You’re finally ready to invest in your creative visual identity. Here’s the only graphic design checklist you’ll ever need for your startup. 

Startups are hard work. Aside from the pressure to succeed and impress investors, you’re also competing with a lot of brilliant minds out there. At some point, it gets easy to lose steam after all the blood and sweat. 

As the design experts, we’ve got something that can take some stress out of you.

This graphic design checklist is your must-have guide to getting started with your visual identity. We’ve got the best content ideas for your niche. Find the best content ideas to speed ahead of your competitors. 

Why you need this checklist

A graphic design checklist is your project bible. It’s easy to miscommunicate during big projects, so preparing goalposts are always great for tracking your project milestones. With a document like this, you will have the following: 

• Get accurate designs that meet brand requirements
• Easy to adjust design quality for improvements
• Organize company design materials and input design preferences
• Easy project description for your partners

Setting up a checklist can look different for everyone. The important thing is to have a document that allows everyone to be on the same page. 

Steps to prepare your checklist 

There are many steps to starting your checklist. Here are just a few stages you shouldn’t miss.

• Prepare a design brief and concept
• Get your brand book and style guide together
• Set up content plans and calendar campaigns
• Delegate deliverables and specify deadlines
• Set up key performance indicators

Checklists make sure that your designer knows the branding message you want, as well as the end goals of your marketing campaigns. This will help them get closer to the final output you want. 

10 Content Ideas for A Startup

When it comes to branding a startup–you’ve got to get the message across quickly and effectively. To do that, you need to obsessively pore over every detail that makes your brand unique and special. 

That essential quality also needs to be carried over to the rest of your marketing collaterals for a cohesive vision. 

With that, here are some design formats you need to consider if you’re just starting out. 

1. Logo Design

A logo is an important visual element that represents your startup. A unique and memorable logo should accurately reflect your brand values–as well as your services and products. Details such as the color story can further enhance the brand impression. 

2. Branding & Identity

Next, developing a cohesive brand story is crucial for any startup. Whether it’s true the tone of the copy or the mix of type and color, all of this has to build toward a cohesive vision. This includes creating a consistent visual language across all marketing collateral, including business cards, letterheads, social media graphics, and more.

3. Website Design

A website is often a customer’s first interaction with a brand, so it’s important to make a good impression. More than just a visually appealing website, brands have to also consider the user design, as well as the interactiveness of the site.

4. Packaging Design

Another design format to consider is packaging design. This is an essential aspect of branding and can significantly influence customers’ purchasing decisions. You want something eye-catching, visually interesting, and most of all–functional. 

5. Email Campaigns

Emails aren’t a thing of the past. In fact, many small businesses and startups like to leverage email communications to get new leads and report new releases. It’s also a great way to keep your audience posted on recent company projects. 

6. Marketing and Advertising Collaterals

From brochures and flyers to product catalogs and sales presentations, a graphic design agency can help design various marketing collateral that aligns with your brand’s visual language and messaging. Not only does a graphic designer build on your existing brand book, they can also add a new depth or element to your brand story. 

7. Illustrations 

Illustrations and infographics can be used to communicate complex information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner. A graphic design agency can help create custom illustrations and infographics that enhance your brand’s messaging.

8. Social Media Graphics 

Social media graphics play a significant role in brand awareness and engagement. When you partner with a conscious and trendy brand or content strategist, you’ll be able to better flex your products and services to your audience. 

9. Infographics

When you’re providing a service, many people might not be able to get your message across easily. That’s where infographics come in. They’re an easy way for you to provide visual data, give instructions, and explain processes to your customers. 

10. User Interface (UI) Design

Finally, UI design refers to the design of digital interfaces, such as websites and mobile apps. A graphic design agency can help design UI that is visually appealing, easy to use and aligns with your brand’s visual language.

Need designs for your startup? These design capabilities are all available with DotYeti’s scalable graphic design service. We employ a team of expert designers to offer unlimited design requests and revisions for a flat monthly fee. Share your story with us so we can create a customized plan just for you.