So you’re looking to promote your company or organization. Maybe you’re interested in creating or elevating your company brand by working with a graphic design firm to develop new visuals and solidify your brand identity. Here are 3 tips for choosing and working effectively with your graphic design team.

1. Start with your core values

Hiring the right graphic design partner is an important decision. You’re hiring the team tasked with creating the visual expression of your company’s brand promise, core values, mission and vision. The right firm will understand that whatever the specific outcome (advertisement, website, video etc.), your visual expression must remain true to your organization’s values to be authentic and effective. They should make sure what matters most to you is directly addressed with a specific strategy and desired outcome.

2. Hire a partner, not a contractor

Like anything, the most successful outcomes come from successful partnerships. The right graphic design firm will share your brand promise in a way that demonstrates a clear understanding of your goals and objectives. They will not just take orders, but work hard to understand the inner workings of your company and offer design and marketing insights born from their design expertise and deep understanding of visual messaging and branding. In this way, they create messages that most effectively represent who you are, what you believe, and that directly appeal to your target audience.

3. Make sure they are culturally respectful

In Hawai‘i, working with a Hawai‘i-based graphic design firm with a heightened awareness and sensitivity to diversity, helps to deliver your message in a way that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but culturally sensitive and respectful. Understanding the host culture of Native Hawaiians and the local people is a necessity when expressing your organization’s point of view. In order to create meaningful connections with local audiences, it is vital for your graphic design firm to acknowledge diversity and communicate in ways that honor many voices.