Inquired on why a designer is more expensive than his or her competitorsspecially when there’s a big discrepancy in price. It is important to recognize what you are getting for the amount of money being charged. Oftentimes it is not only the brand name of the designer, but years of experience and expertise that end up saving money by not having costly mistakes that someone less competent may make. A skilled designer also has a team to help execute a project.
According to Mario Villegas, the President of Twilium Management Group in Seattle, have a really clear idea of what you are going to serve—both food and beverage—before you call in a designer, she says, because it will help him or her understand the vibe you are trying to create.
Find your designer before you select the location for your bar or nightclub. The location has a main influence on the final design outcome. It’s beneficial if the design team has a hand in selecting the space. Matching your vision to the space creates a strong foundation for creating desirable atmospherics. The potential for a successful project would be greatly enhanced, if this were always possible.”
Establish your budget before you meet with designers because finances are often a constrain, failing to discuss upfront information about the project budget can be a waste of everyone’s time. Give the design firm an idea of the design budget before time is spent writing and reviewing proposals.”
Have some brain storming ideas before you meet the potential designer. “No designer designs a project by himself. It’s a group effort and if you can get an efficient team together, designer and client, you have a good project.
Meet with several designers. “It is critically important that the team works well together, so personalities matter. Aneffective design process is always collaborative. The client has to be happy that the designer ‘gets it’ in reference to both working as a team and the driving concept.