If you are a musician or music business professional, I bet you’ve worked with a graphic designer before. Everyone needs album covers, single art, posters, and promotional materials. And graphic designers are the people you need, right? Everyone wants beautiful branding to surround their music, and there are certain things that you can do while working with designers to make sure the process is smoother than JT singing falsetto.

What does that mean? Be complete. Be descriptive. Graphic designers are trying to create a work of art that you want. It’s mutually beneficial to create the best product for you. If directions are vague, the product may arrive differently than what you expected.

Here are a few things that an ideal client will provide when giving bones to a project:

Pictures!

The more visuals that we receive the better. Have a logo you like? Send it. Think that website is cool? Send it. Give us visual ideas of what styles you desire. You can compile a dropbox folder full of album art, posters, or whatever you think will help guide the designer toward a direction that emulates your music. If you really like a font that you saw somewhere, take a screenshot and send it — it could be anything. The more the better!

Descriptive Words!

Write as much as you can describing the feeling and emotion that you want you artwork to embody. If you want it to empower puppies, we will make your album art empower puppies, but we also need to know if you want it to be dark, bright, black and white, retro, classic, modern, you name it. The more you write about your piece, the more we as graphic designers can hone in on the artistic bullseye.

Avoid Generalized Buzz Words!

This goes along with clarity, but there are certain words that designers read for guidance that do everything but help us. Some of these words and phrases include: “I just want the design to pop more, can you make it a little bit more edgy?, I don’t really know what I am looking for, but I’ll know it when I see it.” Phrases like this do nothing but confuse designers, so be vigilant in trying to be clear and concise!

A.K.A., provide feedback. After drafts of your artwork have been completed, hopefully you will be stoked with what you are seeing, but there is always the chance that you, the consumer, may be unsatisfied. This is your product! It should be what you want! Whether you are happy or concerned, communication is key. Don’t wait until your designer has made a lot of headway in a direction that you weren’t a fan of.

Here are some tips regarding communication:

Communicate Deadlines!

This is true for all business relationships, but for the design process to work quickly, getting feedback always helps the process. It is always good to establish deadlines for drafts and establish when he or she should expect to hear back from you with feedback on the design. This helps with project efficiency. And don’t forget to use the tips above to make your feedback effective!

Be Honest!

Honesty is paramount when working with a designer. If there is an aspect of a design that you do not like, talk about it. We’re here for you, and we want you to be happy. The faster a problem area is pointed out, the quicker it will be resolved.

Feel Free to Encourage!

On the flip side, if you dig the design, tell us! When designers know what aspects you really enjoy in a design, it will give them a clearer picture of what direction you want. And who doesn’t like a little positive reinforcement?

When you engage in a business relationship with a designer you have the opportunity to create beautiful synergy between two different art forms. So have fun, get involved, provide feedback, and you will see your efforts come to fruition.