FAQs

Starting a new business is daunting and scary, but it doesn’t have to be.

That’s where Laura Ramsay Design comes in to help bring your brand to life.
Yes, there are many questions, and here are a few that may help your curiosity.

FAQs

LRD is here to help you and your business

How does payment work?

An initial deposit is required prior to starting a project. This is typically at 50% of the total quote, depending on the specifications. Payment for larger projects will be broken down into milestone instalments. Our payment terms are 14 days. I accept major *credit cards, e-transfer, check or cash.

Payment Plans: We can also break the project up into 3 or 4 payments if it is better for you!

How soon can we start?

I am typically booking out 2-3 months in advance.

If you have a rush job, please get in touch and I can see how we can work together.

You never know what life throws at you, and schedules change for last minute openings. 🙂

How can I secure my project date?

I take a 50% deposit upon booking for on all projects which saves your spot in my calendar. However, I’m more than open to discussing payment plans as I understand that branding is a big investment.

Do you offer fixed prices?

Yes. The price you are quoted will be the price you pay, unless the scope of the brief changes during the project.

Do you charge late fees?

Yes. Late fees will be applied to any outstanding invoices past the initial due date. Typically, all invoices are due upon receipt, and late fees are applied after 14 days. All late fees are accrued monthly until invoice is paid.

Do you charge a rush fee?

Yes. Rush fees are applied to any project or design request when applicable.

What is brand identity?

Brand identity is the visible elements of a brand, including colour, design, and a brand’s logo. It’s the manner in which a corporation, company, or business presents itself to the public and distinguishes the business in the mind of consumers.

What does brand identity consist of?

Various elements, including:

logo or wordmark
different logo variations
key brand colours and colour palette
typefaces
typographic treatments
a consistent style for images and content
library of graphical elements
style guide
your visual identity on social media

Is a logo a brand?

A logo is not a brand. A logo is a visual symbol for a business, but it doesn’t represent the business’s entire brand identity. A logo doesn’t build a brand – it’s one step towards building a complete brand identity.

Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room. – Jeff Bezos

Do you provide a brand questionnaire for each client?

Yes. Each client will receive a Brand Questionnaire which is apart of the Branding process at Laura Ramsay Design.

You’re probably thinking this is a daunting task and you’re getting overwhelmed. This may happen, but remember, this step is crucial for your companies success.

Included in Questionnaire:

Company Information
Product or Service
Target Market
Project Objectives
Budget Range and Timelines
Additional Information Section

Do you charge for revisions?

Additional charges for revisions will vary from client to client. A set round of revisions are set in place upon initial scope and in the terms of agreement.

If client requests additional revisions, this will be billed out hourly.

Typical projects go through two or three rounds of revisions that may include colour, fonts, and layout tweaks, though some will require more, and some will require fewer revisions.

Is your work original or do you operate off of templates?

It is very important to understand whether or not a design company creates unique designs, or if they work with templates. Template work is not created specifically for the client. It is a generic concept that can be purchased by anyone. A benefit of template work is that it is either free or extremely inexpensive. However, you end up sharing a logo or web design concept with other companies – possibly even a competitor, and that work may not be reflective of your brand message.

Custom design work, on the other hand, is created from scratch by a team of artists and designers who take the time to study the client’s band, message, and goals. Custom design allows the creative process to flow freely, and ensures that a client’s brand messaging will shine through. Designers will typically craft several concepts based upon a document called a creative brief, and once those concepts have been flushed out with the creative director, they will be refined. The team will then submit anywhere from three to five completely unique designs for the client to choose from.

What file types will be delivered?

It’s important to know ahead of time what formats you will need. Insure to ask your design studio what files you will need in those specific formats.

Laura Ramsay Design delivers vector (.EPS) files in Adobe Illustrator and JPEG / PNG for web use. Vector files are ready for printing and will let you enlarge or reduce the logo without sacrificing quality. This means that you will be able to use the logo no matter what type of document you’re working with.

Does the client receive copyrights to the graphics?

This is very important to understand when it comes to ownership and copyright law.

Laura Ramsay Design owns all rights to custom graphics used within scope of work delivered. If client is looking to create additional collateral to build their brand, they will need to contact LRD for compensation. This not only includes custom graphics, but professional photography as well. This hassle can be avoided when details are built into scope of work.

Do you offer single logo design?

Over the years, I’ve offered clients a single logo design to start their business. As my business has grown, I’ve come to realize that a brand is so much more than just a logo. For this reason, I offer different packages to suit multiple business sizes and budgets, that include not only logo design, but always a level of brand strategy, visual direction, and holistic brand identity design. This allows for more clarity and diversity than a singular logo, and ensures that your investment serves you for years to come!

Do you work with clients outside of your home town?

Yes I do. Most of my clients are located in the Greater Vancouver area, but that doesn’t stop there. My clients can be found from Vancouver Island, Kelowna, LA, to the East Coast of Canada and the United States.

I’m flexible on time differences and connect with clients through email, calls, Zoom, Google, and more.

Key branding terms

Brand assets – visual design assets (fonts, colours, resources, etc. that form the outward-facing brand).
Brand associations – anything that people associate with a brand.
Brand awareness – the ability of customers to identify a brand in a crowded market.
Brand personality – the brand’s personality traits (e.g. innovative, socially conscious, trustworthy, friendly).
Brand positioning – how a brand is perceived against its competitors.
Brand promise – a brand’s unique selling proposition.
Brand values – what guides your company’s decisions and behaviours?
Brand voice – how does your brand “speak?

Ethical Branding

Ethical Brand Purpose

Why is your brand here?

This is a question that all companies should be able to answer. If they know this answer, there is a good chance that they have established a clear long-term brand strategy.

Some brand purposes are stronger than others, such as those that include the major sustainable development goals (SDGs) for the world.

Here are a few SDGs to inspire your business/company to find that strong meaningful purpose:

Affordable and clean energy
Climate change
Clean water and sanitation
Decent work and economic growth
Good health and well-being
Gender equality
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Life below water
Life on land
Peace, justice and strong institutions
Partnerships for the goals
Quality education
Responsible consumption and production
Reduce inequalities
Sustainable cities and communities
Quality education
Zero hunger

Ethical Brand Values and Principles

The second step after finding your brands purpose, is to focus on your brand values and principles. In doing so, it starts by incorporating ethical values into the brand strategy and acting responsibly.

According to the United Nations, this means, “operating in ways that, at a minimum, meet fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption”. Not only this, but to have ‘transparency’, ‘honesty’ or ‘respect’. These should be where all ethical branding should start from.

Product and Services

Thirdly, is to offer ethical products and/or services.

You’ll need to make sure that what you’re selling isn’t harmful, dangerous, illegal or toxic.

If your company is currently selling products that are harmful to people, animals or the planet, you should consider changing what you are offering to society.

Productions

No matter the industry, production procedures are a crucial part of any ethical corporate strategy.

A few examples:

Materials: choose the right ingredients and materials (e.g. recycled, re-useable, non-toxic, organic)
Packaging: reduce packaging material to the minimum, even better to zero
Working conditions: respect humans rights (e.g. no child or forced labor, fair wages, safe and comfortable working conditions)
Animals and the environment: protect animals (e.g. cruelty free, no animal testing, protection of the biodiversity) and the environment (e.g. energy saving, carbon reduction, clean energies, recycling, no waste)

Supply Chain & Distrubtion

Your companies supply chain processes can impact many different stakeholders, therefore, try to:

Screen suppliers: Follow fairtrade policies to support for example disadvantaged or local producers. If you outsource the production of your products, make sure the suppliers are following ethical production procedures.
Reduce distances: minimize transport and the number of intermediaries for a lower impact on the environment.
Reduce waste: optimize the use of materials and packaging in store (less plastic bags, less unnecessary transport packaging).

Communication

Ethical brands don’t try and trick their consumers. The visual side of your brand must be authentic and transparent throughout all communication channels (offline and online media, tone of voice, packaging and labeling, in-store signage, etc.) Your brand needs to show it’s true colours and not in a way that is fake or not real.

Some examples:

Use simple language: avoid using complicated scientific or legal sentences in your communication materials (including packaging labels).
Do not lie: ethical brands are authentic and do not create false ideas or expectations.
Be open and transparent: about your company’s activities, partners and impact on society.
Be careful with the messages you are communicating: as an example, respect the different communities and the local cultural values; avoid strategies promoting over-consumption or causing a lack of self-esteem (such as showing photoshopped bodies in magazines, pushing consumers to take more bank loans)
Deliver what you promise: every brand promises something to its consumers. If a promise is not delivered, it is likely that consumers will start loosing trust in the brand and feel betrayed. So it is important to align perceptions with reality. The brand promise communicated to consumers needs to be aligned with what the company is capable to deliver.

Employees and Stakeholders

Treat your employees like family. You have to make sure that they feel valued, respected and safe.

Employees’ wellbeing:

Gender equity (within the teams, at management level, in meetings, etc.)
No discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions
Fair salaries
Capacity building (professional growth of employees)
Good working conditions (safety, work life balance, stress management, respect)
Zero tolerance for corruption, disrespect, harassment or dishonest behaviours

Stakeholders well-being:

Shareholders, investors, business owners: be transparent, respect the financial and organizational commitments
Government: pay local taxes, follow the regulations and the law (local and international)
Suppliers: pay them fairly and promptly for their services
Distributors: provide them with quality products at agreed-upon prices
Employees: provide good and safe working conditions
Consumers: provide a product that meets their expectations, at a fair price
Surrounding communities: ensure they are safe from your company’s activities (reduce potential noise or pollution), respect their cultures and contribute to sustainable community development
Partners: choose ethical partners, and respect all the agreements you have with them
Competitors: do not denigrate competitors, try to find mutual synergies to co-exist while contributing positively to society
Public good: contribute to public good in a responsible, positive, and sustainable way

Giving Back

Some brands can be praised for positive behaviours such as creating jobs, or offering goods and services people really need. But it is important that brands start being part of the communities they do business in by respecting and supporting them.

Such as: