I was talking to a potential client today who (not for the first time this week – I’ve had many similar conversations with other business owners) is tearing her hair out because she’s had a new website designed that she knows isn’t quite hitting the mark, but she can’t quite put her finger on why.
After a brief conversation we identified the issues: insipid stock photography, clunky use of fonts and a less than inspiring layout.
“To be fair to the designer” she said “I wasn’t really quite sure what I was looking for, so I probably haven’t given him a very good brief”
“That’s not your job!” I wanted to scream!
This poor, poor lady was beating herself up because she’d failed to choose the right stock photos, failed to tell her designer exactly what she wanted; and as a result, the design produced was less than impressive.
Your job as a client is to give your designer the answers to the questions he asks you. I sincerely believe it’s not your job to tell him what you want and where and just get him to “construct” your vision. If you do that you’ll get back, at best, what you wanted. You probably won’t get what your business needs.
So what do you really need?
When I meet with a client on any project we don’t discuss colours, fonts or layouts. I ask the client about her objectives, her business and her clients. We talk about her goals for this piece of marketing literature and we get to grips with the messages she wants to communicate. We might also talk about her brand identity (if she has one) and we’ll certainly talk about the impression she wants the piece to create.
At no point do I expect the client to tell me how she wants the piece of design to look. And I actively discourage any client from creating a mockup!
What’s the point? You work with a creative, insightful and intuitive designer to add value to your business. You shouldn’t be expected to provide a steer on the design – that’s what you’re paying us for! Sure you need to give a decent brief – but it’s down to the designer (or Account Manager in my company) to ask insightful questions and draw the right information out of you!
You know what results your business needs. And if you can relay that information to a graphic designer you trust, they will be able to provide you with the collateral you need to achieve that result.
Now I appreciate that this level of design doesn’t come cheap. But it’s worth investing in for peace of mind, the value it’ll add to your business and the fact that you can get on with doing what you do best and leave the design to the experts.
So next time you brief a designer, listen carefully to the questions they ask you. Do they reassure you that they really understand you? Really care about the result you’re looking for this piece? Or are they just trying to please you by giving you what you want?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great post – I agree completely with you here. As a graphic designer – I always ask the client what the goal is with this project, but never discuss fonts, colors, photos etc…this is my job! I also find that if we start discussing exactly how it should look in the end – the design is not going to be mine, therefore, it will not be what the client NEEDS! A graphic designer’s job is to obtain the goal, and make it work.