Commissioning a designer
11 guides
Commissioning a designer or using a template: how to chooseTemplates are not a cheap version of commissioning. They are a different thing, and each is right in circumstances the other is not.3 min read
Commissioning packaging that survives a shelf and a courierPackaging has to do several jobs at once. Designing it well means briefing all of them, not just the pretty one.3 min read
Getting your first paid commissionThe first one is the hardest, and the usual advice — "build a following" — is not actionable. Here is what is.3 min read
Hiring a designer for a logo: what to expectWhat a logo project actually involves, what you should receive at the end, and the questions worth asking first.3 min read
How to brief a designer so the first draft is closeMost disappointing first drafts trace back to the brief, not the designer. Here is what to include and what to leave out.3 min read
How to choose a designer when you cannot see their processA portfolio shows what somebody can make. It does not show whether they are straightforward to work with. Here is how to read the rest.3 min read
How to commission an artist for your wedding invitationA commissioned invitation is not a template with your names in it. Here is how to brief one, what to expect, and when to start.4 min read
Personalised gifts that are not just a name printed on somethingThe difference between a personalised gift that lands and one that embarrasses everybody is usually the idea, not the printing.3 min read
When a business should commission illustration rather than use stockStock imagery is fast and cheap and makes you look like everybody else. Here is where that matters and where it does not.3 min read
Why designers price in packages rather than by the hourAn hourly rate is honest and almost impossible to buy. Packages solve a problem for both sides.3 min read
Working with a designer you have never metMost creative work now happens between people in different cities. What makes it go well, and what reliably goes wrong.3 min read