7 Tips for Starting a Podcast

By Tess McCabe Now that you've had a week since my article 'How to download and listen to podcasts' to download shows, binge-listen and basically become obsessed with podcasting, perhaps you're thinking: I could do this!

That’s great! Today I'll offer some tips on how to start your own podcast.

But first, another tech disclaimer: Emma and I are relatively new at this too, so we don't have it all down pat yet. But the info contained herein is a pretty good foundation for getting your first ep online

1. Decide on a topic. As discussed last week, most podcasts have a niche theme or overarching format, and that's what draws in listeners. When deciding what to make a podcast about, I first looked to my interests. One of my main interests involves asking people about their creative businesses (which, lets face it, I do a lot of already in various other forms!). I like TV and film, but I can't really talk about those topics in a 'critical analysis' kind of way without sounding like a dum-dum. I do like talking about my kid though, and asking people about their family situations, and talking to my mum friends. Ding! Hours of interesting content ideas suddenly presented themselves.

Having some kind of structure to your talk-topic also helps. Emma and I have somewhat of a content calendar in terms of planned interviews (which helps when one or the other needs some time off, to, like have a baby or other such important life event). We also have a running list of interesting conversation topics and topical questions to ask, and apply these to guests as we see fit.

2. Decide who you will talk to. Most of the podcasts I listen to feature between 1 and 4 people talking. Grace Bonney, for example, sometimes does an episode of After The Jump on her own about her business experiences, and sometimes she has a guest or two to interview. WTF with Marc Maron and Conversations with Richard Fidler are usually a one-on-one interviews with a different person every episode. Chat 10 Looks 3 (the brilliant new podcast by journalists Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales) is just the two of them chatting. On The New Normal, it's generally always Emma and I interviewing a guest.

Having different guests on your podcast comes with its pros and cons. Pro, you (and your listeners) get to meet and hear different perspectives from different people. Con, it can be a logistical effort to organise guests and find new people to feature every episode.

The pros of working with a partner on a podcast are obvious: halve the workload, double the fun! Given that I have a podcasting partner, I can't think of any cons right now... probably just the logistical effort of coordinating schedules.

3. Practise talking. This one sounds like a joke, but it's not. I did NOT realise the weird and annoying (to me at least) things that I do when I talk until I heard myself recorded! Eek! With the help of editing software (see below) one can edit out unnecessary 'ums', voice cracks, and pauses post-recording, but it helps to train yourself instead to be conscious of how you talk. If this involves practise, then do it. If it involves writing down notes re: witty anecdotes or questions for your guest, then do it. No-one likes to hear drawn out 'soo... um, there was something else I wanted to ask... ummm'.

It's also worth considering the format. Practise holding back if you're inclined to talk over people. Practise speaking up if you tend to mumble. And most importantly, if you're interviewing a guest, practise listening - it's likely your listeners will want to hear what they have to say slightly more than you!

4. Figure out how and where you're going to record your podcast. We record TNN on an iPhone through an app called iTalk. It's free, and the quality of the recording is decent even without needing a separate microphone.

Considerations such as how quiet your location will be is important. Again, test your equipment in your location to see what works (I never realised how squeaky my dining table chairs were until I thought about sitting down to record there!)

5. Edit and add music. Who doesn't love a catch jingle at the beginning of a radio show? Our theme tune was custom written just for us (helps to have friends with songwriting/producing skills!), but for the CWC podcasts and recordings I found some royalty-free music online for which I pay an reasonable annual license fee to use.

Remember, you can't just use any old song as your theme song, as these would more than likely be protected by copyright.

In terms of editing a recorded file, we use Audacity. It takes a little getting used to using but once you're accustomed, you'll be cutting and editing like a pro. In an editing program you can add your theme music to the start and end of your episode, tighten the episode by removing ums, ah's, coughing fits and even boring conversational tangents, and export the file ready for uploading online.

6. Get it out there. There are a few ways to get your complete audio file online and into the ears of your loyal listeners, but often it can be a bit of a convoluted process of workarounds if you want it to remain free and (relatively) easy. Our episodes are uploaded to our BandCamp page, embedded from there via HTML code into our website blog, and then that RSS feed talks to iTunes so the episode pops up there.

iTunes is where you really want your podcast to be, but there are a few rules - you have to be 5 episodes deep before you can apply, and they have to approve your show before they put it on their system.

7. Promote and build an audience. Just like any blog or creative business, promoting your podcast and building an audience takes time, determination, and some marketing know-how. Becoming more readily 'findable' on iTunes involves gathering listener reviews, and encouraging listeners to subscribe, so that you pop up in search results near the top. TNN has its own social media accounts and listeners can sign up to receive an email whenever a new episode is released. We’re still building our audience, so you can follow us over here, here and here!

Let us know if you start your own podcast this summer!

How to download and listen to podcasts

By Tess McCabe

As someone who has worked solo for much of my career, listening to podcasts as I go about my day have become a big part of my life. There are a few podcasts that I listen to regularly, and often times when I have found myself alone for 8 or more hours a day, their hosts have become like virtual studio mates. (There was a running joke when I was pregnant with my son that once born he would recognise Ira Glass' voice more readily than my husband's!)

My definition of a podcast is essentially an online radio program. Sometimes, actual broadcast radio programs will archive episodes online for listeners to access at any time. Other times, a podcast is only available online and not broadcast via any other media. These are usually pretty niche in their topic, and unless it's the focus of the show they rarely take breaks to play music. The podcast hosts are often just regular folk with something interesting to share (i.e. without any professional broadcast experience!).

Earlier this year, with my friend and fellow creative mum Emma Clark, I started a podcast: The New Normal. On each episode, we interview a guest about their experiences as parents, and try to glean how they make family life work while also maintaining a career or a business (and some semblance of a social life).

Probably the number one question Emma and I have been asked since starting our podcast is: How do I listen to it? Or indeed, any podcast?

So this post is a quick answer to that question. Disclaimer: I'm not the most up to date person when it comes to internet and mobile technology. I know slightly more than the basics, but don't expect this blog post to explain every available option to you with up-to-the-minute advances in podcast-listening-options. I know what I know, and hopefully it's enough to get you started!

I personally listen to podcasts in two ways. On my computer when I'm working there, or via my iPhone when I'm away from my desk.

Mobile phone listening

I have an iPhone 4, and the easiest way I find to listen to podcasts is through the Podcasts app. This app is free to download from the App Store, and after searching for the name of the podcast or finding one that looks interesting through the categories, I simply hit 'subscribe'. Every time a new episode of that podcast is released, the badge will tell you, and you can find and listen to past episodes as well. (Android users - check out this article for tips on getting podcasts onto your phone.) From there, hit play and away you go.

From the Podcasts app you can also download episodes directly to your phone, which is handy if you'll be (gasp!) without an internet signal for a while.

A word of warning though: most podcasts accessed via the Podcast app method use your 3G or 4G internet data allowance to stream the episode live (or to download the full episode). Thus constant podcast listening can chew through your data pretty quickly!

To avoid this, I'll often download episodes at home while my phone is connected to wifi, or download them via my computer as mp3 files and transfer them to my phone like I would with music. Which leads me to...

Desktop listening

I truly despise iTunes. I find it to be so user-unfriendly, but maybe that's just me (see non-tech-head disclaimer above). So generally when I'm listening to podcasts online from my computer, I do so by going directly to the podcaster's website. Plus, I figure this helps the podcaster to know how much website traffic/listeners they have and where they are coming from - something iTunes lacks!

Most podcaster's websites allow you to stream an episode live via an inbuilt 'player' on their web page. Here's an example of our website and the inbuilt player where you can listen directly. Remember though, if your internet connection drops out, or you accidentally close that browser window - there goes the episode!

Luckily, most of these players also have an option to download the podcast episode in full as an .mp3. If you download the episode in this way direct to your computer, that file can be played at any time (e.g. through your iTunes music library or other mp3 player). Our own CWC podcasts use this method so Members can listen to interviews and past event recordings.

Finding podcasts to listen to

What I like about podcasts is that I can really hone in on what interests me as a listener. When I'm feeling in the mood for creative business tips and interviews with my favourite bloggers and small business owners, I listen to Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge's show After the Jump, or Jess Lively's The Lively Show. I also like interviews with interesting people from all walks about their lives, and both Conversations with Richard Fidler and WTF with Marc Maron pump these out regularly. Radio journalism on quirky and interesting topics is also a favourite - for these I head over to RadioLab, This American Life, or their new spin-off, Serial. And who doesn't love discussing (in a passive listener way) the challenges of parenting, marriage and relationships? For these topics I like Totally Married, Death Sex and Money, and The Longest Shortest Time.

In terms of finding new shows to listen too, there are a few radio stations that put most of their shows online in podcast form, like our own ABC and WNYC in the US. On Stitcher you can search by category. Most of the podcasts I've found and love I have discovered via blog posts listing people's favourite finds - I bookmarked these posts by Kyla Roma and Cup of Jo (read the comments!) and revisit them when I'm on the hunt for something new.

In a nutshell, that's how I access podcasts and listen to them regularly. What's your method? And what are your favourite shows? Tell us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Next week I'll explain how we produce The New Normal if you're thinking of starting your own podcast!

8 Tips for Market Stall Success

By Monica Ng

You open your inbox and you see a new email from the market you’ve recently applied to.

“Congratulations! Your application was successful!”

You ogle at this sentence and you begin to buzz with excitement. You do a happy dance, Elaine Benes style to celebrate your success and show off your rad moves to the four walls of the room you’re sitting in. Yaaay!

My jewellery shop, Geometric Skies has participated in a variety of showcases and markets including some specialty designer markets such as the Sydney Finders Keepers, the Etsy Interactive Exhibition at the Fracture Gallery in Federation Square as part of the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, RAW Artists’ first Sydney showcase, The Makery and the fashion markets at Bondi Beach and Kirribilli.

I started from scratch as a complete newbie and through these experiences over the past year, I’ve gained some insight and learned some tricks that may help set up your market day for success. Regardless of whether it’s your first time, or if you’re a seasoned stallholder, here are a few pointers to help you prepare for your next event.

Think about your display Dedicate some time to how you want to set out your work. This is especially important if there’ll be a lot of other stallholders selling similar types of items, like jewellery. I’ve seen a lot of jewellery designers at markets lay their pieces flat on tables, which may make it more difficult for customers walking by to see the work from afar.

Ask yourself:

How can your display be different to other stallholders? Can you arrange it at different levels? Use busts? Racks? Trees? Will you be buying these props or will you construct them? What materials will they be made from? What do these materials say about your brand?

Try to be consistent and use the same materials to display your goods, as this gives your shop a cleaner and more cohesive look.

Also, consider using a mannequin. I use a half body mannequin, so customers can see from afar how some of my more adventurous pieces like ‘The Lily body chain’ looks and fits. Often, this draws in customers who wander up to my shop to have a closer look and to 'ooh' and 'ahh'.

How will you display your shop’s logo? Laser cut on acrylic, wood or another material? Painted or printed on canvas? Wooden or metal letters? Sounds like a fun DIY activity!

Will you be bringing your own table or will you hire one? If you’re using a tablecloth, make sure it’s wrinkle free.

Bring marketing materials
 What if the customer doesn’t buy today, but wanted to show their friend first before making a decision? How will they ever find your work again? What if they do buy, and want to share your other work with their friends and family?

Be sure to bring business cards, postcards, a mailing list sign up sheet, branded packaging, or an iPad with photos of your work and a slideshow of press clippings. These are all great items to promote your shop. If you need help designing these, why not ask your friends and family to see if there’s someone who can help you?

Printing business cards doesn’t have to be expensive as there are some inexpensive online options like Moo, Vistaprint, or Print Together where you simply upload your design, and they’ll print it and post it straight to you.

Also, prior to the event, remember to publicise it! Speaking of publicity…

Tell everyone about your event! Tell your friends, family and colleagues. Even if you think they won’t ever buy from you, they may forward the news of your event to people who will. Let your existing customers know too!

Publicise your event through different channels such as your blog, word of mouth, newsletter and social media.

Be a “yes” person and set up future sales Is the size too big, too small, too short or too long for your customer? Offer the option for customisation.

At the market, consider offering a free shipping or discount coupon to customers for their next purchase.

Running a competition can help direct traffic and add new followers to your blog, mailing list and social media channels. Why not try partnering up with a blogger to help increase your competition’s outreach?

Be prepared for all weather conditions If the market is outdoors, bring warm clothes, hat, sunblock, snacks/drinks and a chair to keep you going during the day. If business is super busy and you can’t get duck away to buy some food, at least you have some snacks to keep you going.

Also, sandbags for your gazebo are a lifesaver (in case it gets windy). I’ve seen some gazebos blow away before and not only is it dangerous to yourself and others, it could also result in property damage. If weather conditions become too dangerous, it's the organiser's discretion whether trading can continue. Safety first!

Pack! Pack the night before (or even earlier), to save yourself a freak out the morning of the event. Use the checklist below so you’re not kicking yourself at the event for forgetting something.

• Stationery/admin: blu-tack, pen, notebook, measuring tape, screwdrivers, drill, receipt book, bull clips, plastic bags, duct or masking tape • Sales: Sufficient change in your float, credit card machine, mobile phone, phone charger • Furniture and accessories: tables, chairs, trolley, gazebo, sand bags • Props/display: Stands, mannequins, table cloth, signage, business card holder + extra business cards, price tags, mailing list sign up sheet, packaging • Enough stock to sell (always better to take more, than less) • Personal: Mini first aid kit, snacks/drinks, hat, sunblock, warm clothes, umbrella

Network with other stallholders Get to know your neighbours and become friends! Gather business cards so you can remain in contact after the event. You never know when a collaboration opportunity might pop up and you’ll be kicking yourself for not getting their contact details.

Have fun
 Sometimes business is so crazy, before you know it you’ve sold out of everything. Congratulations! On other days, business may not be as well as you hoped it would be. Perhaps it’ll pick up later on in the day or the next person that stops will shop up a storm. Stay positive and enjoy the experience.

Good luck!

Monica Ng left her accounting career at the end of 2013 and began studying a two-year jewellery and object design diploma at the Design Centre, Enmore in 2014. She blogs at www.geometricskies.wordpress.com and you can also find her on Instagram @geometric_skies, www.facebook.com/geometricskies, and her Etsy shop/ 

What is content marketing and why is it important for your creative business?

By Domini Marshall

There are so many definitions for 'content marketing' out there. The Content Marketing Institute defines it as:

A marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

That sounds lovely and professional and yes, it defines the process of content marketing well. It is about creating valuable, relevant and consistent content for your customers with the objective of gaining greater conversion, revenue and other positive results.

In its very simplest terms, however, I like to think of content marketing as storytelling.

Before we delve in, let's talk about the term content marketing a little more. With content marketing, your content comes first and channels come second.

What is content?

Content encompasses anything you create to tell your brand story. It's the story itself. Think engaging blog posts, compelling product copy, beautiful imagery, videos, infographics and so much more.

What are channels?

Channels are where and how you share that content. So, a blog is a channel. Social media, videos, emails and printed catalogues are all channels. With content marketing, content comes first, channels come second. The importance is on creating engaging and valuable content for your audience. Then, once you have that content, you can decide where and how you're going to share it with the world. Ultimately, it's about the customer experience, not just a product or service at the end of the line.

Why is content marketing so great?

The reason why content marketing has become so popular is that it offers brands and businesses a way to connect with consumers that is different to traditional advertising methods, and that has a proven track record of resulting in greater engagement, which builds greater brand equity and which translates to greater conversion.

Great content marketing:

• connects with your customers - connect is the important word here
• takes them on a brand experience
• builds brand authority - which means consumers look to your brand for relevant information on specific topics and which encourages positive word of mouth marketing for your brand
• improves SEO (search engine optimisation) - Google rewards quality content with higher rankings which means your site will appear higher in search results
• increases the time spent on your site through greater engagement which, in turn, increases conversion and revenue.

Which leads us to storytelling.

Why storytelling?

At the core of all storytelling is the desire to connect. If content marketing is all about connection, then it's also all about storytelling.

We all have a story. We all crave connection. When someone tells us their story and their reason for being, we naturally engage with it because we have one too. If you find a brand that has a story that you find compelling and a message that is inspiring, it's likely you'll support that brand and share your love for it with others.

What's your story?

In your creative business, what's your reason for being? What is it about what you do that you absolutely love? What gets you up and out of bed each day? What inspires you? Start here.

Think about those questions. What are your answers? Do you share them with your community often? Do your customers know your story? How are you going to communicate your passion and inspiration with them?

For me, I love learning. I love that moment when I'm reading a book, hearing someone speak or watching a film and I lose myself.  I'm totally involved in the experience and my emotions take over. I feel inspired and afraid and vulnerable all at once.  I crave the moment that someone's words or creations alter my way of looking at something and I want to create things that do that too.

In order to connect with people you have to open yourself up to being vulnerable and sometimes that means taking a risk, but if you tell your story with conviction, courage and passion, you'll discover a world of people who want to know more. In that story (in you) is all the compelling content you could ever want or need.

Get organised, throw it in a content calendar and go!

If you're not already, use a content calendar. Organise all those amazing, wonderful, inspiring ideas that are bubbling away now and get them down on paper. Create something simple in a word or excel doc and plan ahead.

Once you've got it down you can start thinking about where you want to share it. Start a blog. Create a YouTube channel. Sign up to Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter. You choose. Once you've got your story, once you've got the content, you can decide on your channels.

Just remember that in storytelling there needs to be a listener or reader too. So, have a conversation with your audience. Share your story and ask for theirs too. Own it, embrace it, and listen to what others have to say. It's there that you'll find connection and plenty of ideas for content too.

Domini Marshall is a freelance writer living in Melbourne. A love for great stories and connection inspires her work for brands and businesses in copywriting, content creation and social media. A creative at heart, she also writes short fiction and screenplays and you can find her sharing inspiration and more on Instagram and Pinterest. 

(Photo credit: josemanuelerre via photopin cc)

Advertising tips for small creative businesses

Today's post is by guest blogger Jes Egan of Paper Chap. Welcome, Jes!

Creativity is in my blood. I come from a mad creative family and I had a pretty conservative schooling, which I tried to conform to, but in the end the creative flair won and I went and studied design at university. Being surrounded by creative people is inspiring and a guarantee you’ll get a taste for coffee or wine. Or both, as in my case. Upon graduation, I went travelling. However, in fighting some of the madness of my upbringing, a sensible and practical person developed alongside my creativity. So instead of sticking to being a designer, I went to what I aptly call the ‘dark side’ and became a ‘suit’ in the account management department of some of the biggest advertising agencies in the UK and Australia.

Now days, my brain is back in creative mode and I run my own little business, Paper Chap. My creative outlet, illustrated and hand cut paper cuts that I can make with love. My practical side still exists however, and it is possible to be creative and business minded, it just doesn’t always come naturally. I share my practical side with design students, lecturing in ‘Design and Business’ at Billy Blue College of Design.

My past life in big-brand advertising has taught me many things that can be applied to a creative business and successful brand.

Find your point of difference.

There is so much competition, there are other companies who do what you do, just under a different brand. But you will have a point of difference (POD), this might be service, design, price, it can be anything that is a benefit to the end user and is different to your competitors. Find out what yours is, if you can’t pin point what it is then neither will your customer. Once you know what your POD is you can use this to your advantage. We are so used to choice these days, we expect it and we make informed purchasing decisions daily. Stand out from your competitors, be bold and show how you differentiate yourself.

Know your audience.

It doesn’t matter what type of business that you are in, knowing your audience is paramount. You can waste time, effort and money targeting the wrong audience. Depending on what you do there are numerous different ways to find out who your audience are and if you are a small business one of the best ways to do this is look at your existing clients/customers. So many key learnings/insights can be taken from them.

Be targeted.

When you know who your audience is target them specifically, this will save you time, effort and money. For example if your audience frequent certain types of websites or publications, or favours Facebook over LinkedIn, put your time and efforts into those places. Be it paid advertising or just doing it on your own, you are eliminating wastage and sending your message to places where your audience is.

Chose your social media sites carefully.

You don’t have to use all the social media channels out there, chose what will reach your audience best and focus on those. Don’t over stretch yourself, if you are selling a creative service or product then visual channels might work best for you such as Instagram or Pinterest. If you sell a service then maybe LinkedIn, Twitter etc are better. It will be depend on where your audience is participating in social media as to where you need to be.

Be on message.

Often businesses try and cram every message they want to say into a very small space. This can dilute your message and make it really confusing for your audience to understand what you are trying to get across. Try and stay single minded. Even if it is a tweet or a Facebook post, if you have two things to say, do two messages. It might sounds simple and that is the point, it should be simple. It will take little time and effort and be more effective.

It is better to pay more for fewer ads in the right places than less for multiple ads in the wrong places.

Does paying for advertising work? Given my background, this is often a question I am asked. Without doubt, it you have the budget to pay for advertising then yes it can pay off. It can build your brand awareness and potentially convert into sales and hopefully you’ll get a decent return on your investment. But if you’re going to do it, do it properly. Make sure your creative is on message, targeted and made well. Also, make sure you are hitting your audience - don’t try hit the masses by buying cheap ad spaces across as many channels as you can. It goes back to knowing your audience. Don’t let your add get lost or ignored.

...

Putting yourself and your creative business 'out there' can be easier said then done, I know. Particularly if your heart is entrenched in what you do, which is often the case in the creative world. But there are so many ways to put effectively advertise and market your business while staying true to your values and integrity, it's just about making an educated decision on which avenue you want to explore and being creative with your budget.

Jes is a ‘practical creative’ with a past life in advertising. These days Jes is an artist, lecturer, and small business owner who can be found cutting up a storm at paperchap.com. Follow Jes on Instagram and Facebook. 

{Image by Jes!}

Create a mood board to clarify your brand

By Susan Goodwin

Despite not always wanting to admit it, as creatives who sell our work or creative services, we 'are' our brands. And in the online space, the visual impact of your brand matters more now than ever before. Having a strong cohesive look to everything from your website and social media accounts, to your email marketing and printed promotional pieces, has become increasingly important. 

For this reason, it's worth regularly standing back to have a look at the elements of your brand and how they are represented visually, and if that representation accurately reflects who you are and what you do.

Ask yourself: Do they all look like they came from one place? Or are they completely varied and share none of the same visual clues? Do they tell a story or show you something you want to buy or be a part of?

If your communications are leaving you feeling less than stellar about your brand, then don't become disheartened. Like any marketing exercise, it simply might be time for you to start reigning in your ideas, and focus.  One way this can be achieved is ti create a mood board for your brand.

A mood board will create a visual look for your brand so that each time you need to take a photo, use a font, or create a marketing piece you can draw inspiration from the same source material. This way, instead of having a disjointed message, you will be providing a strong clear visual that backs up the presence of your brand.

Ideally, your mood board should:

• be a collection of images that give you inspiration.
• have images that show the ideals of your brand.
• showcase your aesthetic.
• depict colours, fonts, and styles of imagery that work together and that provide a practical resource you can refer to when creating communications.

But, most importantly, every time you look at your mood board it should make you feel inspired, it should remind you of your goals and all the things you want to achieve in your creative business.

In terms of actually creating a mood board, there are many options. Your mood board can be virtual, using a platform like Pinterest; you could create one using Illustrator or Photoshop; or you could make yourself a coffee, grab a stack of magazines and get to cutting and assemble one on a cork board for above your desk (or if you're really pressed for space, just take over the refrigerator door!).

Mood boards are fun to make and a constant source of inspiration. And remember, they can change. As your brands grows you can add or subtract your source imagery. It won’t stop you from being spontaneous and taking a perfect Instagram image on the spur of the moment, but it might just help to bring your brand and business intentions into focus and create a better visual language.

{Image credits: Screenshot from our Pinterest page; other images by Susan.}

Susan Goodwin is the designer, sewer and creator of Rocket Fuel, ensuring you are decked out in style while cycling. Read her blog or follow her on Twitter @rocketfuelstyle.

How to write a great design brief

Our guest columnist Nat Carroll is back today with a follow-up to her popular article Why Write a Design Brief. Having been convinced that this is essential for the creative process to flourish between client and designer, she outlines what should be included and how best to get your point across (or draw it out from a client). Thanks, Nat!

You've been pondering over your business idea for weeks, months — perhaps even years. You know it inside out and back to front. It's your baby, and it WILL be brilliant! But, here lies an obstacle: how do you best communicate to a graphic designer the details, tiny nuances and objectives you have, that require their creative input?

Achieving design that truly represents – and hopefully accentuates – your project, begins with a healthy amount of dialogue between you and your designer. It's time to gather up all of your thinking – the what, why, how and what if's – and arrange them into some sort of sensible explanation. We designers make use of a helpful series of questions – commonly known as the design brief – to assist you in identifying the information most relevant. It should be said that some design briefs though, are more superior to others. Being asked the right set of questions by a designer and understanding why they've been asked in the first place, lays the foundations for a better project outcome.

Why write one in the first place, you may ask? Why not just have a brief phone discussion and get the ball rolling? Writing a design brief, whether you write it yourself, or have your designer write it for you, has numerous benefits. I've explained some of those benefits in my previous blog post.

So, what constitutes the contents of a well-written brief? When working with clients in my own practice, there are the things that I really like to know about before moving towards the research and concepts phase, and I'd like to share them with you here.

01. Who are you, really?

Tell your designer all about yourself. And I do mean ALL. Your designer is now your new best friend. It's crucial to work with a designer that you know in your heart of hearts you can trust. The more openly you can speak with them, the more they will understand your expectations and motivations. This leads to design that addresses your bigger goals, rather than narrowly focusing in on the smaller, mandatory details only. A well-written design brief should cover expansive knowledge of your brand. Often I find the simple mistake here can be to resist revealing all – this really shouldn't be a time for a modest elevator pitch.

Give a background on the history and where you're at, present day. What do you create, provide, represent? What do you see it growing into? What are the big goals, issues to achieving these, and where does it's strengths and weaknesses lie? What are it's values, tone of voice, attributes? If it were a person, who would it be? Who are it's competitors? What makes your brand unique? What problems does it solve?

Answers to these questions add up to giving your designer a good overall sense of the big picture – often forgotten in the determination for the project's details. Your designer is now better equipped to be able to advise you and steer you in a direction that is more tailored to fit you!

02. Who is your audience?

It's unfortunate that you cannot be everything to everyone in this world. There's no point in trying. But, there is an upside to this! You can be meaningful to a select group, one that will stay loyal to you, if you are loyal to them. Narrowing your focus and understanding as much as you can about your selective audience and catering to them specifically, will pay off in dividends. Tuning into your audience and understanding what motivates them, pleases them, frustrates them, helps immensely in formulating an informed visual direction for your designer. Speaking succinctly to your audience, in THEIR language – be that visual and verbal – is the goal here.

What do you know about your audience, or the audience you would like to attract? Describe a typical member of your tribe: Are they predominately male? Female? Does your brand have more than one audience? Where do they live, work and play? How much do they earn? What do they spend their money on? What are the motivations behind their purchases or use of a service? Do you have any data you can share with your designer? Do you have past surveys, focus groups, Google Analytics or data from your Facebook Fan Page? And what about feedback?

Understanding your audience will allow a designer an insightful view into communicating with them in a language that is appropriate. Creating a story that speaks to your audience in their visual language will create a sense of belonging, which in turn builds brand loyalty.

03. How and why did your project arise?

It may be that your brand has lost it's way a little, a whole lot, or that you are simply in the start-up stage. It may be that you've discovered a gap in the market for a new product. Maybe you've just about finished your artistic endeavors, but you need to visually package everything together. Giving your designer an insight into the way your project came to fruition, helps them to understand the motivations and objectives behind your project. This section of a design brief really helps to define the design 'problem' – big, small or somewhere in between – highlighting the issues your designer needs to fully address and resolve.

Tell your designer about your 'problem'. Give them a summary of your project and the main reasons you are commissioning them for their creative input. How did this all arise? What are the goals you plan to achieve by undertaking the project? Is it to create further recognition? Develop your audience? An investment or financial gain? What specific design deliverables do you believe addresses your 'problem'? And how will you measure your success?

These factors will drive a designer to find and create an effective aesthetic and strategy that is in tune with addressing your goals.

04. What is the key message you are giving to your audience?

Often in communication, we tend to muddy the waters by saying too much. It is important now more than ever to simplify and pinpoint. You are competing in a sea of information, a decreasing of attention spans and the increased perceptions in lack of one's time. You have about five seconds, more or less, to make an impression – so – make it count. What is the single, key message you wish to impress on your audience? How would you like them to respond, feel, react and/or act?

Your designer will now be sure to focus in on illustrating this message succinctly and simply.

05. OK! Now, for the details.

This may come across as rather obvious! However, ensure you tell your designer what you require from them. Provide as much detail as you can. The outcome of a project is affected by it's constraints, so it's important to be upfront about these before a project moves to the concept stage. A thoughtful designer will be able to forewarn you of issues that may arise because of said constraints and steer you towards a direction that bests reaches a compromise.

Give them an idea of your deadline, and any outside factors that may affect the date. How many people will be involved in the signing off process? Are there mandatory, non-negotiable factors that must be adhered to? What is your printing and/or development arrangement? Is there any text in the works that needs to be finalised and supplied? Will the scope of the project likely remain as it is?

Keep your designer abreast of these details, and any amendments as soon as they arise, and you'll find you've created a more mutually collaborative relationship.

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Gathering and sharing all the information – research, data, plans, goals, thoughts, samples, inspiration – you have at your disposal, enlightens your designer with much more knowledge to operate from. If you let them into your inner circle, by placing emphasis on partnership, rather than just relying on their technical know-how, you'll find it will allow a designer to respond by creating a meaningful, engaging outcome. One that is much more in tune with your goals and your audience's desires. This is the unequivocal benefit of mastering an excellently written design brief!

If you're wondering about the specific questions of a design brief, try searching for samples online – there are plenty out there to pick and choose from. In my own design practice, I've formulated a series of questions from over ten years of reading and putting them together – feel free to utilise this one if you see fit!

Nat Carroll is NSW-based creative director, designer & illustrator with an artisan style and strategic approach, working under the moniker, the Seamstress. She carefully crafts visual communication — brands, design & illustration — for the creative, cultural, business & non profit fields.