Often, there’s a disconnect between what people want and what they ask for.
Since we manage projects of many different sizes and scopes, from brand-new website development to creating a brochure for an event, we’ve gotten used to asking the right questions to give us the info we need to complete the project.
Whether you’re working with us or another agency or an individual web developer or graphic designer, be ready for a lot of questions about your project. The more information you can provide up front with your request the more successful your project will be. By successful I mean getting it done quickly, on budget, and for the purpose you needed it for. Let’s look at some examples of clarifying information that can be helpful when you’re requesting a project.
Be specific
Rather than saying, “I don’t like this,” or “Can you make this pop more?” tell us what you don’t like and what you mean by pop. Yes, it can be difficult to describe some things and maybe you don’t have the design vocabulary to know exactly what to say. But what is helpful is coming up with examples of styles or layouts that you do like. Often, we get feedback that says something like, “I don’t like the pictures in that spot.” It can take some back and forth to figure out that what the client really wants is the headline to be the first thing they see. Or, you say, “make it bold,” when what you really meant was “make it more noticeable.”
Target audience
Are you making a brochure to sit in a pocket at the local community center? Are you handing it out at an event? Pockets often obscure the bottom part of a brochure, so knowing this helps the designer put key images and information at the top.
Time frame and budget
Tell us up front if you need it in two days and can only spend $100. This will allow the designer to focus on the most important elements to improve and get done efficiently.
What’s it for?
If you ask us for a PDF, tell us what it’s for. Is it to place on your website for download? Is it for printing? The final destination of the file makes a difference in how the file is created.
Wants and Don’t Wants
We recently had an experience where we created a brochure for a client. It was a remake of an existing brochure and it included many small photographs that were grouped together. The client provided individual images of each of the grouped images, but he didn’t tell us that he wanted them grouped exactly the way they were in the original brochure. Our designer spent the first two days re-imagining the brochure with a totally different layout, only to get the feedback that he was way off base. Even if it seems obvious to you, state your wants and don’t wants clearly in your brief on the project. It really helps!
