Buying Design Better : Sandra Dartnell
Subtitle - Making sure that the design you buy results in a quality product that does the job
This presentation was developed to educate micro businesses with small budgets. It was presented at Creative Bedfordshire March 2014.
15. Design speaks
_when you are not in the room
_when your shop is shut
_online
_when your product is passed on
16. Design works hard
_to tell people what you are
_who you are
_how to value you
it better be saying what you want
it to say, the same thing as you
17. Because bad design speaks and
works as hard as good design
it’s important that you think hard
about your core design decisions
18. What do I mean by core design?
_Choice of name
_Choice of logo
_Choice of materials
even before you add any other message
20. My business face?
_A face to stand out from the crowd
_A face to join a crowd
_Some kind of mask or hat that I put on for business
http://wtespta.org/2012/05/friday-is-hat-day/hats1/
22. Helping people buy design better
_Start with knowing who are you
_Create a clear brief
_Aim high and be constrained
23. Start with knowing who you are
_Functional or luxury
_Cheap or expensive
_Wide or niche
_Often or occasional
_Imagined who your buyer is
_Had a look at competion
24. You need to develop this to know
_What’s important to you
_What’s important to your customers
_What’s not important to your customers
_What is the benefit of your products
The basis of your business
26. What is it?
_It’s a business planning tool
_Designed for creative minds
_Working out if your idea is a business idea
_Defining your personal & professional values & motives
27. Solving problems & seeing
opportunities starts with
knowing yourself
Ask a designer to reflect your
business not define it
28. Design is a powerful problem solver
for customers & business owners
_Attracts
_Explains
_Stand-out
_Alignment
30. A clear brief
_Why I’m in business/What impact do I want to have
Mission Statement
_My customers buy on the benefits of...
Benefits
_What is really important to me/defines me professionally
Values
31. What is the problem or opportunity?
_Launching
_Redefining what exists
_Promoting to a new market
_Promoting a discount
_Upselling
32. A clear brief
_Timeframe
What is essential (minimum viable product)
_Budget
Range ok but must be given and should be real
_Competitors
More for more, more for less, less for less, same?
33. Aim high and be constrained
_You know who you are
_You know how to communicate who you are
_Don’t waste it. Don’t just hand that information over to anyone
It’s really important that you take ownership
& control of buying design
34. Aim high and be constrained
_Look around. See who has design that acts well for their product
_Ask who did it
_Express an interest. Tell them all the facts including budget
_ Ask them for a referral if they can’t help
_Be guided by effective design and by experts
_If you put in the time and communicate clearly you will find
someone you can afford and trust
You only have to find the right person once
35. That relationship & design can grow
_Evaluate and iterate
_Full identity
_Brand assets
_Marketing
_Followership and advocates
Don’t get boxed-in by lack of awareness, a loose
brief and underdog ambitions