How to Guide: Ensure Your Next Design Process is Inclusive & Collaborative
HOW TO PLAN FOR A REBRAND OR IMPACTFUL DESIGN PROJECT WHEN YOU ARE WORKING WITH A TEAM
Orchard House Middle School rebrand kickoff
Leading a team through an impactful design project can be daunting.
How do you make sure everyone feels included and is happy with the final product? Who do you need at the table and when? Is it possible to stick to a deadline with a lot of decision-makers?
It can feel overwhelming, but the right design partner will be able to lead you through a process that’s organized, inclusive, and helps build consensus.
Glave & Holmes Architecture branding kickoff
When planning for a design project with a large team, we recommend the following:
FIRST – CONSIDER WHO NEEDS TO BE AT THE TABLE
Who are your decision makers?
Who will be your project champions?
Who will challenge the project?
Who else will be impacted by design work? (clients, customers, partners, community members, etc.)
Nonprofit branding kickoff
Next – what level of participation should each group have?
We use a tiered system to help determine involvement. We call these the Core Brand Team and Extended Brand Team.
The Core Brand Team is made up of a small group of organization leaders that will provide active feedback and guidance throughout the entire project and be present at every meeting. This team might be made up of your marketing or communications manager as well as a few other folks from senior leadership or boards.
The Extended Brand Team is a larger group of organization leaders or influential voices that provide feedback and guidance at key milestones throughout the entire project. This team might be made up of additional senior leaders like a CEO, COO, or executive director as well as additional board members or associates.
If there are additional important voices beyond those directly involved with the organization, we categorize these as audiences. Audiences can also be divided into Key Audiences and Extended Audiences. You might engage with these folks in long form ways like interviews or more quick connections like a survey.
Assembly Norfolk design kickoff
Finally – plan when to include key voices and request their involvement
In our experience, the moment that’s absolutely critical to involve the most voices is at the beginning. There’s nothing more discouraging than working tirelessly on a project only to have it derailed late in the process. We’ve found that putting in the work early on to listen pays dividends throughout the whole process.
In the beginning, you might engage with your audiences outside of the organization through interviews or surveys. Results from this work can inform strategy and initial conversations about the design project.
Next, including both the Core Brand Team and the Extended Brand Team in a kickoff ensures both leadership, staff, and board members are all on the same page about what success looks like.
Finally, make sure you have a full project schedule and set clear expectations with all individuals involved in the process so they can make time to provide valuable feedback along the way.
Orchard House Middle School rebrand kickoff
A few additional considerations as you plan for your next design project with a large team:
Who will facilitate large group meetings? Your designer? If not, consider who will take on this role.
Delegate a project manager on your team. Someone who can be the main point of contact and keep your team organized.
Align your deadline expectations with your organization’s bandwidth. The most time will be required of your Core Brand Team, but if you need to factor in audience outreach before starting, make sure to add extra time for that. Your design team can help you understand what a reasonable time frame looks like for each phase.
Campfire & Co. has led large nonprofits, businesses, and even regional networks through this exact process. By helping their teams set up clear roles, define each group’s involvement, and plan for a reasonable project schedule we have been able to walk them through an inclusive and engaging design process that leads to beautiful & meaningful work we’re all deeply proud of.
