A logo design questionnaire is absolutely vital right after you signed the logo design contract template, and well before logo creation commences.
That’s because it provides a solid understanding for your design brief. By drawing out as many questions as possible, you’ll be creating a smooth journey towards a proud-worthy outcome that your client will rave about.
According to research, asking 15-18 questions during your discovery call is only slightly more effective than asking fewer.
So, we’re hitting the sweet spot with 10 questions to ask when designing a logo, all organized in three sections to serve as your ultimate logo questionnaire.
Here, we focus on the client’s brand values and attributes to gain a valuable sense of how you should be representing their brand as a whole. The logo will influence how they build a website and surely play a huge part in their marketing strategy.
Once you’ve sent your freelance contract, the questionnaire should come next. And this section should be the first to cover as it’s arguably the most important.
Does your client’s business focus on shipping services?
Baby products?
Herbal remedies?
Understanding what the company stands for will help you visualize an image that best represents it.
Once you have a basic image in mind, you can then start building upon it with additional and meaningful visuals.
Ask your client who his/her competitors are. From there, you can begin researching how these competitors are presenting their brand.
This will help you build on an image even further.
However, always make sure you ask yourself:
If your client’s target audience is women ages 17-25, their logo will be much different than a logo directed towards men ages 35-50.
Identifying your client’s target audience will help you eliminate certain logo elements and focus on effective design choices that the audience loves.
“The best marketing strategy ever: CARE.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
Ask your client how their brand’s image falls between these opposing characteristics:
Now, before continuing with the rest of the questionnaire - did you know that with Bonsai you can integrate and send the logo design questionnaire as part of a proposal?
To start, just head to your dashboard, and click on "send a proposal".
You'll now see a pop up which allows you to choose or create your client and project details. Once done, click on "create proposal".
Next, you will see the section with general information about yourself and the client, plus the option to further customize it with a background or logo, for example. Set those up and scroll further down.
Finally, here is the part where you'll be able to integrate your logo design questionnaire with the proposal. Feel free to adjust the sections as you like, remove them, rename them, and even add them back.
There's no right recipe - you can decide to just send the questionnaire or to complement it with a professional proposal that will surely win you the gig.
Easy process, right? Feel free to further explore Bonsai by signing up to our free trial.
This section involves a bit of imagination which can be a lot of fun and, according to Entrepreneur, can also lead to increased productivity for both yourself and your client.
Out of all the questions to ask when designing a logo, you’ll have the most fun with these.
While this goes hand-in-hand with section A, you’ll be surprised how different the answers will be.
This question will encourage more relaxed and genuine answers which will be amazing material for your creative process.
Alright, this may sound… weird. But sometimes animals make the best logo images.
By including your client’s spirit animal in your logo questionnaire, you’ll open up new, creative possibilities.
Now that we have the deeper meaning behind your client’s brand logo, it’s time to narrow down visual preferences.
By including this final step, you’ll be sealing the deal on your logo design (and probably gearing up to create more work opportunities very soon).
Pick out a few examples of logos to show your client. These can be logos from any industry – just make sure there’s a variety.
Ask him/her which three resonate with them, then take note of common elements in the logos they chose.
Remember: colors convey a psychological impact on people.
So, while your client may like the color orange, make sure you show him/her a list of colors and their psychological effects.
Including this useful list in your logo questionnaire is one of the steps to winning client admiration.
Another big question to ask in your logo design questionnaire revolves around the impactful font type.
Fonts are easily overlooked, but they are strongly associated with a specific emotion or idea, which makes choosing the right font extremely important.
For example:
Your logo questionnaire is the backbone of your design process and outcome.
By asking these golden questions, your project will not only be successful, but enjoyable. Confidence enables you to take on more work, at higher rates, and with bigger clients.
The way to harness that confidence?
By designing your own project management layout, with professional-approved tools that keep you inspired and creative - that's where Bonsai can help. We have helpful tips you can use when writing graphic design contracts.
Sign up for your free trial today and see for yourself, you won't regret it.
A verbal contract (formally called an oral contract) refers to an agreement between two parties that's made —you guessed it— verbally.
Formal contracts, like those between an employee and an employer, are typically written down. However, some professional transactions take place based on verbally agreed terms.
Freelancers are a good example of this. Often, freelancers will take on projects having agreed on the terms and payment via the phone, or an email. Unfortunately, sometimes clients don't pull through on their agreements, and hardworking freelancers can find themselves out of pocket and wondering whether a legal battle is worth all the hassle.
The main differences between written and oral contracts are that the former is signed and documented, whereas the latter is solely attributed to verbal communication.
Verbal contracts are a bit of a gray area for most people unfamiliar with contract law —which is most of us, right?— due to the fact that there's no physical evidence to support the claims made by the implemented parties.
For any contract (written or verbal) to be binding, there are four major elements which need to be in place. The crucial elements of a contract are as follows:
Therefore, an oral agreement has legal validity if all of these elements are present. However, verbal contracts can be difficult to enforce in a court of law. In the next section, we take a look at how oral agreements hold up in court.
Most business professionals are wary of entering into contracts orally because they can difficult to enforce in the face of the law.
If an oral contract is brought in front of a court of law, there is increased risk of one party (or both!) lying about the initial terms of the agreement. This is problematic for the court, as there's no unbiased way to conclude the case; often, this will result in the case being disregarded. Moreover, it can be difficult to outline contract defects if it's not in writing.
That being said, there are plenty of situations where enforceable contracts do not need to be written or spoken, they're simply implied. For instance, when you buy milk from a store, you give something in exchange for something else and enter into an implied contract, in this case - money is exchanged for goods.
There are some types of contracts which must be in writing.
The Statute of Frauds is a legal statute which states that certain kinds of contracts must be executed in writing and signed by the parties involved. The Statute of Frauds has been adopted in almost all U.S states, and requires a written contract for the following purposes:
Typically, a court of law won't enforce an oral agreement in any of these circumstances under the statute. Instead, a written document is required to make the contract enforceable.
Contract law is generally doesn't favor contracts agreed upon verbally. A verbal agreement is difficult to prove, and can be used by those intent on committing fraud. For that reason, it's always best to put any agreements in writing and ensure all parties have fully understood and consented to signing.
Verbal agreements can be proven with actions in the absence of physical documentation. Any oral promise to provide the sale of goods or perform a service that you agreed to counts as a valid contract. So, when facing a court of law, what evidence can you provide to enforce a verbal agreement?
Unfortunately, without solid proof, it may be difficult to convince a court of the legality of an oral contract. Without witnesses to testify to the oral agreement taking place or other forms of evidence, oral contracts won't stand up in court. Instead, it becomes a matter of "he-said-she-said" - which legal professionals definitely don't have time for!
If you were to enter into a verbal contract, it's recommended to follow up with an email or a letter confirming the offer, the terms of the agreement , and payment conditions. The more you can document the elements of a contract, the better your chances of legally enforcing a oral contract.
Another option is to make a recording of the conversation where the agreement is verbalized. This can be used to support your claims in the absence of a written agreement. However, it's always best to gain the permission of the other involved parties before hitting record.
Fundamentally, most verbal agreements are legally valid as long as they meet all the requirements for a contract. However, if you were to go to court over one party not fulfilling the terms of the contract, proving that the interaction took place can be extremely taxing.
So, ultimately, the question is: written or verbal agreements?
Any good lawyer, contract law firm, or legal professional would advise you to make sure you formalize any professional agreement with a written agreement. Written contracts provide a secure testament to the conditions that were agreed and signed by the two parties involved. If it comes to it, a physical contract is much easier to eviden in legal circumstances.
Freelancers, in particular, should be aware of the extra security that digital contracts may provide. Many people choose to stick to executing contracts verbally because they're not sure how to write a contract, or they think writing out the contract terms is too complicated or requires expensive legal advice. However, this is no longer the case.
Today, we have a world of resources available at our fingertips. The internet is a treasure trove of invaluable information, platforms, and software that simplifies our lives. Creating, signing, and sending contracts has never been easier. What's more, you don't have to rely on a hiring a lawyer to explain all that legal jargon anymore.
There are plenty of tools available online for freelancers to use for guidance when drafting digital contracts. Tools like Bonsai provide a range of customizable, vetted contract templates for all kinds of freelance professionals. No matter what industry you're operating in, Bonsai has a professional template to offer.
A written contract makes the agreement much easier to prove the terms of the agreement in case something were to go awry. The two parties involved can rest assured that they're legal rights are protected, and the terms of the contract are sufficiently documented. Plus, it provides both parties with peace of mind to focus on the tasks at hand.
Bonsai's product suite for freelancers allows users to make contracts from scratch, or using professional templates, and sign them using an online signature maker.
With Bonsai, you can streamline and automate all of the boring back-office tasks that come with being a freelancer. From creating proposals that clients can't say no to, to sealing the deal with a professional contract - Bonsai will revolutionize the way you do business as a freelancer.
Why not secure your business today and sign up for a free trial?