Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

ESTETICA E80 Rise above the rest with KaVo. • Outstanding ergonomics and attractive, highly functional designs. • Innovation at its best. • State of the art technology reliability and functionality at amazingly low prices. From as little as £286* per month excl VAT KaVo Dental Limited · Raans Road, Amersham, Bucks HP6 6JL Tel. 01494 733000 · Fax 01494 431168 · mail: sales@kavo.com · www.kavo.com Contact your local KaVo or Gendex supplier for more details! *Finance is subject to status and for business purposes only. KaVo – Dental Excellence Estetica A4 SELECTED:Layout 1 25/2/09 13:42 Page 1 C hoosing the right designer is one of the most impor- tant decisions you’ll make when rebranding your practice. Yet you may not know where or how to begin. First steps As with other services, per- sonal recommendation is al- ways a great place to start, al- though bear in mind that design is very much a matter of per- sonal choice and what may suit one person may not work for another. Still, at the very least, a positive referral should indicate who is professional, ef- ficient, reliable and pleasant to work with. Over years or recent months you may have admired the logo, literature or website of other practices, so you may like to find out who the designer was and investigate further. Google is there at your dis- posal and it is easy to view de- sign portfolios online. Spend time looking at the work designers have produced for other people and make a note of what you like. You should also check the designer’s credentials to see if they have the necessary quali- fications and experience. You are looking for someone who is a trained designer (more ac- curately, a graphic designer) and one who has worked for several years in the dental in- dustry as a specific discipline. Dentistry is a business unlike any other and your chosen design- er must know it inside out in order to fully appreciate your requirements. Check out the designer’s tes- timonials and don’t be afraid to make contact with anyone who has been quoted for a more de- tailed appraisal. Do beware of people or agen- cies offering too much of a multi- disciplinary ‘we do absolutely everything’ approach – you will rarely have the budget to do everything at once and besides, you want real expertise not a ‘Jack of all trades’. Remember that it is your right to be selective. As with dental products, laboratories and related services, it is wise to choose your providers individu- ally rather than buy from a super- market-style one-stop shop. Make a connection This stage is vital. After ad- miring their work you must also have a conversation with your selected designer to see if you have good rapport. Whether this is face-to-face or over the telephone, it is always best to speak with the person who would actually do the design work not just the MD or a sales per- son. This way you will be able to see whether you ‘connect’ and feel comfortable com- municating and expressing your requirements. You could think of this as the sort of conversation you have with a patient prior to a treatment plan, where both of you discuss the options prior to agreeing on the desired outcome and chosen route. The designer should, first and foremost, listen and then ask lots of pertinent and search- ing questions. If you feel blinded by jargon or ‘marketing-speak’, be justified in being put off! Direct communication is key to a good working relationship and there is nothing weirdly mysteri- ous about the design process – a good designer should answer anything you ask and simplify rather than complicate matters. By the end of the conversa- tion, you want to be totally con- fident that the designer has fully grasped your vision – in other words that they really ‘get it’. The degree to which you ‘connect’ with any designer you speak to Getting the right designer for your brand Cathy Johnson looks at the importance of the right designer when restoring your practice January 24-30, 201116 United Kingdom EditionPractice Management