How to choose a new design direction without breaking the bank ⋅ EV #013
If (re)branding is on your mind, you’ll one day need to make a future-defining decision for your brand — choosing a creative direction, aka a visual style.
A designer will present you with a few options in the form of moodboards, walking you through the possible vibes, visual throughline, colors, fonts, and photo effects. One key evaluation parameter to consider is production cost.
Every style has a production cost, which varies from overnight DIY fun to paying a 5-figure number to contract an expert. The most common costs are:
- commissioning an illustrator if a style's visual heart is illustrative or hiring a 3D designer for a direction heavily relying on 3D;*
- renting a studio or buying equipment to shoot photos in a special setup;
- writing extra code in case of code-generated visuals.
You may not realize these costs at the brand launch when you feel fully equipped with the visuals you received upon the design delivery. But as you grow, your audience will likely become bored with seeing the same visuals over and over again, and you may need to present a new narrative using the same visual language.
Here is a flow of questions that will help you predict extra costs as you choose your future visual direction:
- Can you produce it in-house or DIY? Can you, as a founder, your product designer, or your junior designer do it by following step-by-step instructions?(Yes, using AI falls in this category.)
- How much time and energy will this DIY way take?
- If you can do it in-house, can you automate the production? Like reducing the time spent from 3 hours to 5 minutes?
- If the answer to the 1st question is "No", can the designer who suggested this direction do it for you?
- If a brand designer cannot do it, how much will it cost to contract an expert? (Note: If the designer suggests a direction that requires hiring others, it is their job to help you estimate the cost.) And who will manage and art direct them?
Ask these questions before choosing a moodboard. It will save you time and money in the future.
Have a smooth start to the week,
Ira
P.S. If the answer about production costs is not as confident as you want to hear, ask to produce a test visual. Even a small test will reveal the underwater stones of the production.
P.S. I'm very careful suggesting something I cannot produce myself or with AI, so I have nothing to illustrate the drama side of design execution costs. But here is an illustration of how a moodboard imposes the photo-shoot setup:
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