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Corporate identity client questionnaireIvan | Wed, 2005-06-22 19:41 Toolbox

A good brief is half success with an identity project. If you have all the

information and an in depth understanding of your client's brand you will

have the basis for a great logo and striking identity. Without it you're just

shooting in the dark and can only rely on your luck to find the right

solution. A good brief also simplifies your work by giving numerous seeds of

ideas to work with.

If you're working in a branding or design agency you're lucky because client

servicing and planning will write the brief for you. But if you're freelancing

you need to do the interview with the client yourself. It may take well over

an hour, but believe me it's worth every minute of it.

Sometimes clients are not very talkative and without a clear structure the

briefing session will take less than five minutes and all you get from client

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is that you have to be ready with at least 10 different options for the new

logo by next Saturday and that he wants something "WOW"! Obviously this is

not much useful information and will be virtually impossible to do any good

work.

This is why I developed and fine tuned over the years a client questionnaire

to use as a guideline to interview the client and now I'm giving it to you

hoping you can make a good use of it for the next identity project you will

work on.

Of course, not all questions will be relevant for every project. Also this

questionnaire doesn't include any practical questions regarding the working

relationship with the client. It's all about the brand and what it should

stand for.

General questions1. What is your business?

Example: We make shoes. / We teach Kung-Fu.

Why ask: Understand what a company does officially, later on in the

questionnaire it will be interesting to see what the real product/service is.

2. How old is your company?

Example: More than 50 years old. / Started up just 9 month ago.

Why ask: It's for general orientation. The answer may also give you an idea.

3. Size of your company?

Example: 200 employees in 4 countries. / Just me and my brother.

Why ask: The answer may give you an idea and gives a general

understanding for the weight of the brand.

4. Your business in one sentence?

Example: We make great hiking shoes for families and professional hikers. /

We will teach you how to defend yourself with anything that you find.

Why ask: We are getting closer to the nature of the business, but we're not

done.

5. Your business in two words?

Example: Hiking shoes / Self defence

Why ask: That's more like it.

6. Your business in one word?

Example: Hiking / Defence

Why ask: See how different the real nature of the business from the official

one in question 1.

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7. Your business in one letter?

(joke)

In depth interview8. How did you start the company?

Example: My granddad was a scout in WW2 in the Austrian alps and he had

to go up hill 5 kilometers every day. He perfected the army shoes for 3

years and after the war he founded our company. / We were always skinny

when we were young and everybody made fun of us. Then my brother

started to learn Kung Fu from a Singapore master and we became suddenly

well respected and popular. A year later my little sister was mugged and

beaten and ended up in wheel chair for 2 month because she couldn't

defend herself when she walked home from school. I felt horrible not being

able to protect her, so I decided we gonna teach her and others self

defense, so that such things never happen again.

Why ask: Such stories will give you amazing insight to the company and may

give you an idea.

9. Is there a story that is unique to your company?

Example: Actually Edmund Hillary wore a shoe my granddad made in 1953

when conquering the Mount Everest. / One of our students became a police

officer after she managed to kick a burglar out of a friends house on a sleep

over.

Why ask: It tells you what the company is proud of, therefore you can build

on this in your logo.

10. If you company/brand was a person who would it be?

Example: Columbus, because he was an adventurer always looking for new

ways of doing the same thing. / Bride from Kill Bill.

Why ask: A brand is perceived by consumers like a person. You trust them,

you communicate with them through advertising and purchase, you get

disappointed by them, etc. The identity you're designing is the face of that

person.

11. If your company/brand was an object what would it be?

Example: I don't know, maybe a compass... / Hmm, that egg protecting

carton.

Why ask: Ideas, ideas, ideas, you can't have enough of them. You can get it

from the client directly or his answer may trigger one in your head.

12. If your company/brand was an animal which one would it be?

Example: Camel / Tiger

Why ask: This is a conversation starter. If he says elephant, you may ask

why to find out more that might give you an idea. You get the idea.



13. Is there an important object, building or person for your business?

Example: Our original factory in Graz is painted bright pink and people

always joke about it. / We have Bruce Lee's nunchaku displayed at our

training hall.

Why ask: You are looking for existing imagery that the brand is already

known for, you may just need to make an icon out of it.

14. What do your wear to work?

Example: Jeans and t-shirt / Traditional black dress with a wide red belt.

Why ask: The answer sets the style for the identity.

15. Do you have plans for tonight?

(joke)

The market16. How does the market see your company today?

Example: They think we're a well established company with good

products. / They think it's a small family business.

Why ask: Must know what the current perception is to make sure the new

identity doesn't depart too much from it, so that the brands keeps the trust

of existing customers.

17. What aspect of your image needs improvement?

Example: People think we are old school. / We are seen to be semi

professional.

Why ask: This is the bad perception, that keeps the business from growing.

This is what you have to fight with the new identity.

18. How do you want your image to be seen in 2 years?

Example: We want to be seen as a company with traditional values but

using the latest technology and materials. / We need to be perceived as a

professional organization you can trust with self defense training.

Why ask: This is what you have to portray in your new identity to serve your

client.

19. Who are your competitors?

Example: CAT, Timberland and other smaller companies. / There is one

Jiujitsu training center nearby.

Why ask: The identity has to be easily identifiable and it has to be unique.

It's essential to research the competition.

20. How are they better/worse than your product/service?

Example: CAT and Timberland has strong brands. We are less well known.

CAT is masculine, we are not, but want to be. Timberland has a very

natural feel to it. We want to have that too. We have a bigger history and



we are more serious about our product than these two brands. / The

Jiujitsu training center has been operating for almost 10 years, they have a

well established name and they are seen as professionals, we want that

too. We are much more self defense oriented, unlike our competitor who is

more involved in competitions and show off stuff.

Why ask: You have to identify your clients brand's strength and weaknesses

and build on them.

21. Shaken or stirred?

(joke)

The target22. Who is your customer?

Example: Mainly hobby hikers and a few professionals as well. / All kinds of

people between the ages of 18-35.

Why ask: You need to know who are you talking to. If you're talking to kids

you need to speak a different visual language than if you're talking to

bankers.

23. If your customer was a cartoon character who would it be?

(not a joke)

Example: Ha ha, I would say Nemo / Courage the Cowardly Dog

Why ask: Cartoon characters have exaggerated characteristics. Identifying

the stereotype of your consumer is easier through this exercise.

Current identity24. Do you have an identity?

Example: Yes / No

Why ask: You have to create a visual continuity, unless a sudden change is

required because of a strong negative association with the old identity.

25. What do you like about it and what do you not like about it?

Example: I like the colors, but the boy scout around the fire is not serious

or trendy. / N/A

Why ask: Obviously you may consider to keep what client likes and stay

away from what he doesn't like, unless you have strong reasoning for doing

otherwise.

You can download the questionnaire in txt format below to prepare a

branded document with spaces to write the answers.

Now, you must have a very clear understanding of what the company/brand

is all about. You must have several ideas already for different directions.

But before you would even open a new document in Illustrator you may

want to consider going through this exercise.



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Greg | Wed, 2005-06-22 23:07

Pretty funny. :c)

I love when you post things like this... (and the one you link to at the end.) Good stuff.

Thank you.

my blog: http://blog.one-waymedia.com

my work: http://www.one-waymedia.com

webdav | Wed, 2005-06-22 23:12

Great post. Good solid starting spot for doing an identity. And I think a client would

appreciate the bits of humor and understand why they are being asked. Heck, they might

even like the exagerated interest a questionaire shows. Worst case: they think you are

really interested in their product/service. That's not a bad thing, is it?

dhayn | Thu, 2005-06-23 17:24

Thanks a lot for this Ivan, I liked the idea but also like the idea of giving this to clients

before a meeting so they can prepare a bit. I put together a quick version in Indesign for

myself and figured somebody else might find it useful. (I did change your text it a bit

though). I also realize it's probably best to make this a tri-fold so it could be mailed easy

but I made it fold once the long way.

Indesign file zipped or PDF file

Anybody feel free to clean this up a bit and repost it

Ivan | Thu, 2005-06-23 18:37

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this is great!

We may add one more question which is more of a practical issue: What is the primary

media for the usage?

It's important, because stationary is not always the primary most important thing. You

may need to emboss the logo into a soap or cut grass on a field into the shape of the

logo, etc.

Greg | Thu, 2005-06-23 22:44

Great! I love it! My guess is that some areas are too small and some will have wasted

space but that also depends on the person writing... You did a great job. I was thinking

of turning it into an online form that sends an email to a designer (or whoever)... I might

code that up and post a link... would any of you be interested in me doing that?

(I'd code it so that you can easily edit all aspects of the design. ;c)

my blog: http://blog.one-waymedia.com

my work: http://www.one-waymedia.com

mara06 | Fri, 2007-07-13 16:24

I would hyphenate in-depth, though. Also, "That's all, wasn't too hard, was it?" should

be punctuated either with a semicolon instead of the comma, of period (or maybe

exclamation point)/new sentence.

I like the last paragraph; wraps it all up nicely. Should something similar also go first?

Mara

katerina | Thu, 2005-06-23 19:58

Wow Ivan thanks a lot! Really great spot. It's always a benefit to see how other people do

the same job I do. I whish I could add more to it, but this is really comprehensive

information ;)

Balazs | Fri, 2005-06-24 07:48

That is one of the most helpful post I've read nowadays!

Tigerstorm | Sat, 2005-06-25 23:15

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I'm thinking to get myself a logo and with this questionnaire I think the logo maker can

really get useful information when he's creating the logo..

Thanks dhayn for that useful PDF!

mugget | Fri, 2006-02-03 09:16

this is really great! just the kind of thing i need...

^_^

thornysarus | Fri, 2006-02-03 13:39

Good stuff. But you forgot to ask, "just how many Saturn rings would you like encircling

the name of your company?"

hehe...

Terrell Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

Anonymous | Sat, 2006-05-06 07:43

It's really great. It'll help for hitting the target. You done a great job. In a single word

"WOW".

UPDESHH (INDIA)

mara06 | Fri, 2007-07-13 16:19

I printing this out and read it over a late lunch yesterday and absolutely loved it. (The

lunch was great too. Good Spanish wine. But I digress.)

I'm going to commit this approach to memory and allow it guide me through my next

corporate identity encounter. I had a client about a year ago with whom I really should

have run through all these questions -- it would have saved both of us a lot of trouble.

You're very generous to share this with us. Thank you.

Mara

ungasg | Tue, 2009-02-10 03:14

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A great write up and guidance and this is what I need for my first interview today. You

made my day brighter. Love you!!

Michael D Say | Sat, 2009-02-14 16:55

Just when I needed it, Serendipity!!

http://www.fullcolumn.co.uk/images/sig.jpg

Amos Chuchu | Sun, 2010-11-07 08:23

A most brilliant contribution that ....Well done...Its quite frankly the perfect reminder that

our work is a fusion of both ART and SCIENCE and can only be ignored at one's own

peril...Hats Off To You Again

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