THINK WITH ALEC

Design is subjective and what we (designers) think may or may not be in line with client’s

expectations. For nearly 10 years, I’ve been designing sites and creative elements for my own clients and at the agencies and client approvals have always been the most challenging part of projects. In my experience, there are number of things that could be done to handle the approval process.

1. Develop a creative brief for all of your projects
The brief document outlines your vision of the project and also articulates client’s initial direction. The Creative brief could be developed in a high-level format at the beginning of the campaign or at the Pitching stage and will eventually evolve to a detailed document.

2. Run the first draft of your creative concepts by the client to ensure you’re on the right track
This will allow you to receive client’s early feedback. This is extremely helpful to ensure you’re heading toward the right direction

3. If you’re planning on using photo stocks, run them by the client before purchasing
If you’re working for a big agency and the cost isn’t that big of deal, it’s cool to purchase hi-res formats of your stock photography. But if you’re a freelancer, this method could potentially save a bunch of money.

4. Review your creative concepts with your team members
Once you have developed some concepts, run them by your team. Get fresh eyes to look them over and get comments. You may not have to change things around but you could observe and learn from their reactions.

5. Check your spelling
No matter how rough your creative mockup could get, clients always think that your work is final. Check your spelling at all times; believe they will hold it against you. I highly recommend using “Lorem Epsom”.

6. Never present your creative concepts via email. Arrange a face to face meeting!
Avoid presenting your creative concepts via email. Often time clients will get confused and misunderstand your creative approach. Face to Face meetings are the best way to lead the client through your work and present the creative from your eyes. Client will have an opportunity to address any concerns or issues at the meeting and you can answer their questions at the spot while things are being discussed. This will save a great deal of head ache later on. If you’re having trouble getting all stakeholders in the room for presentation, you could also set up a conference call.

7. Creative Concepts Revisions
Ensure to carefully take notes and share them after the meeting so that everyone is on the same page. This is particularly most helpful if you need approvals from multiple people from the client side. Remember, your designs will always be criticized and questioned. This is part of the process.

8. Finalizing the creative concepts and receiving the final approval
Once the revisions have been made, you can setup another meeting and present the final concepts. Client will need to provide you with email approval so that you can finalize all the assets.