Ensuring Brand Consistency When Outsourcing Design Work: A Guide for Marketers

In a previous article, we discussed the benefits of outsourcing graphic design services as a strategic approach for marketing teams.
 

In it, we said that a successful design outsourcing strategy can lead to significant cost reductions while maintaining quality, brand consistency and confidentiality.
 

We also said that the success of design outsourcing hinges on setting clear objectives and expectations and developing strong communication channels with the outsourcing partner.
 

Finally, we listed some of the main concerns typically expressed by management on design outsourcing, including the issue of brand consistency.
 

In this article, we will provide a guide for marketers on how to ensure brand consistency when outsourcing design work.

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In a previous article, we discussed what makes a strong brand identity.
 

In it, we said that a brand’s visual elements and even its tone of voice must all adhere to a consistent unifying vision, in order to successfully communicate the brand’s main messages.
 

Using brand elements such as its logo, its color palette, fonts (typography), and images in an inconsistent way can lead to confusion and brand damage.
 

What makes brand consistency difficult to achieve is that it must be ensured across all branded assets and materials.
 

This includes digital materials, such as your website, social media profiles, emails, slide decks, etc, as well as print materials, e.g. business cards, letterheads, etc. We discussed the most important digital and print assets in this article.
 

It is easy to see how outsourcing design work can complicate the task of ensuring brand consistency.
 

After all, it involves working with external partners who might not be be familiar with your brand’s unique tone, style, and guidelines.
 

Indeed, without the right systems in place, you might receive work that doesn’t align with your brand standards, requiring significant revisions or, worse, creating inconsistencies that go unnoticed.
 

However, as we will show in the following sections, with the right strategies in place, you can keep outsourced designers aligned with your brand’s identity.

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We believe that the risk of brand inconsistently when working with an outsource design partner can be greatly reduced by following these best practices:

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In a previous article, we discussed the role of the brand book, a.k.a. the brand manual or brand style guide,  as a key business asset.
 

In it, we said that the brand book should contain information on all the brand’s assets. along with directions on how to use them and, just as importantly, how not to use them.

The brand book is used to help employees and external partners understand and work with the brand.

It should include rules and guides on how to work with the brand’s logo, color palette, typography, imagery, tone and voice, etc.

Because of its importance, we highly suggest working with an experienced graphic design partner to create the brand style guide with you.

Having this document ensures that your external design partner has clear instructions to follow, reducing the risk of deviations.

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As graphic design outsourcing requires working with an external partner, effective communication and organization are critical for success.

In this regard, project management software can go a long way in helping to streamline collaboration, ensure timely feedback, and reduce misunderstandings.

Asana, Trello and Monday.com are all excellent tools for managing outsourced design work.

If this is your first time working with an outsource partner, do not be surprised if they offer to conduct all project-related conversations on a project management platform.
 

Project management software is especially useful for creating tasks, assigning responsibilities, setting deadlines, and tracking progress.
 

It helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. Project plans and milestones can also be communicated easily.
 

By using project management software, you can centralize communication, provide clear feedback, and ensure that everyone stays aligned with project goals.

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Related to the previous point, we believe it’s best practice to hold regular check-ins with your outsource partner to ensure that the team stays on track.

These check-ins, ideally short online meetings, can occur on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to:

• Review progress on current projects
• Address any questions or roadblocks
• Provide constructive feedback
• Reinforce brand guidelines as needed
   

These touchpoints help build a strong relationship with your design partners and create opportunities to correct any misalignment early in the process.
 

This is especially important for large, complex and lengthy projects that involve many participants.
 

Plans change, people get reassigned, management changes direction. Unexpected roadblocks can occur on the outsource partner’s side too.
 

Without regular check-ins, seemingly small issues can snowball into large problems.

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A digital asset library is a centralized repository where you store all your brand’s design assets, making it easy for external designers to access the materials they need. 
 

Examples of design assets include:

• Logos and icons
• Fonts and typography files
• Templates for presentations, social media posts, and advertisements
• High-quality images and videos
   

Maintaining a digital asset library is a great way for your organization to store knowledge, ensure design continuity and brand consistency, and reduce the need for assets to be created from scratch.
 

Perhaps a digital asset library exists in your organization and you have been given access to it.
 

However, it is not uncommon for the library to remain unmentioned during onboarding. Our advice is to ask to check if such a library exists and if you can gain access to it.
 

If it does, it could be that some of the assets are outdated and are no longer relevant. In that case, they may need to be replaced.
 

Still, digital asset libraries often contain hidden gems for external designers to use without the need for making them from scratch. This also reduces the risk that they will produce design that is off brand.

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As we have shown, graphic design work can be outsourced successfully without sacrificing brand consistency.
 

With the right tools, processes, and communication in place, you can seamlessly integrate external designers into your workflow while maintaining a consistent visual identity.
 

To achieve this, you can make use of a detailed brand book, project management software, and a shared digital asset library.
 

Combine these tools with regular check-ins and constructive feedback to ensure that your outsource partners deliver work that aligns perfectly with your brand.
 

If you choose to work with us as an experienced outsource partner, we will strive to integrate into your workflow using the best practices described above.
 

Have a brand or web project for us?
 

Get in touch today!