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02.03.2007 | The client / designer lambada

Just as an exercise, I'd like to figure out what it is we designers really really want in a client, and what clients really really want in a designer. Parts of this list are going to come easily, others not. Here's my attempt:

YO, CLIENT:

1. Have a clear idea of what your company stands for, who your audience is, who your customers are, and what you want them to do, what your budget is, when it needs to be done, and how many you need. Have that information ready. Don't sit there in our first meeting and try to figure all this out on the spot.

2. Then let us do our work. Hand over the life of your company. Put it in our hands. Trust us completely.

3. Be brave. Be bold. Allow us to give your business a fresh face. Don't tell us that you hate green, want to see the logo bigger, that you prefer Times Roman to the carefully selected font we chose. That is micro-management and outside of your area of expertise. Instead, tell us that the logo needs to have more impact, that your largely over-50 customer base requires increased legibility, and that the overall feeling of the brochure needs to be friendlier.

HEY YOU, DESIGNER:

1. Help me figure out what my company is all about, what my audience likes, who I should sell to, which message would be appropriate, which medium is best suited, what are the comparative costs, and how do I measure success. Don't just expect me to tell you exactly what to do, or that I necessarily know how best to address my business's needs. You're the expert. I've come to you for fresh ideas that at the same time are realistic and doable.

2. You have to earn my trust. Keep me informed about the process and each stage you're at, any budget overruns, quality concerns, and if we're still making deadline. Communicate with me. Manage my budget wisely and conservatively - it's either my own money or money my employer has entrusted me with. In any case, I am ultimately accountable for the outcome of this project, and I will act that way.

3. Listen to me. I know more about my business than you do. Your job is to promote my business. Don't ponder which typeface would be the coolest for my project while I'm telling you about our 4th quarter loss that needs to be sensitively adressed. Don't amuse yourself on my dollar by over-designing. Don't try to win a design award. We don't mind if you get kudos from your peers, but we're really only interested in whether your ideas will get us results.

All of this is over-simplified, but somewhere in between the designer's and the client's utopia is this dance that we do.