Great clients are truly like a box of chocolates. There are so many varieties, so many flavours. The thing about a box of chocolates is that if you have a sweet tooth, there is rarely a bad one. Here we share the love about ours, and about what makes a great client…
There was a time that, just like anyone else in the UK, we’d get shed loads of Leaflets ‘bunged’ through our front door. Being a leaflet, it’s usually extremely basic, most of the time not really delivering a solution to the need that brought it into existence. It’s unread and quickly filed directly in the bin.
It seems odd that some people and companies would think so little of design in the production of these items. That really they become so basic that they are solely destined for recycling without even a second look. I started to wonder why this was, is it just a numbers game? Is it that delivering thousands upon thousands of leaflets mean that at least a few will ‘stick’? Why can’t this be better?
I ended up at: ‘What is the most important factor to delivering great design?’.
Does every design have to appear on the website DesignRush or to win an award to be great design? Does a design need to be something that has taken weeks to develop as part of a much larger design project? Maybe not, but can a leaflet that is meant to end up on your doormat be ‘great design’?
In short: yes.
Let’s clarify what great design is…
What I see as great design does need clarifying, because this is important. My definition is: work that you’re proud of, that is successful, elegant and makes a positive difference, but does all this within in the time allowed and the budget allocated. The time and budget parts are really important (and we’ve talked about these elsewhere), because there is a difference between great and good!
So, how does great design come about, how can it be achieved (and how does this work with a leaflet)?
Well, the brief is important. Without a good brief how can the solution be a good ‘answer’? Creative freedom is also a big factor, being allowed to explore solutions which are sometimes ‘unexpected’ or ‘edgy’ can be and sometimes are the difference between ‘good’ and ‘great’. Time is another ingredient (not that great work can’t happen overnight – but this is more down to a flash of inspiration), allowing ideas to mature, to grow and expand is always good for a project.
It dawned on me that these are all important factors, but realistically none of them would materialise without a great client calling the shots. To us, a great client seems to be the main catalyst for great design.
So what is a great client?
To us, a great client understands that they can’t do everything, that they don’t even want to do everything. That branding and design are important to help their organisation thrive and that sometimes this needs outside help. That when they go outside for help, it is much better to see what comes from the process than to dictate what you want from the process. They have a business challenge, a need and want a relevant solution (not just ‘any’ solution), but know it won’t and probably shouldn’t come direct from them.
A great client wants to be part of the process, but doesn’t want to design through their agency. Great clients are adventurers that appreciate the journey as much as the destination. They may not know ‘where’ the journey will take them, but know how to judge that it’s where they need to be.
our work delivers results to those that give us the freedom to do what we do best
When it comes to a leaflet, this is still something that the company will be ‘judged’ on. A great client understands this, to them it’s not just a leaflet, it’s a branding opportunity. It is still part of the brand and it will still leave an impression. Leaflets can and do have a very important place within the brand ‘mix’, so why not make them as good as they can be?
Why not ‘show the love’ in every touchpoint of your brand? Treat everything your brand puts out to the outside world as an opportunity to impress your chosen audience. In that way, your brand will stand for something more than just a leaflet ‘shoved’ through your door.
We are very lucky (and extremely thankful!), because we have some amazing clients. We appreciate them and spend everyday trying to find new ways to build stronger relationships to gain their trust. And in return for that, we deliver unexpected solutions that make a positive difference to what they do.
Basically, our work delivers results to those that give us the freedom to do what we do best. Because at the end of the day, design isn’t just about beautifying a message, it’s about helping to drive business.
How can we help you?
Puur can help you at every stage of the process from developing a brief to developing your brand strategy; from creating branding solutions to helping chose the right suppliers to deliver the best branded material. If you want we’d be happy to chat over how we can help, give us a call today.
Photo used in this article is by Gemma Evans found on the brilliant Unsplash
