Do you have a set schedule? What real-world events are driving the schedule?

Have you had this work done before? What was good or unsatisfactory about the previous experience?

Are there any major restrictions on your budget? Is the funding for this project not immediately available?

Do you have an existing site, logo, or other reference that we should see?

Can you point out examples of similar work that you find particularly successful (or not)?

Do you have an existing mark? If so, do you want to modify it or replace it completely?

If you have an existing mark, what do you like about it? What don't you like?

Would we be designing a mark or logotype that would need to be part of a larger system (e.g., business cards, letterhead)? Is that design also a part of this project?

Will we be modifying an existing system, or building from scratch?

Do you or your institution have a preference for a particular language (PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails), platform (Windows, Linux, open source), or framework (Drupal, Liferay)?