Hard to believe without seeing it

As a designer it is easy to picture the end result of a brief, however it is not always so easy for the client to picture the final result.

We present clients with concepts and assume that we are taking them on the same journey we see in our mind to a completed result and expect the client to be as enthusiastic as we are, then signoff on the concept so we can get the ball rolling.

What we need to do is to remember that we can’t expect clients who work in a myriad of industries to understand the jargon and techniques that are second nature to us in our industry.

The reverse goes when the roles are switched and I am the client being advised on a new home theatre system or something. I need to be shown actual examples and given sound reason for the decision to proceed down a particular route.

One particular job comes to mind where we proposed the use of clear foil to render the brand on the client’s business cards.

Now I know what a clear foil will look like printed on a business card, but without a physical example to put in the hand of a client it is impossible to try to explain it, let alone expect someone to visualise it.

In this instance it is particularly hard because as the name says, it is clear – no colour, not really glossy, more matt but still catches the light and creates an impression into the stock, clear as mud to visualise?

In this particular instance, the client approved the concept and when the final design was sent for approval to print, I (again) confused the client by making the clear foil orange in colour. I needed to explain the reason and the client again trusted we would deliver a great result.

The reason we made the clear foil appear as orange, is because the clear as nothing would not actually print because white on white equals nothing. The printer still needs to make a plate to print from though, so any colour as long as it is indicated to the printer correctly as clear foil will suffice.

At Jack in the box we strive to explain and show as best as possible the final result for our clients. Sometimes though due to the nature of a job we have to ask our clients to place their trust in us and know that we will deliver the best result.

And needless to say the client is very happy with his brand, look and the results achieved from our initial concept.