How a Style Questionnaire Can Transform Your Branding Process

Starting Your Branding Journey with a Style Questionnaire

When I begin the branding process with a new client, I like to kick things off with a style questionnaire. This invaluable tool gives me insight into their preferences and helps me tailor my approach. I use Google to create these surveys because it’s user-friendly and can handle multiple-choice questions, images, and open-ended responses. For seamless access, I embed the survey directly on my website.

The Importance of a Style Questionnaire

Why use a style questionnaire? From just five simple questions, I can quickly gauge the client's style preferences. Each survey is customized based on our initial meetings, ensuring the questions are relevant and insightful. While in-person meetings provide great insights into a client's style, today's virtual world often necessitates remote interactions. I've discovered that clients might be bolder with their brand style than their personal style. Interestingly, as they embrace their brand, elements of it often start reflecting in their daily lives.

Five Key Questions to Discover Client Style

Here are the five essential questions I use to guide clients toward understanding their style:

Font Preference: Present the client's company name in different font styles – Script, Sans Serif, Serif, and Decorative.
Color Palettes: Offer a selection of color palettes – dark, light, neutral, and bold.
Advertising Styles: Show various ad styles from their industry to understand their visual preferences.
Patterns: Provide a variety of patterns to reveal both style and color preferences.
Fun Option - Home Decor: Ask the client to choose a pillow, lamp, or wall art that speaks to them. This offers insights into their personality and can influence brand identity decisions.

Reviewing and Moving Forward

Once the client completes the survey, I review the results independently, noting my initial impressions. If any choices surprise me, I make a point to ask the client why they selected them to deepen my understanding.

With the survey results in hand, I move on to the next step in my design process: developing style options. Want to learn more about creating a KILLER design process?

https://kadesign315.com/blog/creatingakillerdesignprocess

Your Turn

What questions do you ask your clients when preparing for a design project? Share your thoughts in the comments below!