How big is your project?
Knowing exactly what design work you want done, or opening a dialogue with your designer as to what design work you could have done is paramount. Without determining the scope of a project, neither the client nor the designer have a framework in which to work.
Deciding on the extent of the design work to be tackled is the pre-design blueprint for your project. It allows the designer to work up a contract in which all of the work is outlined and the responsibilities of client and designer are discussed.
Design work can also be done in phases. Phases allow you to bite off smaller design projects and require the capital to complete only the current job at hand. This is most successful when the entire project (or all design phases of the project) are conceptually designed from the start, so that your final and finished project is cohesive and harmonious despite tackling it in smaller chunks.
