We See What You're Saying™
O B S E R V A T I O N S : Begin at the Very Beginning
Clients will hire a design office for one of four reasons. “Okay, take the next part slowly.”
BOX 01: they don’t know what they want and they don’t know what they need. BOX 02: they think they know what they want but they don’t know what they need. BOX 03: they think they know what they need but they don’t know what they want. BOX 04: they think they know what they need and they think they know what they want.
For whatever reason they tell themselves, clients hire designers to produce something they don’t feel they can produce themselves. At the same time, clients think they have everything they need, to get what the want from the designer they hire. Many/Mosts clients come to designers already in the BOX 04. They are infinity confident; they know what they need and want. They just need someone to do it for them.
This is not a scenario unique to the design profession. In fact, disciplines requiring skill, experience and some level expertise almost all serve those who think they know best. This is not to suggest that many/most clients aren’t intelligent. To the contrary, almost all clients, in one way or another, are themselves professionals. It’s not that they don’t know what they want or need, they just don’t know more then those with the expertise they plan hire.
Once hired the first task of the professionals is to determine (through Socratic process) in which box is their client. Preconceived notions are set aside, assumptions and past experiences are considered in a current context and are either affirmed or left in the past. Knowing precisely where your client is, is paramount, if there is any hope of getting them achieve their goals and objectives
Designers will never know the business of their clients better than they do. Designers best serve their clients, doing what they do, helping clients connect with those they hope to influence.