Advice from an art director<\/p>\n
Johannesburg<\/strong> \u2013 As creatives, we often face the daunting task of having to present our work to a client. Your blood, sweat and tears went into conceptualising and creating a new campaign, and now you have to face a cold boardroom and present your work to an audience that just doesn\u2019t have the same emotional connection that you have to your work. (The emotional connection might also be because you are high on coffee and low on sleep by the time it gets to presenting to the client!)<\/p>\n So how do you do this? You take the client through a creative story, where you present your understanding of the brief, how you unpacked it, how you interpreted it creatively, and then your thinking and designs. By doing this logically and effectively, you answer any questions before they\u2019ve even thought to ask them. <\/p>\n \u201cWhy did you choose that font, those colours, that texture? How will this increase sales, market value, and shelf space? What makes what you\u2019re proposing any different to what is already out there?\u201d<\/p>\n Think about these questions when you build your story, and address them as you unpack your creative rationale. Do it visually and thoroughly, and 99% of the time both client and agency will reach the finish line together\u2026 with gold. If you choose to not take this journey with your client, you can\u2019t expect them to understand how you answered their brief. <\/p>\n Develop a step-by-step presentation where you explain every idea down to the last pixel, then meet with the client in person to present it. This is how we do it:<\/p>\n 1.\tStretch before you start<\/strong> 2.\tWarm-up lap<\/strong> 3.\tSize up your competitors<\/strong> 4.\tTurn right, and then right again<\/strong> 5.\tHave a big reveal<\/strong> 6.\tStop for water \u2013 and enjoy the view<\/strong> 7.\tYou\u2019re almost there (Can you hear the crowd cheering?)<\/strong> 8.\tThe home stretch<\/strong> 9.\tGo the extra mile<\/strong> You\u2019ve finished \u2013 but your job isn\u2019t done! You\u2019ve poured your heart and soul into your presentation, so it\u2019s understandable if you\u2019re feeling emotional, but it\u2019s important that you not take client feedback personally. Listen to what they say and be sure to take notes, so you can tweak and adapt your concept. Get this right in your final presentation and you cross the finish line a winner. And you leave the other 99 laps to another agency\u2026<\/p>\n About the author: Ch\u00e9lin Ramos is the art director at Stratitude. <\/p>\n
\nSuccinctly retelling a client what they told you about their brand might appear to be a waste of time, but what it actually does is reaffirm that you completely understand them. From the start, you are building trust and proving that they\u2019re understood.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ve spent the first minute reassuring your client that you understand who they are, now spend the next minute convincing them that you understand what they need. This is where you take a step back and recap the brief to show that you actually listened and analysed their needs. <\/p>\n
\nIt doesn\u2019t help to simply list competitor brands \u2013 the point is to visually remind your client what they are up against, and to help you build your case for why your creative should be different. If all the competitors all use the colour blue, it will support why you didn\u2019t. <\/p>\n
\nYou know your creative route, so start guiding your client\u2019s thinking in your direction. To back your ideas, show a successful case study or two, examples of trends in the market, and how similar companies have applied them successfully. Use this opportunity to keep going in the right direction. <\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ve shown your client what you\u2019re not doing and you\u2019ve shown them what works well – now unpack your \u201cThe Big Idea\u201d. This is where the fun starts, so make it interesting. Use a drumroll if you have to. Explain the thinking and how it\u2019s relevant to the brief.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ve laid the foundation, now comes the easy part. Introduce your colour palette, fonts, textures, and imagery \u2013 everything you\u2019ve based your design on. Remember to support your thinking; if you chose cherry red as your primary colour, place the colour swatch next to a cherry and tweak the image to match the colour of the swatch. You\u2019ll be amazed at the impact such a small detail can have. <\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ve spent the past 30 minutes taking your client through your entire thought process, but as of yet, you haven\u2019t shown them a single thing they asked for. This is your opportunity to create that \u201cA-ha!\u201d moment. Make it count \u2013 present your artwork beautifully. If you don\u2019t do it justice, you\u2019ve wasted their time. And yours. As a side note, 3D mock-ups go a long way.<\/p>\n
\nThis is just sensible. Placing your design next to a direct competitor will show your client how well your theory works, and why there couldn\u2019t possibly be another solution.<\/p>\n
\nWhen trying to win over a client, it\u2019s always good to do a little more than what they asked for. Think of another application that you can apply your idea to, that is relevant to their brand. This is a great way to show that there is more opportunity in their brief and it\u2019s a chance for you to upsell. <\/p>\n