Recently came across a document published by the Design Council UK. It’s aimed at you, a business owner, startup or employee. It talks about how you should approach design and gives you a whole bunch of tips on how to pick the right designer or design company.

Regardless if you end up choosing us for your next project or not — I feel that this is something you should know. Keep in mind, there are some things we are good at and others — we may suggest you find an expert. Below I’ve summarised some of the interesting / important points from the brochure.

How do you choose the right designer at the right price? How will the designer get to grips with the complexities of your business? How can you communicate what you want when you’re not quite sure yourself? How will you manage a designer and how will you assess whether what you get is ‘good’ design or not?

These are questions businesses ask all the time about using design. This guide aims to help you answer them.

A good brief is extremely important. It could save you money, time, and more importantly — stress. If you don’t know how to write a good brief or unsure as to what is needed, then we can guide you through it.

Designers are only as good as the brief you give them, so it’s vital to get it right.

It’s better to provide too much detail in the form of appended documents or signposts to more information than to leave possible question marks.

Another aspect that is very important is your involvement in the project. That’s right, it’s how much we put into the job as well as yourself. This is a process where everyone is learning. We are learning about your business while you are learning about what design can do for it.

For example, try to consider if the design work will help you achieve the aims you set out in the original design brief rather than being subjective and just saying, “I like it” or, “I don’t like it”.

We recommend you download the full document, study it well and use the tips they have compiled in your next project.

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/Design%20Buyers%27%20Guide.pdf