An agency guide to communicating with clients

It’s no secret that designers and clients can struggle with communication, much the same way doctors and patients do. We have all experienced a situation where a doctor explained a simple procedure with dizzying terminology. The design industry is no different. Sometimes we use industry-specific language that is natural to us but unfamiliar to our clients.

Whether you’re working with a virgin client or someone who has experienced a few design projects, there will be times you may not share a common vernacular. This can lead to simple misunderstandings or, worse, a damaged relationship.

Communicating effectively with clients is critical to being a great designer.”

It’s safe to say that most clients do not have a deep understanding of design, so they are hiring you. Communicating effectively with clients is a critical component of being a great designer. Each client is different and requires an individual approach to communication. As you learn the art of communicating with clients, you will begin to develop a sense of how best to communicate with each individual and should adjust your communication accordingly.

Here are five tips to help you improve your communication for a higher level of interaction, more successful design solutions, and much happier clients.

1. Understand Their Business

Learning about the client’s business and why it’s different and better than those they compete with is one of the most challenging things to ascertain. The typical protocol includes requesting baseline information, gathering assets, conducting consumer and competitive research, interviewing key management or stakeholders, observation, and so forth.

Ashleigh Hansberger, partner and brand strategist at Motto, recalls a recent project where understanding the client’s business was challenging. “We were hired by a quantitative trading firm on Wall Street to develop a college recruitment campaign. In the initial calls, our client used industry-specific terminology that was natural to them but unfamiliar to us.” With the campaign on a tight deadline, Motto quickly scoured trade journals and blogs and held interviews with the company’s staff to sharpen their understanding of the world of financial trading. Hansberger said, “To get on the same page and build credibility for an effective solution, we had to walk on Wall Street and immerse ourselves in the discourse.” As a result, client communication was streamlined, and Motto was able to develop a campaign strategy and design solution that delivered high-level messages that resonated with the client’s audience.

2. Nix Design-Speak

It’s wrong to expect that clients understand our specialized language. It frustrates clients when designers speak with terms and phrases they don’t understand, resulting in miscommunication and failed solutions.

It’s not that easy to explain what a vector file is. Explaining all the different file formats can be overwhelming for a client, especially when designers start using terms like “pixel-based” and “line art.” file formats are becoming more complicated, and the programs used for design are less similar to those used in a business environment so they come with their jargon.”””

Additionally, listen to the client to pick up on their vocabulary and use it whenever you can. Using the client’s jargon can help reassure them that you get it and that your reasons for making certain design decisions are based on understanding their business. It will show that you’re designing solutions that have aesthetic value and make business sense as well.

3. Replace Verbal Communication with Visual Communication

Both miscommunication and misinterpretation are common problems when talking about design. Think about all the words used when a client is telling you what they want: Sexy, bold, sleek, bright, colorful, modern, hip, funky, simple, and so on. The problem with words is that they are highly subjective. They can be interpreted in many ways depending on who says them and hears them. One solution to this problem is translating words in the verbal brief to pictures in a visual brief. The point of providing visuals up front is to help eliminate the element of surprise – which is typically the kiss of death when presenting your design ideas.

Then you can clearly indicate where we intend to go through the design direction.

Make it easier for your clients to see the end result by presenting work on a tangible level. Most clients struggle with seeing the project through, which is often a designer’s gift. Instead of explaining to your client that you intend to use a richly textured paper such as Strathmore Grandee for their stationary system, show them an actual sample so they can feel the tactile richness instead of envisioning it.

4. Explain Your Reasoning

As you offer your expertise throughout the process, it is essential that you also explain to the client why you are giving that advice. Clients often want you to do something you don’t think is a good idea. When those situations arise, rather than just doing it the way they want or doing it your way without explanation, take the time to demonstrate to them why you think it is essential and what the potential impacts can be. Designers sometimes default to explaining their choices subjectively, which can lead to an exchange of diverging or opposite views.

For example, instead of saying: “We chose PMS 7543 because customers respond affirmatively to shades in the cool spectrum,” say this: “This gray-blue conveys stability and reliability and will help your customers feel confident in your brand.” Alternatively, adding a statement like, “A study from the Color Institute shows that female ‘tweens gravitate toward orange but don’t embrace red. Would you like a copy of the article that talked about it?” is a great way to justify, inform, and educate.”

5. Ask Questions

Many clients won’t provide detailed information about their business or their customers unless you ask, simply because they may assume you don’t need to understand their business to provide creative solutions fully. Clients who don’t know what is involved in creating a successful solution may think that a skilled designer can pick up a new project and make something extraordinary without considering the client’s specific situation. In these cases, you must be proactive and ask several questions. Listen not only to the answers given to the questions you raise. Don’t be afraid to ask clients questions to clarify things you may not understand. Your customers are busy, just like you are, so they may be in a hurry when you are talking to them, but don’t let that discourage you from getting the information that will help you do your job for them.

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