What’s the catch? Deer Designer is the design solution you need

Thiago de Carvalho, Deer Designer’s founder, has been in the design industry for over 20 years. He previously ran a digital agency and a marketing magazine (exiting both of them successfully).

He’d worked on design projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for companies like Coca-Cola, Toyota, Samsung and more.

After being on both sides of the coin, Thiago realized then that small and medium-sized businesses, like large corporations, deserved high-quality design. 

Otherwise, how can they “look big” and compete with the big brands, gain trust, and gain more customers?

That’s why he built Deer Designer, an on-demand design service that allows you to hire an entire design team to help for a flat monthly fee.

Deer Designer appears to be the ultimate solution for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as an unbelievable magic pill. 

In fact, whenever Thiago talks about what our design service can do, potential clients usually ask the same question: “What’s the catch?”

Here’s the catch

It’s natural to be skeptical of something as enticing as a mirage in the middle of a scorching desert. 

You are presented with a one-stop design solution from which you can request a design and have it delivered within 24 hours. It does sound unbelievable.

So what’s the catch?

The catch is that, in order for the service to work, you must provide actionable feedback.

That’s it.

Surprisingly, some clients refuse to participate in the creative process. They would rather give designers vague instructions and then be disappointed when the end results fall short of their expectations.

Do they have to be 100% clear and provide every detail? Absolutely not. But even the best and most expensive design agency will not do a good job if they are not given something to work with.

We appreciate clients who know how to express themselves. It serves as a creative container for our designers. 

For example, it’s easier to draw a post-apocalyptic scene with a red bridge that looks like the one in San Francisco, California than it is to draw a “path” from point A to point B.

Consider your target market

Every piece of design that is published serves a purpose, and you, as the client or the client’s representative, must advocate for your market’s preferences. 

Keep in mind what they want to see, not just what you like, because you are not (usually) the target market.

Be aware of your brand guidelines

You need a map to get to your desired outcome. The Branding Guide is the road map to a consistent advertising campaign. It is the foundation of all designs. You should always have it written down first.

You must adhere to the brand guidelines, just as Moses, in the Bible, was not exempt from the ten commandments. This way, both the designer and yourself will be looking in the same direction, aiming to reach the destination.

Select appropriate feedback words

There’s this popular party game called “Pin the Donkey”, in which blindfolded people, coached by their teammates, attempt to pin a tail to a picture of a donkey as accurately as possible.

It’s pretty simple for such a simple task, but the blindfold and all the noise make it ridiculously difficult. The key to victory here is knowing who to listen to, and the coach must choose the appropriate words.

Will you, as a coach, say, “turn to the direction you believe is best”?

Of course not, right?

You are your designer’s eyes. They require your vision in order to deliver the desired results, and it is critical that you communicate clearly and with purpose.

Avoid (spoon)feeding the designer

The line between recommending a solution and spoon-feeding is thin. The quickest and easiest method is to spoon-feed the instructions. Even if it sounds tempting, do not cross that line simply because it is easy to do so.

If you do everything for the designer, it will take them longer to learn, they won’t remember their mistakes, and they’ll never get a chance to prove they’re the experts you paid them to be. 

Even if it seems hard at first, giving feedback is worth it in the long run.

Let go

Deer Designer is perfect for business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs who are ready to let go and trust their design team after giving them actionable feedback.

Over time, the design team will get to know what you like, so you can expect the turnaround time to be faster, with fewer errors and revisions.