If you have ever found your client turning down your finished designs, you will know how frustrating it can be. While minor amendments are all part of the graphic design process, major changes can be incredibly time-consuming and costly. That is why a graphic design questionnaire is a perfect way to ensure that everyone is working from the same page and towards the same goal.
What exactly is a graphic design questionnaire, though, and what are the best questions to ask? To help you ensure every project is as smooth and straightforward as possible, we thought we would take a closer look.
What is a graphic design questionnaire?
As the name suggests, a graphic design questionnaire is a series of questions that you send to a client during the onboarding process. The idea behind this template is to ensure that you are able to get all of the information you need from the client before the project begins, giving you a complete insight into their needs and expectations.
This comprehensive questionnaire will act as the basis for your entire project, and the more thorough you are with your questions, the greater the results will be. The document should cover a wide range of areas, including:
- Who the company is
- Current design guidelines
- Aims of the project
- Time expectations
- Budget
Taking your time to ensure your graphic design questionnaire covers everything will give your team all of the information they need to create the very best results possible. However, it is also crucial that you are not making the questionnaire too lengthy, as this can create a poor impression on your new clients.
Why is it important to create one?
When it comes to graphic design, clear communication between the client and designer is essential. That is why one of the biggest advantages of creating a comprehensive graphic design questionnaire is ensuring that both parties understand what is expected from the project.
By ensuring that the client is able to clearly express their vision and guaranteeing that your design team understands exactly what is expected of them, you can save significant time. Every graphic designer will know the frustration that comes from continuous emails back and forth trying to answer every little question. A thorough questionnaire will remove the need for these time-consuming emails, giving you all of the information you need to get started.
When you are able to ensure smooth communication between yourself and the client, as well as ensuring that you have a clear understanding of their goals, it helps to guarantee the project is a success. The more you understand about your client, the lower the risk of the project failing.
Above all, though, a clear and comprehensive graphic design questionnaire will help to create a professional appearance, ensuring you are giving the very best impression possible.
The 10 best questions to assess your client’s style
While there can be no denying the many benefits that come from incorporating a graphic design questionnaire into your onboarding process, knowing the best questions to ask can be tough. That is why to help you create the perfect document for your needs, we have taken a look at the ten questions you should ask:
- Can you summarize what your business does?
One of the first things that your questionnaire should ask is what the company actually does. This will allow you to understand the services and products that they offer, allowing you to bring this into the design.
- What is your mission statement and vision for the future?
Once you understand exactly what it is that your client does, you will then want to find out what their mission statement and vision for the future are. This will help you to understand how the brand will grow.
- What are your USPs?
The perfect graphic design will showcase to individuals what sets the company apart from its competitors. That is why you want to find out what sets your client apart by understanding their Unique Selling Points.
- Who are your competitors?
You want to ensure that your design is truly unique. That is why this is a vital question to ensure that you can research what is currently working in the market and where you can improve it. In HolaBrief, we offer interactive exercises that you can include in your questionnaires. Try it out for free!
- Who is your audience?
You want to ensure that your design is working to attract your client’s key audience. That is why this question will help you to understand who you need to be targeting, such as the age, income, location, and gender.
- What do you like/dislike with your current designs?
This question will allow you to understand what your client currently likes about their designs, allowing you to incorporate them into your project. It will also ensure you know what they dislike, ensuring you do not accidentally include these.
- Do you have a brand color palette?
Alongside finding out what design elements that your client likes, you should also check whether they have an existing color palette that you will need to incorporate into the design.
- Are there any examples that you love?
Asking this question helps to get your client thinking about what it is that they want from their images. By being able to see examples, it will give you a clear insight into what the client wants from their own designs. \
- What is your budget and time frame?
This question is one of the most important on your questionnaire. It will allow you to understand not only if the client’s expectations are in line with your pricing structure but will also ensure that both parties have a clear understanding of the project.
- Who is the main point of contact?
Miscommunication is one of the biggest reasons behind a project failing. That is why nominating a dedicated point of communication will ensure that there is smooth communication from the start to the finish.
Use and customize this graphic design questionnaire template
Creating a graphic design questionnaire can be a complex process, but it is one that should form a vital part of your client onboarding process. The more comprehensive that you are with your document, the more information you will have and the greater the results you will be able to achieve.
Here at HolaBrief, we know how tough it can be to create the perfect graphic design questionnaire. That is why to help you, we have put together our comprehensive template to ensure you can always get the information you need. This in-depth document is completely editable and will allow your team to add or remove any questions you need, helping you to give your client the best experience possible. Get started for free today!
With our template, you will be able to save time and money, alongside reducing the risk of your project failing. Want to find out more? Download our template today and make your next project as smooth and successful as possible!
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