Choose and work with a designer

Introduction

Design allows you to develop and sell products and services without having to compete purely on cost - a process that will become ever more difficult with the growth of low-cost imports.

Design also allows you to create niche products and develop strong relationships with your customers so you can meet or exceed their expectations.

This guide outlines the key stages in choosing the right designer or design agency to work with, and how to develop an ongoing relationship with them.

You will find out how to recruit the right designer, how to integrate them into a project team and how to manage them. You will also learn how to create a design brief and how to ensure a successful working relationship.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• When to use a designer
• Build a design project team
• Find the right designer
• Briefing a designer
• Checklist: key issues to agree with your designer
• Manage your design project effectively
• Sign off your design project
• Checklist: managing a design project
• Here's how I chose and worked with a designer

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