Setting Designers Up For Success: 6 Simple Rules

If you are a designer who has been waiting in your PJs, sipping coffee and wondering when the next dollar is going to drop, then you might want stop wasting time and discover how to get it in the first place. Your friendly neighbor with the dog won’t tell you; neither will your booze buddies. But we will – not because we appreciate art but because hey, we are all in the same business. Here are the basic 6 simple rules that any designer can follow, and thought we can’t guarantee dollars, we guarantee clients will respond to you.

Source: ThinkStock/BananaStock

That might be good morning to you, but it’s five o’clock somewhere.

Rule No 1: Before You Make Your Pitch Get to Know Your Client

It’s psychology 101, if you can create a connection with your client he or she will be more willing to listen to your pitch. How to create that connection is simple-do your research. Google the name of your client, ask around and check the client’s social profiles. There are so many options available online to make research easy that by the time you meet your client you should know exactly what would make them tick.

Here’s an example. I had a client from Jamaica. His social profile showed me that he was really into cricket (the sport not the insect) and he seemed to love drinking. So by the time I met him cricket was my new favorite sport (even if they spend days playing and then end in a draw) and as far as the drinking part goes, I went with the old saying, “Its 5 o’clock somewhere.” I totally got the contract and redesigns were minimal because the client thought, ‘Hey this guy gets me, so if he makes something it should be spot on’.

Rule No. 2: Make Sure Your Client and You Are On the Same Page

Source: Pexels/Purestock

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” -Steve Jobs

We have all had clients that come up to us and ask us to create ‘something different’, something their competitors don’t have, just something more. It’s a catch 22 situation; it’s like a woman asking you, “Do I look fat in this dress.” Don’t fall for that trap.

When you get a client asking for ‘something more’, sit him or her down, and begin opening competitor sites/designs asking for what appeals and does not appeal. Then take it a step further, make him or her write it down. There will be a lot of, “No, no I trust you” but all that means is that they trust you until you create the design and then its all, “…But when I talked to you I told you…”

I believe in black and white, blood would be better but as long as I can rub it in their face with their writing later, I will take black and white.

Rule No. 3 Design It And Sell It Like There Is No Tomorrow

As independent designers, most of us do not have a sales and marketing team that supports our design efforts. You have to be your own marketer. So learn to communicate. You can’t be the artist who is moody and alone. You have to network and be the one pitching your own talent. Your client will not appreciate your design unless you explain it to them and make the design come alive, not on your terms but the clients’. You have to make the client understand your design and visualize it. Remember you are not an artist, you are a designer.

Rule No. 4 Describe Your Design – Tell the Story

Huh! Wait! What? I am a designer not an artist!

This is the 21^st century, people. The era of transitions and changes. This is when you sell designs by being proactive. You have to make sure your opinion as a designer is translated through words and visualization to the client. You really don’t want to be the starving artist do you?

Seriously, I would recommend choosing to be the successful designer anyway. So what does that mean? Be a communicator willing to describe your design. How do you think Nike went with the swoosh logo? Some brilliant logo designer sat down and when his hand slipped he thought why not? I have a party to go to tonight so this can be my first draft.

Then when the client asked him what that completely abstract symbol meant for a sport company the designer took on a new persona, he became a visualizer.

He said, “The swoosh represents speed and sports. It is the epitome of a brand that can branch out in any direction and become more than a company, it can become an icon of hope (This is completely fabricated but I am sure the designer would have thought of this if he had time).”

No logo has a story, at least not after the designer breathes life into it. So be the god of your design.

Source: Unsplash/Mounzer Awad

Designers, what are you trying to communicate to the client’s customers?

Rule No. 5: Don’t back Down

“Don’t back down,” this should be every designers motto. Don’t back down, people. If I got a penny for every time a client said, “But…” I would be a millionaire lounging on some beach being kissed by the sun and then, some…

Clients come to you with a vision which is usually confused, changeable and incoherent. They are looking for guidance. Be the expert. Don’t be scared to give your opinion and contradict the client’s perception.

A client in the real estate industry who wants neon orange and pink for web colors is looking to shoot himself in the foot. Take a deep breath and say, “Sure, I can do that…not”.

Explain that the industry they are in prefers more ‘formal’ colors. Colors that inspire confidence and trust. Tell them that they should opt for blue, green, yellow or hues of red. Maybe have a contrasting shade with classic colors that they can use to liven up the logo. The website can have Web 2.0 elements while the typography is more traditional. A balance between two worlds that garners a more diverse client base.

In short, communicate in a way that suggests you know their industry more than they do. Back it up with examples. Persuade them towards your choice, simply put, don’t back down.

Anything would be better than trying to come up with something classy when using neon orange and pink…can you imagine that on your portfolio?

Rule No. 6: Spread The Word – You’ve Got Talent

Being humble gets you nowhere. You want a microphone and shout from the rooftops. “Hey people, come and watch me design something absolutely out there! It’s going to be so creative, it’s sick.”

If you have awards, certificates, memberships, mentions anything that makes you feel ‘talented’, frame them on the wall and show the badges of honor on your social and web profiles. That is how you build trust. Even if you give yourself a certificate someone out there will believe you and give you a chance. That is all it takes one chance and boom! You’ve got talent.

It’s a hard world out there; cutthroat competition and global design markets, but if you do everything right that one break that you strive for, they will come knocking at your door.

You have any tips that actually work to get and keep clients? Don’t give unnecessary comments we can generate those all on our own. Give us your two cents worth only if you think you would actually get two cents for it!