The Patchwork Problem: the case for briefing once

The patchwork problem can rapidly unravel any business, be that solo, small, medium or large. Someone may have a logo they quite like, a website that doesn't quite match it, a PDF download they're a bit embarrassed by, and a vague sense that none of it quite adds up to the impression they want to make. Each piece was a separate decision, made at that moment, and often under some kind of time pressure. The result is an identify that exists in parts rather than as a whole.

There is a better way and it starts with briefing once. 

At several points in my career I've thought about niches and a focus on one area of design, despite being trained in many disciplines. Some designers excel in a specialism and I adore type which fall across all three. It's actually an advantage for me and my clients. When logo, branding, print and digital assets, website, and lead magnet are developed together by the same designer, a few things happen that simply can't happen any other way.

• The visual language is consistent from the start. The colours on your website are the same colours in your PDF download, which are the same colours on your business card. Not approximately the same, they are exactly the same, because they come from the same source files, the same palette, the same design decisions made at the same time.

• The brief only happens once. You explain all the essential information about who you are, who your clients are, what you do and how you want to feel to a visitor to the designer once. That understanding runs through every deliverable. No retelling the story to a new person. No hoping that your website developer understood the brand designer's brief.

• The decisions compound. When I'm designing a logo, I'm already thinking about how it will sit on a website header, how it will reduce to a favicon, how it'll look on a PDF cover. When I'm building the website, I'm using the brand I've already developed rather than reverse-engineering it. When I'm creating the lead magnet, the template is already there. Each stage informs the next.

A joined-up package typically covers:

• Logo and simple brand identity such as a wordmark or logo mark, colour palette, font selection, basic brand guidelines

• Print and digital assets comprising business card, email signature, social media templates, or whatever your business actually needs

• Website design built around the brand, with training and handover so you feel confident managing it

• Lead magnet or download as a PDF, checklist, guide or template designed in your brand, ready to use from day one

How to brief it with me:

1. The process starts with a conversation which takes just fifteen-minutes on Zoom. Before we speak, it's useful to have thought about: who your ideal client is and what problem you solve for them; any visual references you love (or strongly don't love); which platforms you need to work across; and what the lead magnet needs to do (is it a freebie to grow your list, a resource you sell, a client-facing document?)

2. From there I'll put together a proposal with a clear scope, timeline and investment. You brief once. I handle the rest.

3. This is a package I'm building out formally on the services page but if it sounds like what you need, don't wait for the page to be live. Book a free chat to talk it through → Or book a one-hour consultation →