Choosing a branding agency in Singapore: 12 questions to ask

Singapore has no shortage of branding agencies, studios and freelancers, and most portfolios look good. The differences show up in how they think, who you work with and what happens after the logo is approved. These questions bring them out.

Questions about their thinking

1. 01What do you need to understand about our business before you design anything? You want to hear about research, interviews and positioning, not "send us your favourite colours".
2. 02Can you walk me through one project from problem to result? Listen for the problem and the reasoning, not just the visuals.
3. 03What would you push back on? A studio that agrees with everything is not adding thinking.

Questions about the people

1. 01Who will actually work on our project? Meet them. In some agencies the pitch team and the working team are different people.
2. 02Who is the senior creative, and how involved are they? In a small studio, the founder may lead the work directly; in a large agency, check how much time they will really spend on it.
3. 03Do you bring in specialists? Copywriters, illustrators and photographers are often freelancers. That is fine, as long as you know who is doing what.

Questions about scope and money

1. 01What exactly is included? Ask for a written list of deliverables, formats and templates. See what a brand identity project includes.
2. 02How many routes and revision rounds are there, and what happens after that?
3. 03What is not included that we will probably need? Printing, photography, website, trademark filing.

Questions about ownership and after-care

1. 01Who owns the final artwork and when? Usually on final payment; it should be in the contract.
2. 02What happens during rollout? Will they check printer proofs, brief your web team, answer questions?
3. 03What do you need from us to make this go well? Good studios have a clear answer: decision-makers, timely feedback, access to customers.

How do I judge a branding portfolio?

Look for range and reasoning. Does the work look like the clients, or like the agency? Are case studies explained (what was the problem, what changed) or just pictures? Is there work in your category or at your scale? Be wary of portfolios made entirely of concepts without saying so; honest studios label concept work clearly.

Big agency, small studio or freelancer?

• Freelancer: lowest cost, direct contact, limited capacity and range. Great for well-defined, smaller jobs.
• Small studio: senior people close to the work, strategy and design in one team, flexible. Suits founder-led SMEs.
• Large agency: broad capabilities, research and media under one roof, higher fees and more process. Suits large, multi-market brands.

Where Dope Creatives fits

We are a small, senior studio at Suntec Tower One, led by founder and creative director Desmond Sum, with specialists brought in per project. We focus on three things: brand strategy and identity, creative direction and campaigns, and packaging and print. If you are comparing studios, our work shows how we think, and our process shows how we run a project.