Since my first two posts were about the thinking behind branding, I want to write a bit about the practical side of things for post #3. Looking through past projects for inspiration, I was reminded of a story from a project a few years ago that changed how I run every discovery call since.
The Story
A few years ago, I had little experience working with clients, and wasn’t always sure what the right questions were to ask. (In many ways, I’m still learning.)
In the discovery call for one branding project, the client described their audience and asked for something “informal and accessible, yet knowledgeable”. We went through a few rounds of mood boards and drafts, but nothing quite clicked. With each round of revisions, the style had strayed further and further from the direction we’d originally agreed on.
At some point, I asked a different kind of question:
Imagine an ideal client sees your product. Who is that person, and what’s the first impression that client gets?
My client didn’t have a clear answer for who that person was; but in trying to answer the second, the direction shifted anyway. “Informal and accessible, yet knowledgeable” became “modern, professional but accessible.” Not a big change on paper, but the next round of drafts built around that new direction came together smoothly.
That question has stayed with me in every discovery process since.
The Reflection
Looking back, I think what that question really does is pull both the designer and the brand owner away from personal opinion, and back towards the actual problem we’re meant to be solving.
A brief is easy to drift from, a little at a time, when each round of feedback comes down to “I like this a bit more” or “I like this a bit less”. The question interrupts that, and gives us something outside our own opinions to focus on instead: the audience’s opinion, which was the real problem all along.
I see the answer to this question as the north star for the style of every branding project.
What’s your answer?
If you are working on your own brand, I hope this question helps clarify things a bit: imagine someone seeing your product for the very first time; who is that person, and what does that person think about your product?
If you’d like to share, I’d genuinely love to hear what comes up for you. Feel free to send me an email.
Until next time,
An
