Starting A Business Abroad: Design Considerations

Posted on 25. Dec, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Entrepreneurs, Expat Life
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As soon as you have your company name, you will want to get business cards and start building your website.

Whether you’re doing it yourself or working with a designer, take the time to get very clear on the image you want to project through your design.

6 design questions to ask yourself

1. What do you want to be known for? Do you want to be the colourful copywriter, the accountant with a sense of humour, or the no-nonsense feng shui expert? What should the look and feel of your design say about you?

2. How do you want people to feel? When they see your card or see your website, should they feel… energised? Confident? Comforted? Appeased?

3. Think of the results you promise to your clients; how can you translate these benefits into a design?

4. What design elements best match the feel you want? Think text fonts, colours, shapes (organic, abstract, angular, soft…), and layout (rich and stimulating, or minimalist and serene?)

5. Put together an inspiration board, or bookmark other websites that catch your eye. What do you like about them? Use as your personal design guidelines, or forward to your designer to illustrate what you want.

6. Is your design in step with local sensibilities? Have you checked what meanings your chosen colours and images have in your host country?

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Emmanuelle

Images by Mike Rohde (top) and Lana Stewart (bottom), both via Flickr Creative Commons