Do you know that feeling of coming into a store where the owner treats you by your name, asks about your family, remembers your usual purchases, clears all your doubts and sometimes suggests new items that you might like (and, amazingly, you do)? As designers, we can create that heartwarming space where clients feel safe to ask questions, to trust our judgement and even to take some risks.


Clients are our why – why we exist and work; and while some interactions might be dramatic (there are Clients from Hell, after all), most of them are coming to us for help and the best way to help them is to put ourselves in their shoes while keeping our designer goggles on. Making sure that the relationship between both parties is honest will create an environment that allows for everyone to be happy and to thrive at their jobs – which in turn leaves room for better, more impactful solutions.

And with all this in mind, there’s one other thing we can’t overlook in this relationship – remembering we’re not the client (as sad as it is that it means we can’t use that super extended font anymore). The purpose of our design, though based on our own principles, vision and experience, is to ensure client happiness; by working with them rather than for them, we can help them achieve it. And once they're happy, they’ll come back to see what else you can do together; just like you return to that store to see what's new.