Good Design Checklist
This list of questions is not designed to be a guarantee that your design will be a success but instead to inspire you to think about the design from every angle and to explore every avenue before signing it off. There are no correct answers and maybe you'll want to go against the grain just to help you stand out.
Does it have legs?
After the initial expense of designing a great identity program you are probably hoping that it will last quite some time. However if designed with today's budget for tomorrow's turnover you may find yourself having to rework everything at a later date. If your design doesn't have legs it will cost you a lot more time, effort and valuable funds in the future.
Is it too trendy?
Obviously in some industries trendy will be a bonus but most of us will be designing for longevity and trendy will date too quickly. A font or colour scheme can swing in and out of fashion very quickly. Names and tag-lines also need to be seriously considered.
Does it have any negative connotations?
Negative connotations pop up everywhere. Sometimes it's a language problem where a word you have chosen means something very different somewhere else. Maybe a colour is offensive with a particular religion. Shapes can also create problems here and even the angle at which something sits can be seen as negative. You can avoid most of these by researching your target audience thoroughly and proofing your new designs with a small but varied cross section of your target audience.
Can it be reproduced both very large and very small?
What looks great on the designers proofs when printed on a large piece of paper or presented full screen online may not work equally as well for an office block sign or promotional pen. The design may need tweaking to be suitable for everything and it's best to build this into your identity system earlier rather than later as inconsistency will ruin your identity.
Does it have the right tone?
This is not only a question of the language you choose but style too. Different audiences will appreciate different styles and you must ensure that your designs speak to your audience in a tone they will be sure to appreciate.
Will your audience understand it?
Posing a question or allowing the viewer to be able to "get" your designs will help to ensure that your identity stays in the minds of your audience, however being too clever can cause the exact opposite.
Can it be reproduced in the media types you require?
You may not be the best person to be answering this question so I urge you to ask your designer. The production methods for litho printing are completely different to the vinyl graphics that will appear all over your vehicles which is different from the screen printing of promotional items and different again from the graphics required for your website. You may not require all of these production methods immediately but don't forget where you might be in ten years time.
Will it work online?
Often identities get distorted on the internet as screen colours, settings and sizes all vary from one computer to another or because the website is designed by a web programmer rather than a designer. Your website is certainly one of the most critical areas not to be overlooked when it comes to design and the power of your identity.
Can you own the colour scheme?
Owning a colour scheme outright is almost impossible unless you have the budget of UPS, however owning the colour scheme within your market sector is an equally desirable asset. Humans recognise things by colour before anything else therefore when researching your opposition look seriously into their colour schemes and choose something completely different.
Is it similar in anyway to another identity?
With so many businesses out there each having an identity of some sort it is very easy to create a design that looks similar to another without even realising. It would be impossible to guarantee that your identity is completely different to anyone else's but certainly guarantee that it is different from all within your market sector, region and knowledge.
Do you like it?
This final question may seem to be a "no brainer" but even if a design satisfies all of the above criteria it may still lack the all important wow factor. If you don't love it, you'll find it much more difficult to fully get behind it and the chances are your target audience wont love it either.