Successful Meetings Between Clients & Designers

There is a common frustration between designers and customers...communication! On average, clients think in one way and designers another.  And they don't match up!

A designer's goal is to take what a client needs and transform into a creation that is functional and great to look at.  A client's goal is to get something that fit's their needs, looks good, fits a budget, and a timeline.

When a designer and client have their first design meeting, on average clients do not come prepared.  I emphasize "on average" because there are those clients who are very prepared and make the designer's job quite easy. But that is not the norm. Most clients don't know anything about the fundamentals of design. Which they shouldn't! It's not their forte, that's why designers are here. But just because design is not your forte, does not mean you should come to a meeting un-prepared.  A designer can have all the great ideas in the world, but they don't mean much if we don't know how to apply them to your project.  It's very frustrating as a designer to make mock-up after mock-up only to get them picked apart because they're not meeting the approval of the client.  I also want to preface that not all blame is on the client.  Designers can easily miss the mark on their own!  That's why it's important to have meetings with a clear purpose and clear communications.

Here are a few common questions and examples that if a client knows the answers or brings to a design meeting that will greatly improve the success rate of their project.

1. Know exactly what you need; logo; business cards; advertisement...ext.

2. If your project is something like an ad or specialty item, know what the physical dimensions need to be. For example, if you need an add for a catalog, is it a quarter page, a half page, or a full page? The catalog your putting the ad in should have specs for you that you can bring to the designer.  If the exact dimensions are not available at the time of the meeting, at least a ballpark gets it going in the right direction.

3. If you want the design to match excising collateral you already have, bring them in so the designer can see the complexity and knows what they need to match.

4. If you don't have excising collateral that your trying to match, bring examples from elsewhere that you like. The designer isn't going to want to copy any one design, that's copyright infringement, but the more examples you bring in, the better an idea the designer will have what you like.

Once the initial designs are completed, next comes the reviews and critiques.  This is another area where communication can become a problem.  Clients often have a hard time expressing what it is that is not working for them.  But, as a client, please be mindful that designers are not mind readers, nor translators. Try to avoid using phrases like "make it pop", "make it happier" or "make it jazzy".  Everyone has a different idea of what these terms mean. If there is something in a design that is not working for you, explain what it is in phrases like, "it's too dark", "it's too blue", "it's too small".  The more specific you are in your critiques, the faster your project will be completed.

Lastly, not so much related to the design meetings, but more on timelines. If you have a specific due date, this means you the client are as responsible for the project being done as the designer. If the designer sends you things to review, or asks you questions, the longer you take to respond, the higher the chances of missing your deadline. If a designer sends a review, and you respond with changes a week later two days before deadline, the designer may be forced to miss the deadline. Designers are usually juggling multiple clients projects, and it is unfair to them to assume they have all the time in the world to finish your project asap.  Some designers will charge rush fees to help combat this.  Designers should do their best to mindful of the deadline as well as the client.  The more designers and clients work in partnership, the more successful the project and relationship.