So you’re ready to move beyond the “DIY branding” phase of your business. Or maybe you’ve already had professional branding design done and you pivoted and need something new, or maybe you never loved your branding to begin with (hopefully not that’s not the case!).
You probably see lots of branding designers offering a VIP Day / Design Intensive or more traditional branding packages, but you’re honestly confused about which is the best fit for your business. Well wonder no more! After reading this you’ll confidently know whether a VIP day or a traditional branding package is the best fit for you and your small business.
So what’s the difference between a VIP Day / Design Intensive and a traditional branding package? Let’s dive in…
Essentially, as with any service-based VIP Day / VIP week, you are paying for a full day (or week) of that professional’s dedicated time + their years of expertise. They are solely focused on you, your mission, your business, and your aesthetics.
However, this is slightly different than paying someone an hourly rate, because there is lots of prep work (think questionnaires, brainstorming, and just getting a general feel for you and your business) that goes on before the start clock of the VIP day. You are getting much more than just 8 hours of work.
Additionally, as with any professional, please keep in mind that you’re not just paying them for the “30 minutes” it took them to draw the logo/take the photos/write the paragraph. You are paying them for the years of experience that enabled them to draw that visually appealing logo, take that correctly exposed and edited photo, or write that grammatically correct and persuasive paragraph.
With this type of service, you’ll have your deliverables in-hand either by the end of your VIP day, or the next.
Design Intensives with Homeward Creative Co.
At Homeward Creative Co., I call this type of service a Design Intensive. With a DI, we cut the typical branding process into a couple weeks of prep work + a single day of designing. After that, you’ll have all the essentials you need to implement your new branding right away.
We kick off the process by asking the client to complete a questionnaire and create a Pinterest board. When that’s complete, I’ll take that information and create two creative concepts for the client to choose from (these include color palettes and logo/typography inspiration). I’ll present these on our prep call, where the client will choose a direction, and we will refine if needed.
On the scheduled Intensive day, I’m entirely dedicated to that client for a full workday. I spend the day designing their logos, jumping on several Zoom calls with them, and making any edits in real-time while sharing my screen with the client. If there’s extra time once the logos, colors, and brand fonts are finalized, I work on anything extra the client needs until our time is up (ex. business cards, stationery designs, website mockups, social media templates, etc.) Then everything is delivered to the client by the end of the day!
A traditional branding package will feel much more familiar to the typical services that you are used to contracting out as a small business owner, and there’s a lot more freedom with what the designer can create. Typically with this service, there will be back and forth via email, multiple rounds of edits, more than one video call, and a pre-agreed set of deliverables, all accomplished over the course of anywhere from 4 weeks to 2+ months depending on the project.
This service takes longer because of a few reasons: the actual design work is completed over multiple days rather than one 8-hour workday, there are likely many more deliverables that need to be completed, and there’s extra time given for feedback and revisions. Depending on the designer, the process may start with a strategy or creative direction phase, which also adds more time.
The process will vary greatly between design studios. Every designer does things a little differently, so make sure you understand exactly what goes into a designer’s branding package before you sign a contract so you know what to expect.
Custom Brand Packages with Homeward Creative Co.
At HCC, my custom branding projects are just that – completely customized to fit the needs of the client. Want to include lots of hand-drawn illustrations in your brand identity? Need packaging design for your products? PDF guides? A ShowIt website or template customization? Let’s do it!
The biggest difference in my custom packages vs. Design Intensives is that every custom project starts with a Creative Direction phase. Before I start designing, we’ll take an in-depth look at your business – your purpose, core values, target market, and more – and present a strategic creative direction to authentically represent your brand. This helps you understand your business and ideal clients better, and gives us a solid roadmap to follow as we create a brand identity designed to help your business grow.
When everything is done, this service includes a super detailed Brand Style Guide that walks you through everything you need to know to start using your new brand visuals correctly and cohesively.
Which type of design service is right for you? It all comes down to your values and goals.
Where are you at in your business? What are your business goals? What type of package is really going to help you accomplish those goals? Thankfully, whether you have a startup that needs some nice branding to get going, or you’re ready to go all out and invest in a strategic new brand identity for your growing business, there’s a service option for you!
As a designer, I actually find both service types really fun and a great way to serve my clients with a brand identity that truly helps their business, no matter what stage of business they’re in. However, I’m a firm believer that you should choose the package that fits you, your business, and your season the best. If you have any questions regarding which type of design package would be best for you, please reach out here! I’d love to chat more about creating a beautiful brand for you that feels like coming home.
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