So often I hear from fellow brand designers and strategists wrestling with a very common struggle–how to get to the heart of their client’s brand. And I firmly believe the reason they are struggling is because they aren’t asking the right questions to begin with. Instead of asking intentional, purposeful questions to get to the very core of their client’s brand, I see so many designers asking surface-level questions that in return lead to surface-level answers. But there’s a way to bypass that altogether, friend!
Now, let me ask you something–how in the world are you supposed to design an intentional, purposeful brand if you only know part of your client’s story?
Because if we are being honest, if all you know about your client are surface-level answers then you don’t really know your client’s full story at all.
Your choices as a designer are going to be influenced by the information, heart, and the foundational work your clients share with you. So it’s very important to set your process up for success right from the get-go as you ask the right questions to get to the very center of your client’s brand. So let’s get to it!
How To Ask The Right Questions To Get
To The Heart Of Your Client’s Brand
In order to get to the heart of your client’s brand, you have to ask the right kinds of questions that will influence the choices you make as a designer. And trust me, friend, these questions go deeper than the common questions you find on any ole discovery worksheet.
So today, I want to share with you actual examples of common questions I’ve seen my mentoring design clients and brand strategy students asking before they completed the Brand Strategy School.
Through these simple examples you’ll see how you can actually change how you are asking questions and instead elevate them to be intentional questions that deliver the results you are looking for.
This is going to be the perfect case of “do this, not that!”
Let’s dive in, shall we?!
Feeling vs. Visual
Instead of asking your clients: what do you want your brand to look like?
Ask: how do you want your brand to make people feel?
Bonus points for following this question up with: why do you want to make people feel that way?
A lot of the times, we as designers get so tripped up on asking questions that are a little too open ended. With this example of asking your client what they want their brand to look like you are going to get so many different replies about other brands they like. You are going to get responses probably on color palettes, designs or fonts they found on Pinterest that “speak” to them or they’ve seen other designers create.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is all helpful information, but if we are going to flip the script and create brands that do business differently, we have to design in a different way.
We can’t just design what’s pretty or based on how others are doing it. We instead have to focus on creating original work. And in order to do that you have to understand more of the heart and goals of your own client’s business.
By doing this, sweet friend, we can build a brand that will endure.
Instead of asking, what they want their brand to look like we need to ask our clients what they want to make people feel through their brand!
This simple way to ask the right question is going to help you as the designer create more of the emotional goals that your client’s brand should reach. Through those emotions they want to inspire you’ll be able to understand everything from the right colors to the right motifs to the right website layout.
Now you’ve created a brand with emotion that guides your client’s clients through an experience that delivers results.
Ideal Client vs. Color Palette
Instead of asking your clients: what are your favorite colors you want to include in your color palette?
Ask: who is your ideal client?
This is a huge concept to grasp here but trust me on this. When creating color palettes for your client’s brand we shouldn’t be focusing on the colors your client likes. Because here’s the thing– your client’s brand is really only partially about them.
More than that, it’s really about their ideal clients and creating a visual identity that will resonate with the kinds of clients that your client wants to work with.
Creating an ideal client profile will actually help you influence color choices that attract those ideal clients, and it will help you think about the overall desired aesthetic your client is going for.
Through color psychology you’ll be able to pull in the right kinds of colors that really resonate with your client’s ideal client and help you reach their goals.
Prioritize Price, Quality, and Convenience vs. Favorite Places To Shop
And finally, instead of asking your clients: where does your ideal client shop for clothing?
Ask: what does your ideal client prioritize – price, quality or convenience?
Understanding who your client’s ideal client is will obviously permeate into every design decision you are making throughout their design project. But we have to take it deeper than those common surface-level answers we see on every ideal client worksheet out there.
Yes, it’s helpful to know some of the brands your clients love, but we want to actually understand more behind their choices then the actual item they buy. When I’m asking my clients what brands they love, I’m not so much interested in the stores they shop themselves.
I’m actually interested in what kinds of shopping choices my client’s ideal client makes so I can understand their relationship with quality and investment.
For example, the kinds of clients who are going to be shopping at Anthropologie over Target are more interested in quality vs. price.
Whereas a client who buys everything on Amazon obviously prioritizes the ability to find a good bargain most of the time with the convenience to have things delivered straight to their door. (Can anyone say Prime shipping?!)
The thing here is we have to take a look at the kinds of questions we are asking our clients through strategy calls or client homework and figure out intentional ways to ask these questions in order to peel back the layers and get to the very heart of your client’s brand.
The right questions are going to empower you to make the best design decisions and back them up with intentional strategy to boot.
Are You Ready To Ask The Right Questions?
If you are ready to take the next step towards asking the right questions, when to ask them, and how to guide your clients through an intentional brand process that delivers results I’ve got something just for you.
You can snag my exact brand strategy process I use with my own clients that peel back the layers and get to the very heart of their brand.
Doors are officially open to the Brand Strategy School! You are steps away from having all the tools and resources you need in order to do business differently as an intentional brand designer.
This is your time to stop spinning your wheels and start creating the business of your dreams. Let’s do business differently, sweet friend. Join me as I guide you through my signature brand development process so we can transform the way you’re marketing yourself, connecting with your ideal clients, and creating a design business you love!
Registration for the Brand Strategy School is officially open!
Snag your seat today!
Not ready to snag your seat, but curious to learn more?
Let me guide you through “How to Triple your Income as a Designer without Taking on More Branding Clients” and I would love to see you there.
In this free 1-hr webinar you’re going to learn:
- The #1 secret to dramatically increase your income without working crazy hours or taking on hundreds of clients.
- How to transform your client education process in order to maximize results and minimize busy work
- And the key to getting out in front of your dream branding clients without hustling to be seen.
Raise all the praise hands emojis for that, my friend!
HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS FREE CLASS IS FOR ME?
You are working long hours and are only inching the needle forward on your goals
You have a big, dreamy revenue goal in your head, but need guidance on how to make that amount of income land in your bank account
You love the *idea* of positioning yourself as an expert designer and strategist but you’re not quite sure where to start
You feel like you miss out on gaining a new client every time you step away from your laptop
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