Our association is made up of many agencies and independent graphic designers. This site is our first joint initiative.

This is the first step in a broader initiative aimed at promoting our profession. We all felt the need to explain the special nature of what we do. We want to make the people we talk to more aware of the research we carry out, and explain our curiosity and creativity.

This first initiative aims to provide information. This site gives you the right tools to find your graphic design partner. If everything works out, it will increase your visibility. Your target audience will be enticed, surprised and tempted. On one condition…

The quality of the work a designer produces depends on the quality of dialogue they have with their client. We are here to listen to your needs but as with all human interaction, respect and trust are indispensable.

The first thing to avoid are the calls for tender; aimless pitches that are badly or barely organised, with no pre-selection of agencies; pitches that often go unpaid can be damaging both for the bidders and the designers. The creative process needs time, and all processes have a value, starting with yours.

This site gives you the tools to better understand what design is all about and how cooperation between graphic designers and their main interlocutors can be optimised.

By sharing our knowledge we hope to initiate an exchange of views on the specific nature of our profession, thus allowing our clients to optimise the work the designer does, a common goal being to give graphic design the means to further enhance society.

From dawn to dusk we come into contact with a phenomenal amount of more or less ordered and relevant graphic signs that stimulate our senses and mould the way we see the world and define the world itself. Wherever we see them, these signs are borne out of a desire to communicate. The designer is there to analyse them and give ideas a meaningful and relevant visual form.

Each project needs communication to meet its goals. As society evolves, so does our profession. The designer plays a crucial role in critical reflection needed for communication, whether it be to promote a structure, such as the visual identity of an organisation, or more temporary in the case of a specific event.

Designers are familiar with the creative and strategic elements of communication and take account of sociological, aesthetic, environmental and economic aspects. This is why they are the key partner in bringing projects to the right conclusion and ensuring an optimal impact on society.

Graphic design is art applied to life. It covers many areas, giving it a specific and increasingly significant role in our society: a cultural, commercial and social role that influences everything around us, the private and public spheres alike.

Designers have a wide range of tools at their disposal (words, photos, pictures, numbers, graphics) to communicate information in a specific context. They create a visual language that sends a message efficiently and appropriately.

N.B. Defining graphic design is difficult for two reasons. Firstly, it is a profession based on infinite communication. Secondly, overlapping disciplines and profound technological developments mean that lines are blurred and the number of players constantly on the rise.

This is exactly the same question as when you wonder why you call in a professional in any given area. Think about it for a second… Why have an architect design your house? Why have a notary draw up a will?

Graphic designers are experts

Graphic designers are experts in communication and cast a critical eye over the project at hand.

Graphic designers are technical experts

They understand the different stages in the design process, from commission to delivery (printed material or other media).

Graphic designers are visionaries

They are familiar with the multitude of signs and codes in our society and find the essence of what is significant in any given context.

The client chooses the designer. By taking the time to make the right choice, they can be sure of having the best relationship with this important professional partner.

• Points to remember when choosing:
• References, experience
• Personal, artistic and philosophical affinities
• The scope and specific possibilities (work force, deadlines, etc)
• Your budget

When choosing a designer the client should always make their needs, wishes and preferences clear. Obviously you should entrust the project to a designer/studio that has completed projects you appreciate both in terms of style and concept. Making the right choice also supposes you have done the relevant research beforehand.

1 – Face to face & observe

Talking is the best way of understanding what you want. Get friends, family, colleagues, traders and restaurateurs involved. The public arena is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Check your favourite sources: books, magazines, flyers, posters, and neon signs. Remember that designers’ names are often somewhere on the source, on the back or at the bottom of the source in question. The Internet is awash with references and all designers/studios have a website. After an initial search, select a few agencies (2 or 3) and take a closer look at their output to see what sets them apart.

2 – Contact and meeting

Make an appointment with the designer(s)/studio(s) you have selected to begin a dialogue around your project. It’s worth looking beyond the first impression you get from a website. The best way is an actual meeting. Bringing a project to a fruitful conclusion is more about a feeling, trust and mutual understanding and excellent cooperation that can last for months or years. A meeting is also an opportunity to ask questions about the process, so make the most of it.

3 – Your budget and offer

Price is an important criterion. You shouldn’t make quality less important than the cost but the budget earmarked is still an important parameter. Don’t shy away from saying this right from the outset and/or ask for an offer. Be aware, though, that the offer needs to be accompanied by a detailed breakdown so that you can compare offers.

You should consider a call for projects only if you are obliged to for professional reasons or if you want graphic input for your project (and if your budget allows).

Nowadays designers are called to competitions and pitches even though the organisers themselves don’t really understand what purpose they serve, nor the right way of doing things (competitions with little or no selection, no clear brief, wrongly-used terms and often little or no payback).

The quality of the pitch still has a direct impact on potential creativity.

What when and how to choose?

A pitch

is a joint call for offers or a graphic proposal. This means payment should be made for work provided.

An invitation to tender

is an invitation to collect financial proposals for the project in question. As above, you should always select 2 or 3 agencies or freelance graphic designers you have an affinity with. Invite tenders on the basis of existing references if you want to compare market prices for a well-defined
call. If however you want a visual example to base your decision on, organise a pitch. In this case make sure you have a budget set aside to pay the work of the 2 or 3 studios/designers you call to pitch but don’t retain.

1. Meeting and discussion

The graphic designer* meets the client and is given a briefing (detailed description of what is asked). Together they decide on the best mode of communication for the target group and the intended goals, as well as any practical adjustments needed. Graphic design is a series of problems that have to be solved through creativity, innovation and expertise. A correct understanding of the client’s product or service and aims, the competition and the target group translates into a visual solution created on the basis of how form, colour, images, typography and space are handled, combined and used. AGDA

2. Analysis and offer

The designer determines the resources to be used and puts forward their offer. Once an offer is accepted, a timetable is established and work can begin.

3. Interpretation and creation

The designer analyses and interprets the client’s requirements, and gives it the appropriate visual form.

4. Production and completion

After approval from the client, the designer calculates the resources described in the offer and ensures quality monitoring throughout production until delivery of the completed product (website, printed material, etc.).