John McHugh:

Most corporate identity or branding initiatives have a great deal to do with change, both personal and professional. If this is a new brand, has the client forsaken a steady paycheck to launch their dream business? If this is a rebrand, is the new CMO on the hot-seat to revive the business and get results? Whether embarking on a rebrand, or developing a new brand altogether, chances are you have caught the client at a time when they are under a great deal of pressure stemming from change. Part of your job as a designer is to serve as their steadfast guide through the entire process. Being sympathetic to the client’s position can really go along way here.

Jointly defining the scope of the project from the outset is critical. I like to discuss a client’s needs and concerns at the first meeting. I then follow up with another meeting and walk them through a previous project I worked on that was similar in scope. I find that most of my clients have had very limited, if any, interaction with a designer before. Simply showing and explaining the process to them can be a real eye opener, for both parties. This shows them what to expect.

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Andrea Cutler:

In a word “samples” (a.k.a. SWIPE) a picture is worth 1000 words. I like to inform my clients thinking by showing design work and solutions that are outside the box of the conventional. Whether it’s my own design or examples of clever promotion done by other designers — in annuals etc, I get the client to start thinking about solutions to promote their brand that exceed the average norm. I love brain-storming with them about various solutions and even have a “client punch list” that I offer to get them thinking about their identity and voice in the marketplace. It is helpful to define the brand and target audience. It lists 10 questions to steer conversation and creative efforts. You would be surprised how many clients don’t consider these basic premises before they hire a designer to help brand them.
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Studio Junglecat:

A great question, and a challenge I face continually working with small or new businesses, nonprofits, and visual or performing artists with tight budgets. Because these organizations are typically small, their mission, culture, particular challenges, and near- and long-term objectives likely all exist in the hearts and minds of a small number of people. By talking openly with those involved, asking the relevant questions, and getting at the essence of who they are or who they’d like to be, you can pretty quickly gather a sense of direction. These conversations cost nothing but do require time and preparation. However, the more clearly you can outline the objectives and parameters at the outset of the project, the closer in you can start on exploration, thereby recouping some of the resources (time) allotted to discovery. Additionally, I believe that qualified designers bring a certain “x” factor to their work, which is a kind of informed intuition making it possible to connect the dots and bring all the disparate elements together into something meaningful and valuable. This comes from experience, cultural awareness, and an open, collaborative relationship with the client, which nets mutually beneficial results.
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Seven25:

Colour is often a tricky element in identity development and there are many ways of managing it. In my experience choosing the right approach depends on your client, the number of people involved in the process, the nature of the project and your relationship with your client. When embarking on a new project I explain our process and broach the topic of approvals and feedback. If any phase of development is measured based on specific goals then gauging colour appropriateness should be no different.
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Hexanine:

Clients are often the best sources of information about their own organizations—they know their products, mission, and offerings inside and out. But with that familiarity often comes a kind of tunnel vision that limits their perspective. We try to combine the best of our clients’ expertise with our own fresh, “informed outsider” viewpoints. To help build a foundation for good concepts, we can provide clients with customer profiles and schema, trend forecasts, and basic field observations. These are a far cry from the traditional focus group methods, and aren’t used to support already-existing design directions, but to provide a transparent framework clients can see—why we want to focus their communication in certain areas. Usually the biggest barrier to good basic design research isn’t budgets—many of these methods can be done inexpensively. Short, rigid timelines and a “have it done yesterday” mentality are more likely to keep clients from seeing the value in this sort of analysis.
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Ruth Galloway & Glenn Kiernan:

There is no hard a fast rule to the number of concepts we show to our clients. It varies depending on the type of project. Ideally we aim to show only three solutions.

If we are working with a mature identity or packaging brand these three routes will include an evolution (if the brief requires), a mid point, and a revolution. Sometimes if we are confident enough with the rationale, the consumer insights and we have complete courage in our conviction, those moments when you know you have the winner, we will present just one route. This rarely happens as the process usually takes the client on a journey from their present position to the winning idea. We never just present concepts to ‘fill’ a presentation, each concept presented must fit the brief and be something we would happy to develop and be proud to show if chosen by the client.
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