- [Instructor] Design is an art form,
a method of human expression that follows a system
of highly developed procedures in order
to imbue objects, performances,
and experiences with significance.
But it's also said that art is subjective.
I may like a design, but my client might not.
So, gauging a client's expectations
is one way to help avoid problems down the line.
It's not a guarantee, but it's worth doing regardless.
So, let me share some questions
you can ask yourself about a new client
to help you determine if their expectations are reasonable.
The first type of expectation is design work expectations.
When a potential new client contacts you
and asks you to provide a quote for their project,
You want to ask them five initial questions first.
The first question, who are they?
What does their business do?
Surprisingly, many people ask me to quote on a project
and they don't even tell me what the project really is,
so this is important.
Number two, what do they need?
What creative service do they require, specifically?
Three, where do they want to take their business,
a little bit about their vision,
Four, when do they need this done?
Does this fit into my timeline?
And five, why did they contact me?
What was behind their choice?
Now, if a client is resistant to provide more clarification,
then that tells me they may be problematic
to work with creatively,
and I usually pass on a project.
So, if the client responds to your five questions,
then you want to analyze the client's answers
so you can gauge their expectations
regarding their request.
To help you do this,
ask yourself the following questions as you review them.
Do they have unrealistic expectations, such as the timeline?
Do they appreciate and value creative work?
Is the budget too low?
Do I align with the business goals,
service, industries, or genre?
Is it actually a client I want to work with?
Do they trust my professional opinion?
Do I trust theirs?
Does anything feel off?
Don't decide too quickly.
These questions will help you evaluate a client's thinking
and isolate potential problems
related to their expectations.
It'll also allow you to address
potential issues ahead of time so you can avoid them later.
Do your best to decide if a client is a good fit for you.
It's better to determine that early
rather than later in the relationship.
Many people, myself included,
have made the mistake of ignoring signs early on
only to have it come back later and cause problems.
When it comes to a logo, think of an iceberg.
What you see above the water is the logo
and the logo represents the iceberg's totality.
But the majority of the iceberg,
their brand and who they really are, is submerged.
Of course, all analogies fall apart at some point,
so if you throw the Titanic into this specific analogy,
the brand story is going to get kind of weird.
Some clients and marketing directors
have very unrealistic expectations
regarding logos and what they can do.
Some of those unrealistic expectations are these.
A logo won't make a bad product better.
A logo won't improve poor customer service.
A logo won't increase sales on a horrible website.
A logo won't make a business successful.
Think of Google, which we covered previously.
A logo won't tell the full story of a business.
A logo won't fix lousy marketing.
A logo won't build trust with an audience.
A logo won't revive a brand's reputation.
Brand experience is how a company's audience
reacts when interacting with its brand.
If their product, service, sales,
or customer service is sub-par,
it doesn't matter how well their logo is designed.
When a company wants to redesign their logo
and they think that alone will help rejuvenate their brand,
you'll need to educate them that a logo
is part of a brand's creative calculus,
but not the full equation.
Remember, a logo is not a brand.
Expectation applies to both sides
of the designer-client relationship.
It'd be easy for me to say
that you'll never have any creative hiccups
if you follow everything I'm sharing in this course,
but that isn't true,
and we'll discuss this topic in more detail
in another movie.
Do your best to ensure your client's expectations
are grounded in reality
and align with what they want
to accomplish in their business.
A brand can be successful while using
a poorly-designed logo,
and likewise, a failing brand can do so
even with a great logo in place.
The challenge is to create an excellent logo
for a great company
and facilitate an influential brand people can embrace.
So, take the time to understand your client's expectations
and help them to accomplish this.