction I have for your brand in the proposal. I let my mind run wild with creative ideas, color palette options, and mood board aesthetics. Once I have things in place, I put all the information together to present to you a One-Concept Method.
The One Concept Method is pretty self-explanatory but it's a phase I take all that we have discussed in your Brand Strategy Workshop and provide you with one creative art direction for your brand.
I know there are some brand designers that present more than one concept during this phase, and I’m sure they do for good reason but I feel it may cause more harm than good.
The One-Concept Method allows me to focus my time & attention on refinement of the best strategic approach to your business. I also find that when you present to a client more than one concept, it becomes overwhelming and challenging for them to make a decision on what’s best for their business that they often rely on personal preference rather than design strategy.
Another downfall to presenting more than one concept is that you will find clients will pick apart each concept and want to piece them together into a totally new design approach and style, which sometimes may not work out for the good!
The One-Concept Method avoids stress and confusion for all parties involved. Furthermore, if your brand designer truly is truly listening and understanding your brand, she (or he) will present you with the right concept the first time around - which is the ultimate goal we as brand designers & strategists strive for.
The Brand Design Phase
Once the One-Concept Method has been approved & signed off, this is when the brand design phase commences!
From here, I get to work on building out your brand logos, typography styles, and other creative elements suited to your brand. This is the time where I feel so much excitement & joy as I can visually see how everything is coming together so beautifully.
During the Brand Design Phase, you have up to three rounds of revisions - 2 major and 1 minor revision. Once the revisions are placed, I then get to work on building out the full brand presentation that walks you through each element and my creative thought direction for your brand.
Brand Collateral & Final Files
If you’ve selected any add-on designs such as social media graphics, business cards, letterheads, or email signatures to name a few, I will work on these for you during the Brand Design Phase.
Once everything is complete and your design project comes to an end, your deliverables & brand guideline will be placed in a well-organized shared Google Folder that’s ready for you to download!
Creative Coaching Call
Once again, we’ll have another scheduled virtual call where I walk you through your new branding! I share with you how to use your brand elements in all aspects of your business, and answer any questions you may have.
Ready, Set, LAUNCH!
The best phase & the phase you have been waiting for - you get to launch your new brand to the world! You officially get to show off your brand assets on your website, social media accounts, newsletter, and business stationery.
The hard work is done and now you get to sit back and relax because you are connecting on a deeper strategic level with your audience through your brand in the way it was intended with purpose.
PIN THIS TO YOUR BOARD!
If you’ve been feeling stuck in your business and unsure how to connect better with your audience through messaging and branding, I’d love to help you out. I work specifically with health, wellness & lifestyle brands who looking for a new way of building a brand with purpose. Head here to contact me for a complimentary consult and we can discuss more details of working together.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links * added to this blog post which means if you click on the link provided and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that is no charge to you but simply supports my business to provide amazing resources like this for you in the future.
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@cwillisandco
