Although designers can enjoy the freedom and flexibility by working alone, teamwork relies on trust and confidence. It’s no secret that designers feel a sense of ownership in their designs, but collaboration can provide new perspectives and horizons. Communication is a necessary skill to be successful, however it can affect the quality of an experience and how people can stand out to make an exemplary experience.
Through my own experience, I will disclose the level of communication/ collaboration and how it affects the service I provide within Lilly Belle Paperie. Without communication, I would be unable to provide the quality level of customer I strive to achieve, which reflects in my 200+ 5-star average reviews. In fact, the customer service category is the highest-rated comment recorded in my customer’s reviews.
A specific example of in-project communication can be seen in my work for BeYOUtiful Monograms. The owner reached out expressing her interest in a rebrand that could provide a specific aesthetic to reflect her products and identity. During the research phase, I was able to learn about the business’ target market including gender, age, demographic, lifestyle, etc, which influenced the approach I would take when sketching samples. Since the owner’s business name is ‘BeYOUtiful Monograms,’ she wanted to emphasize the YOU within the word as her business focuses on positivity and expressing her style in a fun, unique way.
Based on the information I gathered, we agreed on a color palette of blue/mint and grey as it provided an updated, elegant aesthetic style to their previous brand identity. Color psychology often influences the colors I recommend to match the aesthetic the customer is trying to achieve. For example, I used mint as the blue/green values reflect harmony, refreshment, tranquility, wellness, and creativity. Meanwhile, grey represents neutrality and balance to alleviate stress and focus on a calm, reflective state-of-mind.
After providing around 10 sketches, the owner was able to share her insight about what she liked/ didn’t like and the composition we were trying to achieve. Based on her feedback, I created a few mockups using the additional information I received. The owner originally had a specific font in mind, which I was able to access and provide in my initial mockups. Since I felt the font didn’t truly reflect the aesthetic I felt she was trying to achieve, I also included a few additional samples in similar fonts that achieved the style she had in mind.
Ultimately, the owner ended up loving the font I recommended. From there, I was able to create additional sub-logos to use in various digital and print mediums.
End Results
The owner ended up loving the new rebrand and also had me design her shop banner along with all of her print materials including business cards, thank you cards, care instructions, stickers, and more.
In this case, along with all of my other logo rebrands, it is vital to communicate with the customer to observe specific details that can make the difference between a good logo and an exceptional logo. A customer depends on a designer to bring their vision to life, and without communication, it would be impossible to achieve their expectation. Without communication, a logo would mean nothing other than text versus a special name that reflects and resembles a person’s originality and brand identity. The experience is nearly as important as the final product itself.
Reflection
The quality of customer service also reflects in my loyal customers, as I have several that have come back for repeat orders. If customers didn’t feel confident with my business, there are several other competitors that they could easily choose. Yet, they specifically decide to come back to me and continue to support someone they can trust. I have had one customer order 5x in the past 7 months.
Loyalty is something that can’t be bought, only earned. Although communication can be underrated, it is never overvalued. Communication is a skill that is crucial for anyone to succeed, especially when collaborating with a team.
Want to see BeYOUtiful Monogram's new look? View their Etsy shop below!
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