Top questions to ask when comparing branding proposals from agencies in Lebanon

Branding proposals can be difficult to compare when their deliverable lists, assumptions and prices describe different work. Before comparing agencies in Lebanon, define what you need the project to achieve and where the identity will be used. A shared brief gives each agency the same starting point and makes differences in approach, scope and cost easier to discuss.

This guide helps you separate logo work from a wider brand identity, prepare a useful brief and compare proposals against your requirements. It also covers revisions, file handover and questions about future use. The aim is to choose a scope that fits your business, rather than assume the largest deliverable list is the right package.

Clarifying the scope before requesting proposals makes comparison easier. If you are unsure whether you need a logo or a wider identity, say so in the brief and ask each agency to explain its recommendation. Compare those recommendations alongside their assumptions and outputs.

What logo-only work actually covers

For a logo project, discuss the versions and exports you will actually need. Examples might include a vector master, colour and single-colour variants, and files for a website, printer or social profile. Ask which usage notes are included and how future suppliers can obtain usable files. Specify the applications first, then agree the formats with the agency and the people who will use them.

What a full brand identity adds to the scope

A wider identity scope can include positioning, messaging, a logo system, colour and typography choices, guidelines and selected applications. Your business might need Arabic and English layouts, social templates, packaging or signage; another business may need a smaller set. Choose the applications relevant to your launch or ongoing work and ask the proposal to distinguish included design, production files and optional additions.

Why positioning determines which scope is right

A business that has done genuine positioning work, a clear audience, a defined differentiator, and an articulated brand personality, can brief a logo project effectively. A business that is still figuring out who it serves and what it stands for needs strategy built into the engagement, which changes the scope entirely. Deciding this before requesting proposals prevents you from comparing a logo quote to a full identity quote as though they were the same thing.

A request for a brand refresh leaves important decisions open unless it explains the business objective and intended outputs. Give each agency the same concise brief, separating confirmed requirements from questions where you want its recommendation. That helps you compare proposals without assuming every agency has interpreted the project in the same way.

The positioning and audience foundation

The brief should state the business objective (launch, reposition, enter a new market), the target audience with specific demographic and behavioral detail, the one central message the brand must communicate, and what the brand must not be associated with. It should define the competitive context: which brands exist in the same category in Lebanon, and what your differentiator is. A useful test: if two designers reading the brief could start work without guessing the positioning or audience, the brief is complete.

Arabic and English application requirements for branding in Lebanon

If the identity needs Arabic and English, describe how both languages will appear in the applications you want. Useful questions include:

• Which outputs require Arabic and English versions
• Whether the two languages carry equal weight or follow a defined hierarchy
• Whether layouts must be bilingual simultaneously or supplied as separate language versions
• Whether copy requires literal translation, localization, or transcreation
• Who supplies, reviews, and approves Arabic copy, and whether brand names or taglines remain untranslated

Arabic script runs from right to left, so bilingual layouts need attention to reading direction as well as typography and available space. Agree who supplies and checks each language version. Test the important applications during development, and identify which language decisions remain open before approving the direction.

Once you have a brief, send it to every agency with the same requirements, the same deadline, and a request for proposals in a consistent format. Scoring them on equal terms requires knowing what to look for.

The deliverables checklist to apply to every proposal

Ask each agency to specify the exact number of initial concepts and refinement rounds, whether strategy and research are included or billed separately, the precise Arabic and English deliverables, and the file formats delivered.

Ask the agency and your intended suppliers which formats they need. A printer, website developer and social team may use different exports. Clarify whether editable files are included, which software is needed and what happens if a font or linked asset requires separate access. Distinguish an illustrative mockup from an application that will be designed and delivered for actual use.

How to build a simple proposal comparison matrix

Build a comparison table around your priorities: understanding of the brief, clear deliverables, relevant credited work, the proposed team, review stages and transparent costs. Choose the importance of each criterion before scoring. Ask follow-up questions where a proposal leaves a gap, rather than giving credit for an attractive presentation alone.

Compare the total cost for the same agreed scope, including any optional work you expect to need. Ask how extra applications, new language versions or changes after approval will be estimated. If proposals recommend different scopes, compare the value of those approaches before treating their prices as like-for-like.

Revisions, editable files and handover deserve their own discussion before work starts. Record what is included, who approves decisions and how questions will be resolved. Clear expectations help both teams plan the work without relying on an assumed industry package.

Defining revision rounds so they hold up

Ask how many review stages or revision rounds the proposal includes and what each one covers. Agree how feedback will be consolidated, who approves it and how much review time your team needs. Choose a process that fits the scope and decision-makers.

Ask the agency to distinguish refinements within the agreed brief from changes that expand it. Discuss how a new direction, extra application or late requirement would affect cost and timing. Agree how you will review and approve a revised estimate before additional work begins.

The source file and handover checklist

Define the handover around the files your team and suppliers will use. Depending on the scope, your checklist might include:

• Approved logo masters and exports for the agreed applications
• Editable application files where included, with the required software identified
• Arabic and English layout versions where commissioned
• Colour references suitable for the agreed print and digital uses
• A typeface and asset list with links to the relevant suppliers and terms

Check the terms for the fonts actually selected; receiving artwork and receiving font software are different questions. Adobe Fonts, for example, distinguishes supplying finished graphics from giving a client direct font access for editing, and its service does not permit packaging font files for transfer. Ask whether your team or suppliers need their own access, and verify the applicable vendor terms. A file inventory and an agreed handover discussion can help your team understand what was supplied and how to use it.

A low price is not the risk. A vague scope with a low price is the risk. Several proposal patterns signal delivery problems before a single asset has been created.

Language that signals underscoped work

Ask for clarification when branding is listed without outputs, revisions are described as unlimited without a review process, or mockups and source files are mentioned without explaining the deliverables. Check what an Arabic version covers and whether actual bilingual applications are included. These phrases are prompts for follow-up questions, not proof that a proposal or its terms are invalid.

Negotiation points worth raising before you sign

Depending on the engagement, discuss these points before approving the scope:

• Use and editable files: Which rights and files are included, and when are they supplied?
• Font and asset access: Who checks the relevant terms and arranges any access needed by the client or suppliers?
• Scope changes: How are changes estimated, approved and reflected in the schedule?
• Accounts and access: If digital account work is included, who controls each account and how will access and handover be handled?
• If ongoing work is proposed, ask about renewal, notice and termination arrangements.
• Agree the handover timing and any dependencies on approvals or payments.
• Ask how an unresolved delivery or scope question will be handled.

A clear brief gives proposal comparison a practical starting point. Decide whether you need a logo project or a wider identity, describe the audience and intended applications, and identify any bilingual requirements. Compare the proposed approach, deliverables, reviews and handover against that brief. Keep open questions visible until both sides agree how they will be handled.

Bring your business objective, current identity, intended applications and language requirements to ClickProduction to discuss the branding scope. Ask what the proposed engagement would include and what your team would need to provide. The goal is a practical fit between the work you commission and the way your business will use it.