Thinking about kicking off a new branding project for your new (or old) business? It’s important to know that your brand is so much more than just your logo design or your brand name. Your brand is every expression of your business: it’s how you talk to your customers, it’s the tone you use in your social media posts, it’s the messaging you include in your brochure, it’s how you answer your phone and sign off on your emails.

That’s why it’s so important to be able to answer a few key questions before heading into a branding project. Many brand designers (myself included!) like to kick projects off with a questionnaire to dig up more information about your business and really get to know you prior to project kickoff time.

5 questions to answer before starting your branding project

Here are a few of the most vital questions from my own questionnaire, perfect to start brainstorming prior to engaging a designer.

Tell me a little about the main turning points in the history of your business.
I want to know where your business has been and how you’ve gotten to where you are now.

Who are your main competitors?
This helps give me a feel for your industry, specifically what related companies are doing for branding, website, and content.

What sets your business apart from the competition?
I want to know what makes you special, unique, and different; why should folks choose to work with you?

What is your business mission statement?
This is a concise description of your business’ goals and objectives, helping to explain who you are quickly and simply.

Who is your target demographic?
This question is great for getting a better understanding of your target’s demographics’ basics like age, income, gender, and occupation. Additionally, it helps to know how they find out about your brand, how they most consume marketing, and what kinds of things affect their purchasing decisions.

There are, of course, many more questions that I ask during branding projects, but the ones above really help get clients’ juices flowing on their business direction and position. In turn, I’m able to really understand their vision before entering into their project.