How do I Choose a Branding Agency?
You’re just about to embark on the next stage of growth. You’re on the look out for the perfect agency to guide you on your way to a bigger, better rebranded land of opportunity…
There are three things you should ask yourself when looking for a creative agency partner, and they all relate to each other in a symbiotic triangle of success.
Timeframe
How quickly do you want your job done? A good agency will be booked up some months in advance, so you need to factor that in to your plans. In general, a complete rebrand job can take four to six weeks depending on what is in place already and what existing customer research you might have.
This is not factoring in website or print design as well as production which can take just as long depending on what assets you need. Read our other post timescales in rebranding to find out a little more about this.
Budget
The old adage ‘time is money’ most definitely applies here, but it’s not the only way an agency might quote for a job. Agencies also often have tiered pricing for different kinds of work. Brand strategy usually costs more than straight-up graphic design, as it takes up more of an agency’s resource to work on branding and concept creation. It’s really useful for an agency to understand what your budget range is before they can send you a proposal as it helps them to know whether they can realistically achieve what you are asking for.
There’s also a movement towards agencies charging on a value basis, which can be more difficult to quantify. A rebrand for a large organisation, for example, will be worth far more to that company than a brand for a freelancer. There is also more at stake for the agency, so they may charge a higher rate to allow for the risk, stress and complication of working with a larger, more established company. We’ve created a costing guide for more information on this, so it’s worth a read.
Quality
When considering a brand or design agency partner, it’s really important to look at previous work to help you decide if they are worth their salt and that their work will be appropriate for your rebrand.
Most agencies will have previous work on their website, like we do on our work page. But don’t be afraid to ask for more in-depth, examples of brand documents; showreels; animations; assets or anything specific that might help you make a decision. Agencies love to show off their work so they should be more than happy to share.
Finally…
So these three factors are the main considerations you should take into account when employing an agency. They also relate intrinsically to each other too. This is called The Project Management Triangle or The Triple Constraint — the combination of the three most significant restrictions on any project: scope, schedule and cost.
So if you want something done very quickly, it might cost you more money, as an agency might need to enlist freelancers at short notice. Quality may suffer if you are pushing the agency to work faster than they usually would.
But if your budget is low, then it might not be realistic to enlist the help of the most experienced agencies, and they may have to work over a longer period of time to fit your job around others to make it more efficient.
If you can get the balance right, you should be able to get your job done at a price you are happy with, in a realistic timeframe. The work will be well considered, and of good quality, and you’ll be well on your way to the next exciting stage in your path to growth and success.
Rog How is co-founder and Managing Director of Polleni branding agency. He studied at the University of Bristol and has worked in radio production for national and international stations in the UK and Australia. Rog has also worked in marketing and audio branding at the BBC alongside agencies such as Fallon and Red Bee. At the BBC Rog led the stakeholder management and radio production of projects such as the Royal Wedding, the Olympics and General Election. Rog co-founded a critically-acclaimed E-Commerce business with his wife Cat How, before selling it to co-found the Pollen Place coworking studios and event space in 2016. Rog co-founded Polleni in 2017 alongside Neil Quinn and Cat How. He is a branding mentor for incubator programs in Lisbon at Beta-i,and speaks regularly at events around Europe. Originally published at polleni.com.
