Are you looking to take your graphic design and art services to the next level and catapult your clients to success beyond their expectations? If you answered yes, you probably have already figured out that the right questions can be your secret weapon. People suck at delivering creative briefs, and it’s part of our role to extract the information we need to create the magic sauce.
My first piece is a list of the 10 essential questions every creative professional should be asking. It's about elevating your game, keeping your cool, and exuding confidence in your projects. Because you know your shit and the world needs YOUR art. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your creative journey, these questions will help you to stand out.
1. What creative challenges are you facing?
Let's start with the basics, folks. We need to understand the lay of the creative landscape. What's been keeping our clients up at night? Why have they called us?
2. What strategies have you employed to overcome these creative challenges? Were they effective, and if so for how long?
Delve into their previous creative endeavours. This will help you to understand their workflow, team and thought process. How long did their creative solutions last and most importantly what caused them to fail?
3. What's your vision of success in your creative projects?
Let's visualise what success looks like with our clients. Get them to describe the reality in that success and manifest it together.
4. What are your short-term and long-term creative goals?
Let’s get real, their Instagram isn’t growing by 500k followers by next Thursday, so let’s get on the same page with deliverables. What's their game plan for the next few months and how do you fit into it? Even if you are working on a once-off project, this assures your client that you are invested in helping them achieve their goals.
5. What criteria are essential for your creative projects' success?
What are the absolute must-haves for your client? How can you set yourself up for success? It's not just about creating; it's about exceeding expectations. This is the secret recipe for a successful creative outcome.
6. What do you consider your strengths?
It's time for our clients to do some introspection. What are their USP’s and superpowers? How do we use these to strengthen their artistic arsenal?
7. What key milestones are you hoping to achieve in the next year?
Peek into your client’s creative wish list. How can you help create scalable solutions that keep them coming back for more?
8. How does this fit into the broader rollout?.
Ask your client to explain the entire campaign or project rollout. Ensure you understand where and how you fit in so you can upsell your other services that could add value, or recommend your peers. I can’t emphasise this enough, community building is incredibly valuable.
9. How do you evaluate the potential of new products or services for your business?
Understand your client and their business model. This is essential for you to choose the right tools to deliver consistently, efficiently and effectively.
10. Where do you place the most importance among cost, quality, and service in your creative projects?
Ah, the golden triangle of creative work. Get your ducks in a row so you can present your solutions in a way that is tailored to your client’s communication style. Cost, quality, and service – what's your USP for this project and this PERSON? What will appeal to them most?
Remember, confidence is key. Keep your cool and professionalism while engaging with your clients on a personal level. Authentic relationships beat everything. You're not ‘just’ an artist or designer; you're a HUMAN BEING, a creative problem-solver, a creator, and a trusted partner. You are operating on your own level, trust your beautiful brain and creative madness. Lean into your weirdness and command the space.
You're the golden ticket to creative success. You got this bro.
xxx
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