Foundation first
- Setting the tone
- Questions before ideas
- Summarize the business
- Summarize the project
- Who decides?
- Give your client time and space
- But maintain the focus
- Research with purpose
- Assembling the design brief
- Tapping into something special
- Nature's poetry
- Field research that makes a difference
- Bringing the details to life
- Giving form to language
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Before you begin sketching ideas or refining letterforms, there’s something more important to understand: your client. Who are they? Why have they come to you? What do they hope to achieve? The answers form the foundation for any successful identity project. Design isn’t decoration. It’s a strategic response to a business need. And without clarity about that need, your work will lack direction, no matter how beautiful it is.
Gathering information needs time, focus, and a measure of restraint, especially when you’re tempted to move straight into the creative phase. But rushing through discovery increases your chances of missing the mark. And a missed mark is costly, for you and your client.
Setting the tone
At the start of nearly every design engagement, there’s tension—yours, your client’s, or both. That’s natural, because the designer-client relationship is rarely effortless.
As a designer, you need to be as selective with your clients as they are with you. I occasionally receive messages like this:
“I need a logo, but I know the design I want. I just need someone to make it.”
Someone who knows exactly what they want doesn’t need a designer. They need a technician. If you’re being hired, it’s because you’re the expert. Your role isn’t to be directed, it’s to guide, create, and solve. If the relationship feels off, address it early with open communication that’s honest, respectful, and clear. That’s how strong partnerships are built.
