5 practical ways to obtain a satisfying relationship between client and designer

Artwork doesn’t come with a guideline book to measure or quantify the prospective outcome. Artists enter the project with their imagination, life experiences, and inspirations.

In the marketplace, design work has evolved the purpose of sales. These inventive works are judged in mere seconds. The potential customer either likes or dislikes it. Time is money for both client and designer. Discovering your marketing position quickly and boosting sales is what both parties expect.

Depending on budget size, there are many avenues to explore in order to realize the finished design project. With a large budget, a design firm can include full services from market research, positioning, planning and design for your brand. With a limited budget, there are still some effective tips which we would like to share.

Client’s responsibility – knowing what you expect your brand to be

With a limited budget, there are some preparatory steps before providing info to a designer. It will reduce miscommunication and confusion between client and designer, streamlining an effective working relationship. The key is to communicate in a detailed way in order to reach your expectations.

1. Introduction – Preparing information about your business is a great way for a designer to understand and learn from your company’s culture. You can provide your corporate or brand story in the meeting, as well as the introduction of your industrial environment and marketing, etc. It will get a designer involved quickly.
   
2. Positioning – Since there is a limited budget, it will be great to provide your marketing position and expectation for the designer. This is an essential aid in allowing the design team to know where and who you want to reach in the marketplace.
3. Images – Search online for some brands that you like. This can be a huge benefit for the designer and they can understand what aesthetic you are looking for. Yet, it doesn’t mean the designer will design similar looks to the images you provided. They will be good references to avoid designing something that you may dislike and wasting your time.
4. Description – This is key if there is no image sample and reference to show what you are looking for. Oral or written descriptions can also help the designer to understand what your expectation is. For example, keywords, such as “high-end”, “classic”, “funky” or “cute” etc. Similarly, you can mention which corporate or brand identity you really like; this will be a great description as well.
   
5. Design materials – Depending on the project that you have assigned, prepare specific photos, copywriting, or logos, etc. This will speed up the process with a limited budget and time. If there are no photos that can be used, the designer can purchase licensed stock photos. Another option would be to hire a photographer or copywriter with an increased cost.

Designer’s responsibility – Studying and analyzing the customer’s needs

There are various types of businesses to work with. The best practice is to actually study and analyze all the different design styles in your free time, keeping an open mind and accepting all possibilities in the world of design. Never stop learning, as this is the key approach to designing for all types of businesses.

1. Listening – 1. Pay huge attention to clients and what their expectations are. Listen and learn about their company culture in order to hit their exact expectation of the design.
   If you are confused about the project, ask and learn during the initial meeting. Asking after the meeting is unprofessional, and it can lead to losing a client’s trust and faith.
   
2. Gathering – Organizing all of the information and requirements from the clients. This is always a good habit before starting a project. This ensures that you absorb the project information, reducing time wasted looking for large amounts of information during the design process.
3. Analyzing – Doing some simple research about your client’s competitors and their brand design. This will help your design to stand out in the marketplace. Skipping this step may cause your design to have similar looks to their competitors or cause a result that doesn’t fit their industry and feel.
4. Rethink – Put in some serious thought before you drop down your pen and head to your computer. I have seen too many designers jump onto a computer without thinking. You’re actually wasting more time, stuck staring at a computer. Always keep a habit of doing a sketch before computer work; it will never go out of fashion. It ensures you can perform multiple checks and decide which result is the best that you are going to show your client.
   
5. Passion – Be proud of your clients and career. Double check if your design can actually help a client’s brand visibility and sales in the marketplace. Love what you do, and be proud of telling everyone that you design for this brand.

Conclusion – Happy partnership for both client and designer

For clients - We understand that there is a limited budget for small business, sole proprietorships, and startups. Communicating is an effective way to reach your expectations of design. Reducing confusion, frustration, miscommunication and time back and forth is important for a successful outcome.
Lastly, we must discuss the payment. Once the design team completes the project, it will be polite to reward the payment on time. Over 15 years in the design business, I have seen most clients did so, but there are still a few cases which delayed the payment. This is a little appreciation to send payment on time, and I believe your designer will be grateful for working with you!

For designers - we need to listen and analyze a client’s business and competition. This will ensure you create a unique design for clients. With a limited time and budget, doing some marketing research can reduce the time wasted in front of a computer.
Last, on the contract. In order to protect your creative work, preparing a contract before you start a project will be the best choice. No matter whether it’s in electronic or paper format, there are all lawful guarantees for your hard works. Last, don’t forget to include the details of payment and due date in your contract!